Do Hyun Lim/Ch.5 first draft/Tues 9-11 AM

             My friend and I met at the café for the interview. I hadn't seen Will at school for a year, and he told me that he worked as a salesperson in a department store selling electronics. Considering that it is rare for a university student to have had a full-time job, I decided to interview him on his experience at that period.

             "It was not always easy," he started. "There were many stressful situations dealing with customers, especially those who try to refund without a valid reason." His cringed expression showed how annoying these situations were. Being an employee and a seller for the first time, which is considered as a "lower" position in the interactions with the boss and customers may have been challenging for him. He further told me that it was a chance to be in another person's position. "All the time I was a customer, and I suddenly became the person who sells. It helped me gain perspective of a different position," he added. Moreover, it made him feel not want to graduate. "I worked eight hours a day, with one hour of lunch." Having no time to study, meet friends or time alone made him feel tired.

             There were some difficulties, but he said his working environment was satisfactory, and that he enjoyed his work. When I asked, "Is there any particular reason you chose electronics salesperson as your job?" he answered, "I was always interested in electronics, especially headphones. The shop near my house just seemed like the perfect place." With the money he earned, he was able to do things he could not as a student, such as buying the latest headphone set with an amp and a laptop named Surface Book Pro. He had his laptop with him, and it seemed amazing because it was a thin wide-screen tablet while having a function of a laptop.

             We then moved on to more serious subjects. The gap between university graduates and high school graduates in Korean society is well known, but it was surely different hearing from a person who has experienced it first-hand. "Salesmen are considered as a high school-graduate job. The way they are treated by surrounding people within the workers and the society itself greatly differs." Honestly, I was not very surprised as I heard many stories similar to this, but it was new in that it came from a friend who was the same age as me. Many people were surprised that he came from a university in Seoul because they do not have professions in these fields. He further added that the wide gap between white and blue collar workers, are one of the main reasons why many people call Korea nowadays "Hell-Chosun." The interview ended with me hoping the day where people get equal treatment, at least interaction and communication-wise, will come.

 

Choi, Won-joon/Ch.5 First Draft/Narrative Composition/Tues 9-11am

Notifications before visiting Tehran

 

"Bzzz, Bzzz" My cellphone vibrated in my pocket while I was taking Persian conversation class. After checking the phone number 02-2173-XXXX, I came to know that it was from HUFS. As I was expecting the result of internship application that I applied for, I jumped out of the class and hurriedly clicked the green button on my phone to answer the call.

"Congratulations! Won-joon, you're going to Iran next year!" It was Dong-cheol, a friend of mine, who was working as a teaching assistant in the Department of Persian Language. On hearing the news, I was so excited that it almost felt like I was already on a flight to the city Tehran.

However, after hanging up the phone call, I realized I had nothing prepared to go to Tehran. All I knew was that I was scheduled to work and study there for six months. So, after class I called back to Dong-cheol and asked him. "Is it okay if I visit your office for asking some questions?" I was intending to get some information from him not just because he was a teaching assistant but because he had lived in Iran for four months last year as an exchange student. Then he replied, "Feel free to come here after 4 O'clock. I'm not busy at all then."

I prepared some questions and visited the office at 4:30. When I got in the office no one except Dong-cheol was in there and it seemed like he was just surfing any websites for killing time. Dong-cheol said, "I looking forward to seeing you. An hour before leaving the office always makes me doubt the clock if its battery went out." I laughed and sat down on the chair on the opposite side of him. It was a perfect condition for a bored interviewee to become interested in my questions.

I began an interview with my first question. "Which airline do you think is the best to go to Tehran?" He replied, "Until now, there is no direct flight from Korea to Iran. So, you need to transfer in Dubai, Kuala Lumpur or Istanbul etc. Choosing the airline is up to your choice, but I recommend visiting Tehran via Kuala Lumpur because it's costs almost half the price of others. Though, you need to give up shorter flight hours. Via Kuala Lumpur, it takes about twenty hours which means it takes four hours more than other airlines. Time or money, it depends on your situation."

After his recommendation, it became hard for me to choose through which city I should go. Before, I was thinking of going via the city Dubai that I wanted to look around just for a few hours. However, his word "half the price" made me agonize.

Then I moved on to the next question. "What about the food? Did you cook Korean food in the dormitory or go to Iranian restaurants?" Right after the question, he sighed and answered. "In my case, that was the real problem. I couldn't get used to their food because of the unusual smell. I think it's because of the mutton smell and it feels like a man who didn't take a shower for a year. I just couldn't eat. So, I bought materials there and tried to cook for myself. But meals that I cooked were even worse. Inevitably, I was forced to go on a diet. Meanwhile, there was one thing that I liked to have there. It was the pizza in the restaurant Pizza Khaneh(Pizza House in Persian) near the university you're supposed to go. I strongly recommend that restaurant."

