Monday, April 23, 2012

Final project


Cultural Imperialism to the “Korean Wave” in China
Attention: all I mean "Korean" here is " South Korean"
INTRODUCTION:
                I expected to travel in Korea since I was 13 years old. I love everything about Korea, such as Korean Drama, Korean idol, Korean song, Korean lifestyle and even Korean people. Also, there are many friends who are crazy about Korea cultures surround with me, I am just a little Chinese girl in one of thousands Korean fans in China. Korean Culture is really popular in China these days. From clothes to hairstyle, music to television dramas, South Korea has been defining the tastes of many Chinese and other. We copy the same style from the Korean idol and drama actors that make us looks like them. Korean films, TV dramas and pop music have become immensely popular abroad, a phenomenon known as the Korean Wave. It is now considered as a significant social and cultural trend and everyone involved in it including governments, industries, and celebrities want to have a piece of it. Why the Korean Culture can be popular in China, even in East Asian Countries. I use the cultural imperialism theory to explain the Korean Wave and analyze the Korean Wave from a nationalistic perspective by interpreting it as the dominance of Chinese Culture by Korean culture. Different affection with American cultural imperialism in all over the world, Korean Wave represents small but notable changes in the cultural imperialism in East Asian countries, especially in China. In this research paper, I use theoretical analysis to explain the Korean Wave. It is composed of the following sections: first, what is the Korean Wave? Second, the reasons of the Korean Wave become popular in china. Third, what are the effects of Korean Wave.

What is the Korean Wave?
             “For a start, the Korean wave is indebted to the media liberalization that swept across Asia in the 1990s. The Korean wave seems to have come into existence around 1997, when the national China Central Television Station (CCTV) aired a Korean television drama “What is Love All About?”, which turned out to be a big issue. In response to popular demand, CCTV re-aired the program in 1998 in a prime-time, and recorded the second-highest ratings ever in the history of Chinese television. In 1999, “Stars in My Heart,” another Korean television drama series, became a big hit in China and Taiwan. Since then, Korean television dramas have rapidly taken up airtime on television channels in East Asian countries and areas, such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and Vietnam (Cho, 2011).”
            Now that knowing that the Korean Wave actually came to existence, most of people still don’t really know what it actually is. Korean Wave broadly refers to the popularity of Korean Popular cultural products in East Asian region including China. It is a phenomenon that is manufactured by the South Korean state itself, especially by the culture industry. The Korean culture industries like the film, TV drama and other media industries noticed the positive effect of Korean cultural export, not only on the economy, but also on the nation’s image. Korean on this basis, the Korean government aid themselves to a good image of Korea through the export of popular culture-Korean Wave. The Korean government started playing a key role in this process.Korean Wave is “national pride” and “dominance” that appear to have stemmed from pseudo imperialism (Choi, 2004).” Korea always wants to strengthen its international position in the world. Due to American political strategies to Asian, Korea could not be a dominant country in Asian. In addition, before 17th century, Korea is dependency of China; Chinese culture has great influence on Korean Culture. Koreans do not want admit their culture comes from Chinese civilization. And again, South Korea was under Japanese colonial rule between1910-1945 (Tsu, 2010).  Korea has sensitive historic relationship with Japan. Koreans exhibit strong negative emotions against Japan.  Korea neither had long history as China nor developed economy as Japan; he cannot find his position in the Asian scene. Besides, After War World II, Korea becomes the most developed countries after Japan in Asian, its rapid economic development of Asia’s “Four Little Dragons” (Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, South Korea), but Korea’s economic and political status in international scene is not equal. Korean Wave becomes an important part of the national project for the Korean government to strengthen Korean’s pride in their cultural excellence.


