ThaoVoEN191s11

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Score Card

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?hl=en&hl=en&key=t8khIivi6zjJMVl3JJ3USfA&authkey=CMKO3K8H#gid=0

My Winners:

1. Zhao, Xiaoping

http://zhaoxiaoping520.blogspot.com/

2. Wei, Beibei
http://beibeiwei0420.blogspot.com/

3.Walcheski, Lukus J http://lukewalcheskiengl191spring2011.blogspot.com/

Monday, March 21, 2011

My Second Interview

Process Description:

1. Describe the preparations.

Before the interview, everything is included in the interview is very important to me, so I made sure all of it is all very clear and there are enough details so the person I am asking will know exactly what I am talking about. I needed to think of the questions to ask an international student. I am an international student too, so I thought about all things that were difficult for me or that I thought was weird about America and SCSU and created questions about them. Some things I thought of first for example were "How does the climate in your home country compare to here?" and "How do you celebrate your tradition festivals here." In the first interview, the questions weren't very clear. So in the second interview, I divided the questions into four parts: personal information, experience and life in the U.S, home country, and plans for the future. I chose 7 question from 10 questions list which have include into four parts. Then I made ten questions more to interview. In the first interview, I chose a girl from China to interview, so the second interview I wanted to choose a boy from China. I want to know if their opinions are different or not. Before the interview, I sent the questions of interview to him by email because I wanted him to know what kind of questions there were before I met him. He did not like to record, so I prepared a notebook to write down everything that he said. On the interview, I printed off two copies of all my questions, I gave one to him when we met and I kept one myself.

2. How did you approach people?

I needed to find a boy who is from China to interview, so I asked my classmate in religion class if he would answer some questions for an interview. I went to my religion class, I asked him to help me about this interview. He agreed, I asked him email address and his phone so I could contact him easily.

3. When, where ?

I made an appointment at 7:00pm, March 16 at second floor of the library. I went to the library about a half hour early to choose a quiet place on the second floor, then I called him to meet me there.

4. How did you conduct and record the interview?

He did not like to record, so I wrote down all of the questions and answers in my notebook.

5. Whom did you interview?

Sixin Shen, a senior Chinese student that is studying at SCSU. His major is accounting and minor is computer science. He doesn't have any sisters or brothers. He is very nice and friendly. We are in the same religion class and also working on a group project for the class together. So we are very friendly and comfortable talking to each other.

Describe the interview. What did surprise you? How did the interview unfold? Interview report

        In this interview like the first interview, I was surprised about the weather in China which is very different depending on the are. In Suzhou they do not have heaters, this information made me surprised because I thought China is a very rich country, so it has a lot of modern technology. Age to marry in China, men usually marry after 22, and women usually marry after 20. In my country, men and women can marry at 18 years old. I thought Sixin is a freshman or sophomore because he is so young but Sixin is a senior. He spoke English very well, he sounds like American people so I was very surprised about that.
        At 7:00pm, March 16 on second floor of the library, I interviewed Sixin Shen. He is an international student who is from China. The interview was about 30 minutes. The interview with Sixin went very well like the first interview. He was happy to answer all of my questions, and he enjoyed talking about his home country, his personal information and his experience in the US. I learned more things about Chinese culture, such as food, festival, clothes.
        I also was happy that he had some of the same experiences as me, because I am also an international student. Like he is homesick like me and he learns English the same as me. And how many times American people don't understand some things you say when you first come here to Minnesota.
       After the second interview, I recognized Sixin spoke English better than Mangya Xia. And, in the second interview, I have a lot of information which I didn't have in the first interview. Moreover, the second interview I talked better with Sixin, and asked more questions than the first interview because I had experience from the first interview.

Country Report

China is located in the Eastern Hemisphere with a population of "1.3 billion"(fco.gov.uk) people, and area is 9,596,960 km² (wikitravel.org). The type of the government is Socialist Republic. The capital is Beijing, and the official language of China is Mandarin, but many people also speak Cantonese.

China has five major religions "Daoism, Buddhism, Islam, Catholic and Protestant Christianity" (fco.gov.uk). Buddhism is the most popular in this country.

A Chinese Tang Dynasty (618–907) sculpture of the Buddha seated in meditation. Picture and information are from (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#Culture)

Kung fu in is very popular in China and most of the world knows about Chinese Kung fu. According Martial-arts-info Website,"Kung Fu is a broad term that is used to describe all martial arts of Chinese origin. Kung-Fu existing under many different names throught China’s history. The Shaolin monastery housed many fugitives from justice, and many warriors turned monk, which sets the roots of Kung Fu in the Shaolin Temple in Northern China. In fact there were five different Shaolin temples in five districts, and so five distinct styles of Shaolin Kung Fu developed."