I told him that there was nothing to worry about mutton smell, as I like mutton more than pork or beef. Then he frowned as if he smelled the mutton foods again and intensely said no with his hands. But Pizza Khaneh became the first restaurant that I know and I felt like going there before long.

Another important question was left. "What about the clothes?" As I knew that Iran had a regulation for clothes even for foreigners due to religious disciplines, I needed to ask for details about it. And he replied, "Compared to girls, boys don't have strong regulations. Girls have to wear russari, kind of hijab, and cannot wear clothes that are short or tight to their body. However, you just need to be careful not to wear shorts and neckties. But as you are going to live there from January to June bring appropriate clothes for their weather. Until February, it's colder than Korea and after May it will feel like your skin's going to burn out in the fierce sunlight. Be ready for that."

Thinking that I must buy a large travel bag for clothes, I asked the last question. "Were there anything that made you exhausted in Iran?" For a moment he whined while recalling his memory and started to say. "Yes, there was one thing that I hated than mutton there. For the first month when I visited Iran, I was really enthusiastic to experience every cultural difference in there. So, every weekend, I went for a trip to nearby places in Tehran or other cities. However, I don't know why but people's eyes were always staring at me as if they were monitoring a stranger and some people yelled at me "Ching Chang Chong!" It was really awful and irritating that I quitted traveling around. I was going to get mental diseases if I persisted to hang around more."

While I was working in the embassy of Islamic Republic of Islamic Iran, I had already heard about Iranian people yelling or whispering "Ching Chang Chong" to Chinese people's ears. What "Ching Chang Chong" meant was making fun of the pronunciation of Chinese. And as Koreans look similar to Chinese, they have been doing the same thing. While worrying, I made up my mind not to become agitated and just to ignore that kind of people.

When I was thinking by myself like this, he himself came up with another thing to tell me. "You'd better bring some kind of vitamin pills or nutritional supplements. Because the altitude of the land there is higher than Korea, students tend to feel tiredness easily and some of them suffer from headaches like high altitude sickness."

"Oh, I didn't know that. You gave me lots of new information," I said. Then he left me his last words that I can't forget. "To be honest, for me it was like a jail to study in Iran for four months because of that smelly food and "Ching Chang Chong". At the last fourth month, I just waited for time to pass away but it almost stopped. It went much slower than waiting for an hour in this teaching assistant's office before coming back home in Korea again."

After the interview, I got useful and practical information but lost my excited feelings. I felt like my dreams were torn apart into minute pieces. However, I appreciate my friend Dong-cheol for breaking my dream. Without him, I would have grown my dream-like expectation and in the end become totally disappointed and depressed. Thanks to him, I could be realistic.

Changyu Kang/Ch.5 Essay/Narrative Composition(2) Tuesday & 09:00~11:00

Smartphone vs Relationship Changyu Kang I conducted In-Depth Interview to figure out dependence of smartphone on 20s and the result it causes. I picked my friend as interviewee. She is my college friend and we have known each other for 4 years. I started from the questions related to smartphone using patterns to understand to what extent she depend on the smartphone to the ones related to the result. Before the interview, I made a hypothesis that '20s might make fully use of smartphone which means they enjoy all kinds of content smartphone provides and this makes 20s in nowadays tend to do many things by themselves not with others.' We met the bar located in Sinchon on weekend for interview. Actually I picked the place for interview because I wanted comfortable atmosphere which made interviewee respond to the question openly and sincerely and secondly, we both like alchohl. I started from easy one "How's it going? It's been a long time since we met." She said, "Fine, nothing special actually. And yes! It's really good to see you." We grabbed some beers as usual and talked about what we are doing these days. After about 15 minutes I threw prepared questions for this interview. "What do you usually do with your smartphone?" I asked her. "You know, I enjoy all kinds of smartphone's content. Read webtoons, Watch comedy programs, Use social media not mentioning kakao talk. For me, smartphone is the best toy." Her answer was somewhat what I expected because I have known her as a smartphone heavy user. And I asked her if she has ever felt kinds of guilty feeling because of the fact that her daily life heavily depends on smartphone. I expected yes but her answer was surprising. "No I haven't. I love the way I enjoy smartphone, I mean, it is casual joy. I can enjoy many things I like no matter which places I'm in and unlike computer which makes me feel as if I'm playing in earnest, I like ease feeling smartphone gives to me." Unlike many heavy smartphone users who regret themselves using smartphone too much, she likes her smartphone using pattern. I found one insight and moved on to find out next one. "Okay, then how about your daily life? Do you prefer to do things such as eating meal, watching movie, going travel etc by yourself or with your friends?" Her answer was different from what I had expected again. "Of course with my friend. I think things are more exciting with friend, even when I have normal meal It tastes better whenever I'm with my friend." After hearing her answer which was different from my hypothesis, I said "I thought you like being alone because you can do all the things with smartphone and you don't need colleagues for that" she answered that she loves smartphone but it doesn't separate her from friends, and she also love playing with them. To sum up my interview she is far more than smartphone user, she is 'a smartphone dukhu', which means she is obsessed with smartphone and she likes who she is. But this doesn't make her alone. She still loves playing with friends than alone with smartphone. I concluded, unlike my hypothesis, she's keeping balance well between technology and relationship.

