Lee Seung-Hwan / Task 5.2 / Tue 1 p.m

I interviewed my friend, who is a freshman majoring in economics in HUFS currently. He went to same high school with me, and as I went to HUFS, he prepared the exam once again. After one year, when I became a sophomore, he entered HUFS. I asked him about how he likes his major and if he has a specific plan to have a job which is relevant to his major. I also interviewed about the hardships he faced during studying economics.

 

1. What did you learn about interviewing?

 

I learned that interviewing should not be so mechanic. I mean, it just doesn't go like I ask prepared questions, and the interviewee answers completely inside that frame of the question. Interviewing should be like having a conversation between two people. Some answers can stray from the original question, and some new questions can be created, but that's okay. Comfortable atmosphere and flexible questions could generate more useful and long answers. If you just read some prepared questions, and just wait, the interviewee will end up with just few sentences. You should communicate with the interviewee.

 

2. What question got the longest answer? Why?

 

The question about hardships arising from studying economics got the longest answer. It must be because he got many hardships through studying his major. One of main hardships he mentioned was that economy changes depending on the society. He said it is not a standstill study. He had to adapt many things he learned to the flexible, completely changing society, and he experienced many hardships for that.

 

3. What question got the shortest answer? Why?

 

The question about how he like his major got the shortest answer. He just answered he like his major, and he came to like his major. At first, he didn't like economics so much, but as he studied more and more, he came to like it. Honestly, when someone loves his or her studies, the reason is simple. It is just because he or she likes it. Maybe the preference of choosing what to study is relevant to that person's inborn preference. I like English, and I can hardly tell why. I just like it. Therefore, that's the reason why that question generated the shortest answer.

 

4. What question led to the most interesting response? Why?

 

I asked him "If you were to go back to your high school days, would you choose economics again as your major?" Then he replied, "I can't really tell. However, if I still know the fun that economics can offer me, I think I will choose this major again." Seemed like he really likes his major.

Jung Do Young/interview/tue 1pm

My interviewee is a girl named Aktorgyn Balbekova from Kazakhstan. I met her through language exchange program, meaning we teach each other our mother language. Though she's from a country far away from Korea, she doesn't appear to look much different, She has long, shiny black hair with ruddy complexion. She is quite young, only 19 years old, and looks so with her innocent looking eyes. She came to Korea to study Korean, which is intriguing.

"So, what is it about korea that has got your attention, Aktorgyn ? " I asked.

Her eyes moved upwards, thinking. Then she answered, "Everything. Korean dramas are very popular in Kazakhstan, and I like korean faces and their culture. And the language sounds so sophisticated."

" I'm flattered to hear that. And how's Korean food suiting you?'

" Good, only I am muslim , I can't eat pork so the choice is somewhat limited."

I was a bit surprised, not only because she was the first muslim I ever met, but also because without pork, which is the essential ingredient in Korean food, thing were going to be a bit tricky for her. I moved on to next question.

"Is learning Korean difficult?"

"Yes, but I think I have learned a lot ever since coming here. I think I can handle daily conversation quite easily now. What I really want to learn is to make my speech as smoothly and naturally as possible. I want to learn phrases and vocabularies Koreans actually use like 'Daebak". I guess textbooks wouldn't help much in this, " I laughed a bit at the thought of a foreigner using such expression.

" Yes, I will teach you that kind of expression everytime I can think of it. But I think your korean is very good already. I want to speak russian well just like you do with korean. Any advice? "

" Watch dramas like I did. That is the most easiest and funniest way to learn. Watch "grandma" for instance. It's quite easy to understand and you'll love it"

"Thanks for the perfect advice. I was wondering, Doesn't koreans find your name a bit difficult? I mean, it is quite long actually."

"Yes they do and my korean roommate call me "Ari", which I think it's quite cute. Now that we are on this matter, would you like to have a russian name too?

"Oh yes ,that sounds fun and what would that be?

"Valeriya"

I thought it was lovely, and a bit reminded me of ballet. I expressed my enthusiasm and than moved on.

"What do you do in your spare time?"

"Other than attending my classes and doing my homework, there is quite a lot of spare time. I don't know what to do with them actually."

"I think it's important to socialize with Koreans as much as you can during your visit. Like you are doing right now."

"Yes I agree..."

we went on talking for sometime, and after having a meal together we parted, promising to meet again. There is still much to know about her, but that was a basic outline of Aktorgyn.

Wonpil Lee/ Task 5.2 at p. 148/ Tue 1 pm

5. Freewriting: I interviewed my cousin who became recently a college lector.

What did you learn about interviewing?

- I learned that the comfortable atmosphere is very important for efficient interview. If the interviewee feel stressful, he or she won't tell anything meaningful and valuable. Then the interview will be a useless thing.

What question got the longest answer? Why?

- How about your work? This question got the longest answer because she is a rookie and thus, has a lot to talk about. Perhaps she thinks these days a lot about her new job.

What question got the shortest answer? Why?

- When I asked the interviewee why she decided to work in teaching area, she gives me the shortest answer. Because she did not predict that she will teach in a college, she did not have so many to say.

What question led to the most interesting response? Why?

- What kind of student do you like? She, a rookie, does not like smart students who have already a lot of knowledge about the subject of her lecture. She thinks it could be dangerous because they may not accept her new idea. She prefers students who have no special idea about the subject she teaches. My cousin asks her students to be curious enough to accept new ideas.

6. Discussion

What things will you try to do when you interview someone more formally?

- I'd like to prepare more thoroughly next time in order to get more meaningful results.

What will you try to avoid doing?

- This time my interview was too informal and too private. It turned to a private conversation eventually. I'd like to avoid such a situation.

