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]
| Capital | Santo Domingo de Guzman |
| Population | 8,950,034 (2005) |
| Geo. Coordinates | 19 00 N, 70 40 W |
| Area | 48,442 Km². |
| Currency | Dominican peso |
| Independence | February 27, 1844 |
| Government | Democratic Republic |
| Official Language | Spanish |
| Official Religion | Roman Catholic |
| National Bird | "Cigua Palmera" |
| National Flower | Flor de la Caoba |
2.Holidays [2]
| Date | Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| January 1 | New Year's Day | Non-working day. |
| January 6 | Catholic day of the Epiphany | Movable. |
| January 21 | Dia de la Altagracia | Non-working day. Patroness Day (Catholic). |
| January 26 | Duarte's Day | Movable. Founding Father. |
| February 27 | Independence Day | Non-working day. National Day. |
| (Variable date) | Holy Week | Working days, except Good Friday. A Catholic holiday. |
| May 1 | Labour Day | Movable. |
| Last Sunday of May | Mother's Day | |
| (Variable date) | Catholic Corpus Christi | Non-working day. A Thursday in May or June (60 days after Easter Sunday). |
| Last Sunday of July | Father's Day | |
| August 16 | Restoration Day | Non-working day. |
| September 24 | Virgen de las Mercedes | Non-working day. A Patroness Day (Catholic) |
| November 6 | Constitution Day | Movable. |
| December 24 | Christmas eve | |
| December 25 | Christmas Day | Non-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%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%
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]
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~
![[6]](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DomRep_Bacardi_Insel.jpg){kind=link}
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