Kung fu of China

Picture is from https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZLgppQzgk4fYTdDczVlxKKssfECN53A_obPdxLlMnoas2ku8MFEEOLMa6oSRBkoBStNWUJ-DoWDm3Yq2fLNeZ9IYwMXVk7xh1JKVDOUf0FmINwqJELgngk2EjeHbUwxnM8bFvUnncBU/s1600/Kung+fu.jpg

Great Wall of China
Picture is from https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihkkYJ-EgTAuAWi1JWVjbnIddLBO9-WIUPSIauFnSWre5QaPkotz_EIL3sAT8sP9JMqNktdQvU2wxSuZoxl4bJA32v-O2zzIvxUM_GXnpHRPAzJ_yhDO-w3plUXu5r23dIKPDRpM9ap8U/s1600/china-great-wall-of-china.jpg

The Forbidden City
Picture is from (http://www.goingtravels.com/2010/12/the-forbidden-city-palace/)

Most people in America know China for its historical structure, The Great Wall of China, which was build by the Emperor Qin to keep other tribes away. But it also has other historical landmarks like The Forbidden City of the Ming Dynasty in the 1400s which was home to many Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasty.

          The weather in China is very different depending on the area. Northern China has long and cold winters from December through March, summer is very hot and rather humid from May through the end August. Southern China has high temperature, winter is short from January to March, and April through September is very rainy. Central China has cold winters too, but not as long as Northern China. It also has very hot and humid summers.

   China has five important holidays such as: National Day (October 1), Chinese New Year or Spring Festival (the end January or mid-February), Labor Day (May 1), Dragon Boat Festival ( 5th day of the 5th lunar month, boat races and eating zongzi are a traditional parts of the celebration), and Mid-Autumn Day (15th day of the 8th lunar month, this is also call the Moon Cake Festival. People will meet outside and put food on tables, then they look up at the full harvest moon)

         China and other countries in Asia have a different Zodiac and New Years than America because they use a lunar calendar. The New Years happens around February and there is a big festival for about one week where they celebrate and nobody needs to go to work or school. It is similar to the vacation we get for Christmas. People clean up and decorate their house around one month before the New Year. They also buy new clothes, shoes, presents, and get new hair cuts before New Year. In the New Year, almost all the stores are closed in the first, second, and third day of celebration. People wear new clothes when they visit their family to wish them a Happy New Year. The children receive a red envelop which has lucky money inside from their parents or their relatives. People have a big dinner together with their parents and their relatives.

Chinese people believe that the numbers 3,6,8,9 are lucky. Three is like three stars including gods of fortune, prosperity and longevity. Six is like success. The number Eight has sounds close to the word for rich, so they think this number is linked to prosperity. Nine is like everlasting. Chinese people believe the number four is bad because the pronunciation in Chinese is death.

Map of China country (from http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/china-guide/

Flag of China country(from http://tofocus.info/flag-of-China.php)

Traditional Chinese Wedding

Stir-fry Asparagus With Bell Peppers and Mushrooms (http://chinesefood.about.com/od/vegetablesrecipes/r/asparagus.htm)

Traditional chinese food,Braised hairtail(seafood,seafish) in brown sauce (from http://www.cooking-fans.info/2009/08/traditional-chinese-foodbraised.html

References

http://www.martial-arts-info.com/120/kung-fu/

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/country-profile/asia-oceania/china

http://www.yourdiscovery.com/ancient_china/landmarks/great_wall_2/index.shtml

Interview transcription

Course: English 191
Interviewer: Thao Vo Herman, Vietnamese
Interviewee: Sixin Shen, Chinese
Time: 7:00pm, March 16 at second floor the library

Thao: Good evening, my name is Thao. How are you?

Sixin: I'm fine. How are you?

Thao: I'm good. What is your name?

Sixin: My name is Sixin Shen. Nice too meet you!

Thao: Did you get my email about the questions?

Sixin: Yes, I got them.

Thao: I have two copies of all the questions. You can have one, I will keep one.

Sixin: Yes.

Thao: Where are your from? Please tell me a some information about your hometown?

Sixin: Suzhou, China. It is a city of 5000-year history. It is famous for its classic Chinese traditional gardens. Now I ranks number 5 in GDP growth in China.

Thao: What is your major?

Sixin: My major is accounting, my minor is computer science.