Why did Korean pop culture become so popular?
Why it became so popular has various reasons. Though the Korean Wave has spread to many Asian countries there is no doubt that it has found greatest success in China. The first and most important reason is that China and Korea share a similar culture. Over thousands of years, China and Korea have had a long historical relationship and have shared a common cultural background (Li, 2001). The civilization of Huaxia or Han not only has deeply influenced Korean language and values, but also Korea's etiquette, customs and social structure. China was the source cradle of Huaxia civilization in East Asian. Japanese culture and Korean culture are influenced by Chinese civilization (Jang, 2003). So the similar expression of feelings, Chinese people is easy to accept similar philosophy and values and similar thoughts from Korean dramas and culture.
Other reason can be the fact that importing a Korean Drama was a lot of cheaper than purchase other Drama and movie from other countries, such as Hollywood movie. The recent economic crisis in Asia has brought about a situation where Asian buyers prefer the cheaper Korean programming. In addition, the Korean government also has given the media industry full support to export their dramas and films. Just being cheap cannot explain the Korean Drama and movie are popular among the Chinese people. Korean TV dramas are infused with urban middle-class scenes and there are many young viewers will be attracted in the urban cities of Asia. Chinese people were attracted to the "modern image" seen in the fashion, hair styles, and lifestyles of Korea. Despite more than 20 years of reform, China still far behind most developed countries. Compared with Korea, the gap is not very big, especially in bigger coastal cities such as Shanghai and Beijing. Chinese people consider the views and items portrayed in Korean dramas, such as tall buildings and fancy cars. Because of Korean culture is similar with Chinese culture, Chinese people feel that their can see a modern lifestyle in those shows and they can live like them in a few years. It's easy to accept that lifestyle from South Koreans because they are culturally closer to Chinese (Ohishi, 2006).

Effects of the Korean Wave
When the Korean government started aiding the Korean media industries in exporting Korean pop culture, they did this with the view on improving the national image and increasing the Korean economy. As a result of these and other economic developments, “South Korea is now the twelfth largest economy in the world, and its entertainment companies are able to finance shows and movies with production values much higher than in most of Asia (Lee, 2011).” They are success in both of the aspects. In this Cultural Wave, Korean pop idols are the key element to attract international attention to other commercial sectors in Korea. It has a tremendous influence on the Korean tourism sector. Because of famous Dramas, Many foreign (mainly Asian) visitors come to Korea to visit the locations where the dramas where filmed. Even, travel agencies see big business in this and sell TV drama-themed group tours to Korea with titles like “Best of Korean drama trailer deluxe tour”. According to the report from the National Bureau of Statistics of China, there is 3 million Chinese people travel in Korea every year during 2003 to 2009 ( National Bureau of Statistics of China, 2003-2009) .
Korean pop idols even had a big impact on consumer culture, including food, fashion, make-up trends and even plastic surgery. There is a group so called “Korean tribe”, that the young people copy clothes and hairstyle from their favorite Korean idol. They adapt the way of dressing, hairstyles, make-up, etc. all the way up to plastic surgery, just to look like their idol. The regional fans are even eager to learn the Korean language. According to the report from the National Bureau of Statistics of China, 2000 up to now, the percentage of Chinese people who learn Korea were grow with the speed of 0.34% per year because of the interest generated by Korean dramas (National Bureau of Statistics of China, 2000-2011). Korean is today the second most widely language as we learned after English. They want to make themselves look like their favorite Korean soap opera stars or more close to their favorite idol.
The media is the important way to learn about a country. Korean Wave is good way to learn Korea. The Korean government tried to build a freedom, democracy, rich and warm image of Korea in the Asia. It is worked out fine now. The appeal of Korean pop culture to Asians is especially meaningful for the Korean government. But, besides these rather positive effects, recently there are rising some negative opinions and criticism on this wave.
There is some critical voice were raised recently. Because of some Korean historical dramas provoke a reaction of Chinese nationalism. For example, the Drama “ Dachangjin” is historic drama which tells the tale of an orphaned kitchen cook who went on to become the king's first female physician. In the Drama, South Korea has a territorial dispute with China. Finally, South Korea was won in the in drama. This scene was deleted when it is aired on the Chinese TV, but there still have lots of Chinese people watch this scene. Along with Korean Wave has a more deeply influence by Chinese, some of Chinese people felt the threat from Korea, they think Chinese culture would be disappeared in the future. There are some other issues between Korea and China that making more and more Chinese people join in the community of anti-Korean Wave, such as the Dragon Boat Festival application for world cultural heritage status, These people think Dragon Boat Festival is a Chinese traditional festival, it is existed 2000 years, nobody think this festival can become other country’s cultural heritage status. But Korea applied the Dragon Boat Festival as its own traditional culture festival to the cultural heritage status. This behavior enraged many Chinese people conflict with Korean Wave.
In a word, the Korean wave is not a bilateral relationship in terms of cultural exchange. The one-way influx of Korean pop culture through today’s Korean wave reinforces an imbalance of cultural industry in the Asian region. Korean government supports the Korean Wave not just only enforce the cultural invasion, but also attempted to become a leading position in the global economy.