Park So Young/ Tuesday 56 Class/ 10 minutes of Interview

    I interviewed one of my tutoring students who had live in Mexico from when she was 2 years old until she was 12 when she actually came to Korea. The questions that I mainly focused on were based on how she feels about Korea and what things were difficult for her and what things she liked.

 

5-1

What did you learn about interviewing?

   I thought it was very interesting to listen to what the interviewer had to say. Everyone has a different opinion on what they think of certain situations and experiences so it felt different to hear what they were telling me about the questions that were being asked. It was not as difficult as I thought it would be with the person that I interviewed because she was able to clearly  express what was on her mind and her opinion and thoughts on each question that was asked.

 

5-2

What question got the longest answer? Why?

    I had asked the question of " What was the most hardest thing after coming to Korea?." The question was asked and she clearly replied by saying " The most difficult thing for me after i came to Korea was the studies in school and the culture." Then she moved on to explain why these things were difficult. Such examples as math were much more difficult for her to study since there was much more that she needed to know in order to learn. It was a very interesting answer that I heard because since she had lived in a foreign country for a long time, she was obviously not used to the culture in which she was faced.

 

5-3

What question got the shortest answer? Why?

   The shortest answer that i got from my student was when i had asked her " Would you live here in Korea for the rest of your life, or would you move to another country?." Her answer was brief and short." Yes" which meant she would move to another country. She said that she really did not enjoy it living here so she would like to travel around the world which is something she has always wanted to do.

 

5-4

 What question led to the most interesting response? Why?

    A question about how important manners are in Korea was asked. The answer was nothing from what I had expected to hear. She said the following, " In Mexico, manners are more easier than in Korea. For example, in Korea, the respect for older people in very important, but in Mexico, people are more laid back. One of the things that I really do not understand was when an elder had not shown respect towards me but had criticized my parents about the way I was taught to do things or that sometimes some people say such things like" Kids these days don't have the same manners."

Lee Jungha/Task 5.2/Tue 1pm

I interviewed my aunt. She is preparing for getting certificated for social worker, a job for welfare of many people, especially youth, the elderly, women, children whom under the difficult situation. For getting certificated, she had to do field training for 4 weeks. So she worked in a day care center in September. So I asked about process for certificate and the experience she went through. 5-1. What did you learn about interviewing? I learned what she thought about welfare and what people should do for certificate. I also learned circumstances of welfare facilities and what she did in day care center. 5-2. What question got the longest answer? Why? When I asked her which kid was the most impressive on her memory, her answer was pretty long. She said two kids attracted her attention. She described their appearances and recollected a baseball player whose appearance is similar to one of the kids. Also she told some episodes with them and what behavior of kids attracted her attention. This question led to a long answer because it can be expanded to many other elements of experience. 5-3. What question got the shortest answer? Why? When I asked her what subjects she had to study for certification, her answer was relatively short. I think the answer was limited because she only had to list subject titles and she didn't think it's an important question in the whole interview. 5-4. What question led to the most interesting response? Why? As above, "Which kid did impress on your memory the most?" was led to the most interesting response. Because I heard many interesting stories about their behavior such as blocking friends from picking up his snack or treating a dinosaur shaped doll as his real friend all day long. And when she answered, she imitated their babbling and gestures. It was really interesting.

Young-Lee/Task 5.2/Tue 1pm.

I interviewed my aunt who recently had her first baby, and our interview covered information related to her experience with caring for one. My first question was how she went through her first couple days after she had the baby. She truthfully replied that she didn't remember much of her first week besides the fact that she did nothing but sleep, eat, feed the baby, and sleep again. She told me that she hadn't had a normal delivery but had gone through a caesarian delivery because her water broke too early. She still felt tired, but the surgery had gone well and her husband who was with her for the first month had done much to help her.

 

She talked a lot about her husband helping her with cleaning, caring for the baby, making or buying her food that she craved. Mostly she talked about the different kinds of food that her husband had bought for her. Maybe it was because she was feeling particularly hungry during the interview, or maybe it was because the food and helping around the house was what she had really needed during that period and was thankful for the most. Although I am tempted to say that it was more towards the former, I also know that it is probably because she was thankful to him, especially since he did all of this after taking a paternal leave from his work. In Korea, according to my aunt, taking a leave from work was a bit looked down upon and wasn't easy unless you were a public servant or an influential person in their field of work.

 

After that, I asked her what her favorite part about being a mother was. She replied that it was being able to hug her child. She told me that I wouldn't understand until I became a mother myself and that this was something I had to find out for myself. I think this was the shortest reply besides the part where she talked about the frequent headaches and lethargy that she got from her broken sleeping cycle. I think she just didn't want to think about how much it had hurt. The most interesting part of our interview was when she showed me the baby and the pictures of it when it was not born yet, and pictures of after it was born as well. It had only been a month since the baby was born, and yet my aunt had a year's worth of pictures in her cell phone camera already. 

Jina Park/task 5.2/ Tue 1 p.m

I interviewed my friend. Her name is Marry who has a pair of big eyes. It was a interview about now and future.
The longest answer I got was the question about her future plans. And she told me she want to go overseas study in 1 year because she want to improve her English. When she come back she will do her best to finish the university. Then she have to look a work with high salary and can go aboard often.
The shortest answer I got was the question about marriage. She said that she have no plan about marriage and I think she didn't interest in this question.
The question led the most interesting response when I asked "Do you like babies?" She said "Yes." I asked then "Do you want to have a baby or babies?" and she also said she want. But she said she didn't want to marriage and I said to her. "But you answered me you didn't want to marrige, then how can you get a baby or babies?" Then she laughed.
After the interview I think that I also need to have a plan about my future.