Thao: How many people are there in your family?

Sixin: My parents only have me.

Thao: I see, I know a lot parents in China only have one children. Do you want to have one sister or brother in your family?

Sixin: I do not want to have a sister or brother because I want my parents love only me. hahaha

Thao: Haha, me too. But I have one sister and one younger brother. So I'm not happy about that. how long have you have been here?

Sixin: 4 years.

Thao: Are you a freshman, sophomore, junior, senior?

Sixin: I'm a senior student

Thao: How does the climate in your home country compare to here?

Sixin: It is definitely warmer in my hometown during winter. But since we do not have heaters in Suzhou, I feel more comfortable staying in MN.

Thao: How do you celebrate your tradition festivals here?

Sixin: I am not a big fan of celebrating festivals. The only I celebrated was the Chines New Year cultural night here at SCSU. Other than that, I do not think I did much to celebrate Chinese New year.

Thao: What are some cultural differences between your country and here?

Sixin: Since the Western culture has greatly influenced China, I did not feel a lot of differences after I came to the US. People are able to get almost everything here in China and living a pretty much same lifestyle in China too. But I have to say food is still quite different.

Thao: At what age do men and women spend private time and at what age do they consider marriage?

Sixin: Nowadays, students will probably start dating in high school. Any age after 20-22 is when people consider marriage.

Thao: Is religion more open in your country? Explain.

Sixin: I would say positive. But as a matter of fact, people still do not have complete freedom of religion in China. Most of the biggest churches are still run by the government.

Thao: What was the hardest thing about transitioning to the U.S.? (Culture shock)

Sixin: Honestly, I did not have any cultural shocks when I came to the US.

Thao: What were your preconceptions about the US before coming here and how have they changed?

Sixin: Actually, my conceptions about the US did not change a whole lot after I came to the country. I think that is because American TV shows are now very popular in China and they portray the real American ideas.

Thao: What is the most difficult situation you have faced when you live in the U.S?

Sixin: Finding the real authentic Chinese restaurant. Other than that, cannot think of any.

Thao: I like Chinese restaurants a lot. The food is very good. I love spicy food.

Sixin: I like spicy food too.

Thao: Why did you decide to come to SCSU instead of studying or working in your own country?

Sixin: I wanted to receive higher education and I thought SCSU would be the right place for me. The tuition is reasonable, and the people here are very nice.

Thao: What is the most interesting event you like in this school?

Sixin: The cultural nights. They are great opportunities for us to learn about each other.

Thao: I like cultural nights, it helps students understand each other's country.

Thao: What surprises you the most about this school?

Sixin: I cannot think of any.

Thao: How do you improve your English?

Sixin: I watched news on TV. I talked to native speakers often.

Thao: Your English is very well. I want to speak the same as you. I need improve my speaking. Hahaha. What does your professor say about your speaking?

Sixin: They often say I speak well, haha

Thao: Do you have any plan for the future?

Sixin: I may sound boring. Being able to find a descent job. Getting married to the one I love.

Thao: Do you think it will be easy to find a job after college?

Sixin: No, I do not think so. I think I will go for my Master's degree.

Thao: How often do you call your family? What do you do when you are homesick?

Sixin: Every week. I do not get homesick very ofter. When I do, I go home. I have been going home every summer since I came here. It is nice to have family around.

Thao: What will you do for fun in your free time in China?

Sixin: I often hang out with friends and play pool, and watch movies.

Thao: Could you describe your life now?

Sixin: I am pretty comfortable with what I am doing and where I am at right now. Enjoying my life is very important to me.

Thao: Could you describe a little about three foods you like?

Sixin: Fried chicken strips. Cheeseburgers. Oranges.

Thao: I like these foods too.

Thao: Thank you so much. I have a lot of your information so I can do my assignment

Sixin: You are welcome. If you need more information, you can call me to meet again.

Thao: Thank you. You are so nice. See you later

Sixin: See you

Thao: Have a good night

Sixin: Good night. See you tomorrow at class.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Score Card and My Winners

Score Card
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AiKmTNO9i-vxdHhSVl9jbmY3M0ppeVY5dnQ0YWxUcHc&hl=en&authkey=CODg_7IO

My Winners:

1) Louks, Kyle http://kyleenglish191.blogspot.com/

2) Wei, Beibei http://beibeiwei0420.blogspot.com/

3) Severson, Natalie M http://natalieseversonen101s11.blogspot.com/

Monday, February 28, 2011

My First Interview

Describe my preparation: (How did I approach people? When, where, and how did I conduct and record the interview? Whom did I interview?)