Conclusion:
The Korean Wave is gradually extended; we cannot say that the future of the Korean Wave in China is gloomy. Both the Chinese and Korean governments should adopt a long-term strategy, encourage cultural exchange and increase mutual understanding. Korea should establish positive perception of Korean Wave. It should promote what is "truly Korean" and improve the image of Korea and its people as well as call for efforts to reach Chinese people and let them know more about Korea by way of books and other materials. China should also overcome its narrow-minded nationalism and ethnocentrism by learning other countries' cultures. At the same time, we have to maintain vigilance to invasion of Korean culture. China has to create a Chinese trend of its own to influence East Asia and the world in the future.



References:
Cho, Younghan. "DESPERATELY SEEKING EAST ASIA AMIDST THE POPULARITY OF SOUTH KOREAN POP CULTURE IN ASIA.” Cultural Studies. 25.3 (2011): 383-404. Web. 28 Nov. 2011. <http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=2&hid=107&sid=834da661-ae07-4a89-8020-be58680cc4fa%40sessionmgr111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=59958724>

·       Choi, Youngmook. "An Application of Critical Media Thepries to the "Korean Wave" in the East Asia." Asian Media Research. (2004): 193-204. Web. 28 Nov. 2011. <http://amrc.cuc.edu.cn/data/upload/download/PDF/04/04-18.pdf>.

·      Tsu, Timothy Yun Hui. "Japan's “Yellow Peril”: The Chinese in Imperial Japan and Colonial Korea." Japanese Studies. 20.2 (2010): 161-183. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.

·      Jang, Soo Hyun. "Contemporary Chinese Narratives on Korean Culture.." Korea Journal. 43.1 (2003): 129. Web. 28 Nov. 2011. < http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=16&hid=107&sid=834da661-ae07-4a89-8020-be58680cc4fa%40sessionmgr111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=10094003>
·      Joo, Jeongsuk. "Transnationalization of Korean Popular Culture and the Rise of 'Pop Nationalism' in Korea." Journal of Popular Culture. 44.3 (2011): 498-504. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.< http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=18&hid=107&sid=834da661-ae07-4a89-8020-be58680cc4fa%40sessionmgr111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=60959844>
·      Ohishi, Norimitsu. China's youth look to seoul for inspiration. The New York Times. January 02, 2006. Web. 28 Nov. 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/02/international/asia/02korea.html?pagewanted=1
·      Lee, Suejin. "Strategic Communications." Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications. 2.1 (2011): 86-92.. <http://www.elon.edu/docs/e-web/academics/communications/research/vol2no1/09SueJin.pdf>.
·      National Bureau of Statistics of China, “statistics in tourist industry”.  Data for outbound tourism during 2000-2011.28 Nov. 2011.< http://www.cnta.gov.cn/html/rjy/index.html>

·      National Bureau of Statistics of China, “statistics for studying aboard students”.  Data for studying in Korea during 2000-2011.28 Nov. 2011.< http://www.cnta.gov.cn/html>


Monday, April 16, 2012

Final Project

Topic:   Cultural Imperialism to the “Korean Wave” in China
 Outline
Introduction: 
         I have a lot of friends are crazy about Korean cultures, so i did some research and analyzed this phenomenon. In this paper, I explain what the Korean Wave is and analysis the reason why is it become a Cultural imperialism. I especially working on the reason why and how Korean Wave has a great influence on Chinese.