My process description is very simple. Everything is included in the interview is very important, so I made sure all it is all very clear and there are enough details so the person I am asking will know exactly what I am talking about.
      First of all, I needed to think of fourteen different questions to ask an international student. I am an international student too, so I thought about all things that were difficult for me or that I thought was weird about America and SCSU and created questions about them. Some things I thought of first for example were "How does the climate in your home country compare to here?" and "How do you celebrate your tradition festivals here."
   Next I needed to find someone to ask my questions to, so I asked someone in my economy class from China if she would answer some questions for an interview. I have her facebook so I sent email to her to make appointment. Her name is Mengya Xia. She is from China. She agreed to meet me in Atwood on February 26, 2011 at 1:00pm. So before the interview I printed off two copies of all my questions, I gave one to her when we met and I kept one myself. I brought my voice recorder but she was too shy so we didn't use it.
     Then I began to ask her the questions and wrote down everything she said. However one answer wasn't clear after I wrote it down so I asked her again in the library. I thanked her for her information and for her time and begun to write my report about the interview.

Describe the interview: What did surprise I? How did the interview unfold? Interview report

     In this interview, I was surprised about the weather in China which is very different depending on the are. Age marriage in China, men usually marry after 22, and women usually marry after 20. In my country, men and women can marry at 18 years old.
     On February 26, 2011 at 1:00pm, I interviewed Mangya Xia in Atwood. She is an international student who is from China. The interview was about 30 minutes. The interview with Mangya went very well. She was happy to answer all of my questions, and she enjoyed talking about her home country and her experience here in the US. Mangya was my classmate at Econ 205 last semester. We were the same class but I seldom talked with her because I was shy. But after the interview, I understood her more. We become friendly now. I learned some things about Chinese culture, like how it is polite to talk about religion and about how people in the United States talk more to strangers and don't as much to family.
     I also was happy that she had some of the same experiences as me, because I am also an international student. Like she is homesick like me and she learns English the same as me. And how many times American people don't understand some things you say when you first came here to Minnesota.

Country Report:

China is located in the Eastern Hemisphere with a population of "1.3 billion"(fco.gov.uk) people . The capital is Beijing, and the official language of China is Mandarin, but many people also speak Cantonese.

China has five major religions "Daoism, Buddhism, Islam, Catholic and Protestant Christianity" (fco.gov.uk). Buddhism is the most popular in this country. Kung fu in is very popular in China and most of the world knows about Chinese Kung fu. According Martial-arts-info Website,"Kung Fu is a broad term that is used to describe all martial arts of Chinese origin. Kung-Fu existing under many different names throught China’s history. The Shaolin monastery housed many fugitives from justice, and many warriors turned monk, which sets the roots of Kung Fu in the Shaolin Temple in Northern China. In fact there were five different Shaolin temples in five districts, and so five distinct styles of Shaolin Kung Fu developed."

Kung fu of China

Great Wall of China

The Forbidden City

China and other countries in Asia have a different Zodiac and New Years than America because they use a lunar calendar. The New Years happens around February and there is a big festival for about one week where they celebrate and nobody needs to go to work or school. It is similar to the vacation we get for Christmas. People clean up and decorate their house around one month before the New Year. They also buy new clothes, shoes, presents, and get new hair cuts before New Year. In the New Year, almost all the stores are closed in the first, second, and third day of celebration. People wear new clothes when they visit their family to wish them a Happy New Year. The children receive a red envelop which has lucky money inside from their parents or their relatives. People have a big dinner together with their parents and their relatives.

References

http://www.martial-arts-info.com/120/kung-fu/

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/country-profile/asia-oceania/china

http://www.yourdiscovery.com/ancient_china/landmarks/great_wall_2/index.shtml

Transcribe:

Interviewer: Thao Thi Vo or Thao Vo Herman, Vietnam

Interviewee: Mengya Xia, China
Time: 1:00pm February 26, 2011
Place: Atwood
Length: about 30 minutes

Thao: Hello, my name is Thao. How are you today?

Mengya: I'm good. How are you Thao. Long time I didn't see you.

Thao: I'm fine. Long time I didn't see you, too. What is your name?

Mengya: My name is Mengya Xia. Did you forgot my name?

Thao: I didn't forget your name but I cannot speak your name correctly so I want to hear you say again, hahaha. How are your classes?

Mengya: My classes are good. But they make me work harder than last semester, haha

Thao: Oh really. My classes this semester are very difficult so I need to work hard too. Mengya, I have an assignment about an interview with an international student, that is why I want to meet you today. Can you help you answer some questions?