Body:
A.What is the Korean Wave?
            For a start, the Korean wave is indebted to the media liberalization that swept across Asia in the 1990s. The Korean wave seems to have come into existence around 1997, when the national China Central Television Station (CCTV) aired a Korean television drama “What is Love All About?”, which turned out to be a big issue. In response to popular demand, CCTV re-aired the program in 1998 in a prime-time, and recorded the second-highest ratings ever in the history of Chinese television. In 1999, “Stars in My Heart,” another Korean television drama series, became a big hit in China and Taiwan. Since then, Korean television dramas have rapidly taken up airtime on television channels in East Asian countries and areas, such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and Vietnam (Cho, 2011).”【1】

B.Why did Korean pop culture become so popular?
       1) We share same source of Han civilization. Korea was dependence of China, so we have similar culture. Chinese people are easy to accept similar philosophy and values, thoughts from Korea. 
       2) Korean Drama was a lot of cheaper than purchase other Drama and movie from other countries, such as Hollywood movie.
       3) Korean TV dramas are infused with urban middle-class scenes and there are many young viewers in the urban cities of Asia.
 
C. Effects of the Korean Wave
    1) Korean government did the view on improving the national image and increasing the Korean economy. 
    2) Korean pop idols even had a big impact on consumer culture, including food, fashion, make-up trends and even plastic surgery. 
    3) The Korean Wave not only changes lifestyle for Chinese people, but also changes the previous women’s consideration about their potential life partners.

                  
Conclusion:
The Korean Wave is gradually extended; we cannot say that the future of the Korean Wave in China is gloomy. Both the Chinese and Korean governments should adopt a long-term strategy, encourage cultural exchange and increase mutual understanding. Korea should establish positive perception of Korean Wave. It should promote what is "truly Korean" and improve the image of Korea and its people as well as call for efforts to reach Chinese people and let them know more about Korea by way of books and other materials. China should also overcome its narrow-minded nationalism and ethnocentrism by learning other countries' cultures. At the same time, we have to maintain vigilance to invasion of Korean culture. China has to create a Chinese trend of its own to influence East Asia and the world in the future.





Bibliography:

 [         [1] Cho, Younghan. "DESPERATELY SEEKING EAST ASIA AMIDST THE POPULARITY OF SOUTH KOREAN POP CULTURE IN ASIA.” Cultural Studies. 25.3 (2011): 383-404. Web. 28 Nov. 2011. <http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=2&hid=107&sid=834da661-ae07-4a89-8020-be58680cc4fa%40sessionmgr111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=59958724>


 

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Third interview scores

All the scores: Here

Top 3:   Schleif, Nicholas E  19 points 
             Wenting Cai  18 poings 
             Barron, Justine L 18 points

comparing my first, second and last interviews


        The biggest change in the last one is that the last interviewee is not a student in the English 191 Class, therefore, the answers for me is almost new. Not like the first and second interview, before my interviewing, I can glance over their answer first and imagine what should I do or ask next when they give the answer. And I have to acknowledge that I know this country such limited. Although the interview is going well, we have a nice communication, as to say, it speed me a lot of time in transcribing the record. Because I have to do it with the help of dictionary, so I can type these words correctly. As a bigger challenge for me, I found that I should enhance my English with all my force. The problem to be shown here is that I am short of express tool-English. I cannot stand that I am restricted in the chatting because of the language, not express skills. All of these three interview’s location, object (all of them are from the different cultures), and the time are different. However the prepare process are nearly, make an appointment first and approximately search some information before interviewing. During the interviews, I use the record and analyze as soon as possible after the interview. And the main feeling after transcribing the record is I think the English ability is improving, although it’s tiny, I can feel it. And obviously I am not such nervous like the first interview, during the next two interviews, more nature and fluent. Overall, I thanks for the chances to have a conversation with the persons who come from the different cultures, this is a kind of experience. And at the end, I want to thanks all of the interviewees again, they really give a lot of  help.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Using quotes correctly

 introductory of China


China, full named People’s Republic of China, included 22 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 directly controlled municipalities and 2 special administrative regions( mostly self-governing under Capitalist society). China is the “most-populous country” in the world. There is over 1.3 billion population live in 9.6 million square kilometers totally. Chinese governed by Communist Party of China, Jintao Hu is the incumbent chairman. China is the biggest developing country, and one of the most development countries in the world. As of 2011, “the gross domestic product (GDP) of China hits 47.2 trillion Yuan” (US$7.47 trillion), [1] 9.2 percent higher than 2010 calculating at comparable prices” (People’s Daily Online, January 17, 2012)  in mainland China, because the government allows a degree of religious freedom, so there is a huge population of believers, "300 million people nationwide could be religious, [2]compared to the official figure of 100 million". ( 7 February 2007)

Cite references:
[1] http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90778/7707270.html (People’s Daily Online, 17 January 2012.)
[2]  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6337627.stm (BBC News. 7 February 2007. )

Monday, April 2, 2012

3rd interview


Preparations:
I compared my first interview with my second interview, the first interviewee is from Africa, and the second one come from America; I find that there is really a lot difference between these countries. As myself, I am a Chinese, compare these three countries with these questions, I will get many key points about the world develop. I also think my interviewees gave the most typical presentation. So for the next interview, I plan to choose a person from other countries, let me know more cultures well. Finally I can do a better report about different countries. However in my class, most people come from America and China, and because during that class, classmates go back one by one, so I did not make an appointment with anyone who is from countries except America, China and Africa. When I came back, I intended to find a suitable candidate in Lawrence Hall. I asked several persons, then make a final decision to interview Micely, a person who come from Dominican Republic. As I know, Dominican Republic belong to Latin America, then I go to search the information about Dominican Republic, because that is all I know about it.


Interview report:
Micely is very nice; I went to Micely’s room at 1pm on Sunday and did the interview here. Because Micely’s roommate was not in the room, so it was quiet enough for me to record the interview. Micely glanced over these questions first, and then answered every one in detail. Sometimes, in order to giving more deepgoing introduce, she will search the pictures for me. However the time beyond our expectation, I found that Micely watched the time at the middle of the interview. I asked Micely whether she had something to do, if she was in a hurry, we can suspend the next questions until she was free. Then I knew she had class at 2 pm, but nonetheless, she still persevered with the interview first. So we pick up the speed to finish it, she went to class before 2pm eventually. First and last, the interview is going very well.

Country Report:
Dominican Republic
1. General Information[1]
CapitalSanto Domingo de Guzman
Population8,950,034 (2005)
Geo. Coordinates19 00 N, 70 40 W
Area48,442 Km².
CurrencyDominican peso
IndependenceFebruary 27, 1844
GovernmentDemocratic Republic
Official LanguageSpanish
Official ReligionRoman Catholic
National Bird"Cigua Palmera"
National FlowerFlor de la Caoba


                                                               Flag of Dominican Republic [5]

2.Holidays [2]
DateNameRemarks
January 1New Year's DayNon-working day.
January 6Catholic day of the EpiphanyMovable.
January 21Dia de la AltagraciaNon-working day. Patroness Day (Catholic).
January 26Duarte's DayMovable. Founding Father.
February 27Independence DayNon-working day. National Day.
(Variable date)Holy WeekWorking days, except Good Friday.
Catholic holiday.
May 1Labour DayMovable.
Last Sunday of MayMother's Day
(Variable date)Catholic Corpus ChristiNon-working day. A Thursday in May or June
(60 days after Easter Sunday).
Last Sunday of JulyFather's Day
August 16Restoration DayNon-working day.
September 24Virgen de las MercedesNon-working day. A Patroness Day (Catholic)
November 6Constitution DayMovable.
December 24Christmas eve
December 25Christmas DayNon-working day.