Mengya: Yes, sure Thao.

Thao: What is your major?

Mengya: My major is accounting. How about you?

Thao: My major is accounting, too. Where are you from? Please tell me some information about your hometown?

Mengya: I am from China. China has spicy food. The weather in China is very different depending on the area. China has Kung fu. Kung fu in is very popular in China and most of the world knows about Chinese Kung fu. China has Great Wall. It is very popular in the world.

Thao: How does the climate in your home country compare to here?

Mengya: My country also has 4 seasons but it is a little warmer than saint cloud.

Thao: How do you celebrate your traditional festivals here?

Mengya: I celebrate it with my Chinese friend, or cook together.

Thao: What are some cultural differences between your country and here?

Mengya: I think Americans are more independent and talkative. Chinese rarely speak to strange people, but they are more closed with their families.

Thao: At what age do men and women spend private time and at what age do they consider marriage?

Mengya: Maybe at 10 they want to spend private time. Men usually marry after 22, and women usually marry after 20.

Thao: Is religion more open in your country? Please explain.

Mengya: Yes, it is. In America, asking for religion is not a good manners. In China, people usually ask for another's religion, and people who have a religion can be respected.

Thao: What was the hardest thing about transitioning to the U.S.? (Culture shock)

Mengya: Language(english)

Thao: What were your preconceptions about the US before coming here and how have they changed?

Mengya: I thought America was dangerous because people can own guns here.

Now I think America is safe. People cannot smoke at any building, and there are many fire bells in any room.

Thao: What is the most difficult situation you have faced when you live in the U.S?

Mengya: communicating with Americans when I have poor English.

Thao: Why did you decide to come to SCSU instead of studying or working in your own country?

Mengya:I want to learn English here.

Thao: What is the most interesting event you like in this school?

Mengya: The school usually have many good activities.

Thao: What surprises you the most about this school?

Mengya: There are many Chinese teachers here.

Thao: How do you improve your English?

Mengya: Practice

Thao: Do you think it will be easy to find a job after college?

Mengya: Yes.

Thao: How often do you call your family? What do you do when you are homesick?

Mengya: Every day. When I am homesick, I usually call my mother, and speak to her.

Thao: Thank you so much. I have a lot your information so I can do my assigment

Mengya: You are welcome Thao. If you want to ask more, I will meet you again

Thao: Thank you Mangya. See you later

Mengya: See you

Thao: Have a good day

Mengya: You too

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Library Research Assistance- Group 1

Research online is very important in studying at college level. It helps students know a lot of information which relative with any topic in class. This guideline helps students "how to learn resources and technology services" on the library website. This has seven guidelines from http://lrts.stcloudstate.edu/library/documents/LocatingScholarlyArticles.pdf

This is explain what is a Scholarly Article: "A scholarly article is published in an academic journal, rather than in a popular magazine." Many professors at the college require students use scholarly article like sources when writing a research paper.
Know about how to search for articles in databases. Go this website http://lrts.stcloudstate.edu/library/default.asp. This website helps us search a topic area as acounting, business (international), http://research.stcloudstate.edu/rqs.phtml?subject_id=17
Know how to get the article electronically: After reviewing the citation click on the PDF, HTML, or FULL TEXT link.If a full text is not avaliable, click on the "Find It!" button and the new page will provide links to related full texts if they are avaliable.
Know how to write down the citation information : "Article Title." Author. Journal Title. Date. Volume, Number (issue), Pages.
Journal and newspaper availability. Go this website http://lrts.stcloudstate.edu/library/default.asp, click on http://stcloudstate.liblink.umn.edu/stcloudstate/az,
If your title is listed, click on the link and determine the search by title or key words. If the title is not listed, please go to guideline 7.
Know about location in Miller Center.

          "Current Periodicals (1st Floor West)

           Alphabetical by title

Most titles have 2 years on the shelf

Bound (Basement West) Alphabetical by title• Right side of the floor, second aisle.
Microfiche (1st Floor West, gray cabinets) Alphabetical by title • Starts on furthest cabinet to the right.
Microfilm (1st Floor West, gray cabinets) Alphabetical by title • Located in cabinets by microfiche.
Electronic Holdings Use the "Find it" button when available (see step 5 above)"
    7. "How to get an article that the library doesn’t have" go this website http://lrts.stcloudstate.edu/library/services/illrequest.asp

Other group members' work

Hashmi, Moizuddin
Hussain, Asif
Mingo, Sam A
Louks, Kyle