"Notes:
  • Non-working holidays are not moved to another day.
  • If a movable holiday falls on Saturday, Sunday or Monday then it is not moved to another day. If it falls on Tuesday or Wednesday, the holiday is moved to the previous Monday. If it falls on Thursday or Friday, the holiday is moved to the next Monday." [2]
3 Religion:
      "Christian 95.2%

          Roman Catholic 88.6% 
          Protestant 4.2% 
          Independent 1.5% 
          Marginal 0.7% 
          Unaffiliated 0.7% 
          Anglican 0.1% 
          Disaffiliated [ 0.1%] 
    Spiritist 2.2% 
    Nonreligious 2.0% 
    Atheist 0.5% 
    Chinese Folk-Religions 0.1% 
    Baha'i 0.1% 
    *Source: World Christian Encyclopedia, 2001, Oxford University Press. Vol 1: p 243" [3]


4 Sports:
"Baseball is by far the most popular sport in the Dominican Republic. [4] The country has a baseball league of six teams.Its season usually begins in October and ends in January. After the United States, the Dominican Republic has the second-highest number of Major League Baseball (MLB) players. "  [4]






                                       Cayo Levantado in Samana Bay is one of the many cays in the D.R. [6]


Cites:  [1]  http://www.domrep.org/gen_info.html#1
         [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_Republic#Holidays
         [4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_Republic#Sports
         [3]  http://religiousfreedom.lib.virginia.edu/nationprofiles/Dominican_Republic/rbodies.html
         [5] https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/dr.html
            [6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DomRep_Bacardi_Insel.jpg


Transcription
Interviewer: DM ( Ding Mengyao)
Interviewee: EM (Micely Diaz Espaillat)
DM: Hi, Michly. How are you today?
EM: I am good. How are about you?
DM: a little sleepy.
EM: Oh, you did not sleep well last night?
DM:  Because I chat with my friend too late. So sleep very late.
EM: lol, Maybe you can have a nap after the interview.
DM: yap, I can. So let’s start. the first question is that what kind of government is in charge of your home country, how did it affect your life and how has democracy in America been a change?
EM: The government we have is democratic, our president is Leonel Fernandez, and he has been the president for 12 years.
DM: oh, really? 12 years, a long time.
EM:  oh, we have elections each 4 years; however, he has been re-elected for 3 periods.
DM: so I think he should do better, so he can been re-elected for 3 periods.
EM: I personally do not like him.
DM: oh, why?
EM: because he does not create policies that address poverty issues. His government just invests in the cities, but never in rural areas. It has not impact my life because that is what I have seen since I was a little girl. That was all I knew, although in the past we had dictators. 
MD: Can you describe a typical day for a child in your country?
EM: You wake up, go to school, go back home, do some homeworks, and after you are done with homework you play with your friends. Of course it will depend on your family background, if you come from an upper class…
MD: upper class?
EM: you know? Upper class is for rich children what is a child would do extra curricular activities after school such as swimming, English courses, arts, and so on.
MD: So in the mostly school lesson, not included swimming, even English course?
 EM: Yeah, not in school, in my country, you need to do extra activities out of school to get extra skills. 
MD: So where did you learn English?
EM: Out of school. Because my mom think English is very important, so I did learn.
MD: What religious holidays or other cultural events do you or others celebrate; can you explain your traditions for each?
EM: We have many religious holidays, we are a catholic country, and every time we celebrate a holiday, people do not go to work or to school.
We celebrate the holy week. During this period, students do not have class, we go to church, and some families take it as vacation. Also, we believe that the Virgin Mary protects our country; therefore, we have a ay for her. During that they we also go to church and ask favors to her.
MD: I guess you are a Christian?
EM: yes, I am.
 MD: So as a Christian, do you have any daily rituals in regards to your religious beliefs?
EM: It is up to the person. If people are very religious, they will pray every single day. People can do it while they are driving their car, before having lunch, and most schools, at the beginning of the day, they start with a pray.
People use to go to church once a week.
DM: hi, mesali, what are the typical greetings in your culture and what do they mean?
EM (do a kiss action): We kiss every time we see each other,
DM: really, even for the people who met just know, a person you know very much?
EM: even with people you just met. It is considered impolite if you do not do it. People should greet every time they see a person, and every time they go to a place. Close friend always hug one each other.
DM: there are really many different cultures between two countries. For example, in my opinion, I will think hug will for the people who do not know very much. However, kiss for close friends.
EM: will your guys kiss as well?
DM: Nope, not normal.
EM: If a person comes to my room, she only needs to say hi, and I say hello.
DM:  What different modes of transportation are used in your country?
EM: An interesting question, (laugh) we use cars as mean of transportation; those cars can take four people in the back seats, two people in the front seat plus the driver. You see, we sit 7 people in a car.
DM: Is it a small bus?
EM: We also have bus, however, they are mostly full of people, so you have to be standing up because there are not seats available.  Finally, we use motorcycles as a mode of transportation. For people who live in rural areas, this is the most common way to move from one place to another.
DM: motorcycle is cool, I like it, but I cannot. So instead, I will ride a bicycle as usually.
EM:(watch time)
DM: are you in a hurry?
EM: I have class at 2pm.
DM (it’s 1: 32 now): you can go to your class first. We can continue after your class, when you are free.
EM: it’s okay. We can finish this. Continue.
DM: okay, we can speed up. Which country`s food do you like the most? What are the similarities and differences between it and your own culture`s food?
MA: country’s? ….
DM: Like Chinese food? (Laughing)
EM: Asian food, like noodles and rice? The country’s food I like the most is Korean food. It is very healthy and delicious.
DM:  a lot difference with your country?
EM: I love the flavors. However, it is very different from my own culture’s food. We eat every single day rice, beans and chicken. We also eat tons of platains, salami, good cheese, milk, and meats. Some Korean dishes are spicy. We do not have any spicy traditional food.
DM: Salami, haha, so Jack called you salami…
EM: yeah, a nick name between us.
DM: How would you describe famous sports in your country?
EM: This is easy. The most famous sport in my country is baseball. Every single boy knows how to play it. We are actually famous because we have many baseball players in the major league.
DM: Will you usually go to watch games?
EM: Yes, I will. This is an important game for all the country. We go to the stadium in the baseball season to watch it. Although women do not play it, they understand it completely.
DM: At what age do you start school?
EM: I started school when I was 2 years old
DM: 2 years old, so young…
EM: because I went to a private school at that time. However, if you go to public schools, children start at 5 years old.
DM: Are you under a lot of stress in school??
EM: No, there is not a lot of stress, you have to work hard, but it is also fun. People in my country say that is the best experience they usually have in their life. Your classmates usually become close friends forever.
DM: Could you tell me a secret about yourself that very few people here know about and that shows us well, who you are and what you stand for?
EM: let me think. (About 10 seconds)
DM: okay, if you feel it’s difficult for you, we can skip this question.
EM: okay, sorry for that.
 DM: It’s okay. the last one. What could SCSU do to make your stay on campus better?
EM: I stay on campus because I have scholarship.
DM: everything is for free? Include tuition fee, living fee and board wages?
EM: yes, everything. If I had to pay, I would not live on campus.
DM: How long have you been America?
EM: I have been here just for nine months. oh, I know, I know what is the secret. I am an exchange student, and unfortunately, the courses I am taken at SCSU are not going to be accepted by my home university. People do not know this, however, I think this experience is priceless. You know that I an adventure person from this, and that I am not afraid of taking risks.
DM: oh, you are an exchange student, so I guess you are a good student in your country.
EM: yes , I am. Also I am here.
DM: how long will you exchange?
EM: one year.
DM: one year? So will you leave at this semester?
EM: yes, I will leave at next month. I am so sad I cannot see you again.
DM:  no, you can come to China; I will be the guider for you.
EM: also come to my country.
DM: is it beautiful?
EM: yes. Let me show some pictures for you.
DM: oh, coconut? I like coconut very much.
EM: really, there are many coconuts… so just come!!!
DM: okay, I will plan. I think you have to go your class as soon as possible.
EM: yep. see you later.
DM: see you later. Very thanks for your time.
EM$DM: huging~