Gitae Shin/p.153 Essay Assignment/Narrative Composition(2) Tuesday & 09:00-11:00

A Ray of Sunshine in Life

 

It was yesterday when I had my last phone call from my mom and the conversation was casual as usual. However, after a long time, today I decided to call her first with a specific purpose. She did not know the fact that she was chosen as personal interviewee for my assignment. A series of tones were followed by my mom's voice.

"Gitae, my son! It is surprising that you call me first. Did you have dinner?" my mom said with little bit of delight and gladness from my unexpected phone call.

"Yes, mom. I had dinner with my friend. How about you?" I replied in a nervous voice although shy may not have noticed.

Mom and I carried on an ordinary conversation for about 1 more minute. When she tried to hang up, I stopped her and asked her for a favor to be an interviewee for my project. She laughed at first and asked me for the reason why she was chosen. In fact, until this interview essay came before me, I had not paid attention to her life: how she was when young, what happened to her before and after I was born, how she supported me, and so on. As my topic was interviewing someone about his or her life and write about an important theme in that person's life, I came up with members of my family: grandfather, grandmother, father, and mom. My grandfather told me about his life many times, and so did my father and grandmother. Only my mom had not talked to me about her life and I knew that she put a lot of effort and sacrificed herself to support me, my sister, and my family. So I said to her that for this reason I would like to know about her life this time not just for my project but also for myself as her son.

She paused for a moment and seemed to begin to retrospect her life. I waited and a voice came out from my receiver, "Well, I don't know what to say, but I should start from the story of my teenager."

She was born in a small village in 1960. Compared to the fact that most people suffered from poverty caused by the Korean War which ended in 1953, she was raised in a wealthy family. Her father, my grandfather, ran a traditional pharmacy and owned almost 4 acres of land. In addition, there were more than 4 workers whose family belonged to my mom's family for generations even after the abolition of the status system. She told me that her early childhood was a very good memory because she needed not worry about money and never wanted for anything.

When she was 14, she alone moved to downtown quite far from her village in order to go to middle school. From that time, she lived in a lodging house, which meant that she had to stand alone. It seemed like she was good at studying during middle school, but she did not go to an academic high school. Instead, she chose commercial high school. Considering women's low entrance rate of high school at that time and high chance of getting secure job after graduation, her choice was never a bad one. Even though many graduates had a job as Korea was on the track of the industrialization, very few students were able to work in big companies. She was one of the few people who got a job in Seoul, the capital city of South Korea.

At age 19, my mom already earned relatively more money than her older brothers and sisters, and her annual salary was decent enough for her to live alone without economic burden. Nevertheless, it was not easy for her to adapt to city-life. "Seoul city was unimaginably bigger than and different from where I used to live, and people in Seoul were so indifferent one another. They seemed without heart," she recalled. She had no friends to hang out, so her life was routine: home, work, and home. She said to me that if it had not been for the earlier experience of living alone in her teen, she would have returned to her hometown within few months. Fortunately she already learned the true value of patience to endure hardships ahead, so she paved her way to new life in Seoul little by little. Not long after, she was known to her coworkers as a diligent and competent worker with 'lovely' dialect.

After 10 years, her life took a huge turn as she married a guy who is now her husband and my father. He and she had known each other since their high school period. My father managed to keep in touch with her for more than 10 years even when he was in army to serve the country. My mom and dad were so different people in many aspects. Unlike her, he was raised in a poor family, graduated from college, and worked as a public servant with poor salary in very small town near my mom's birthplace. She told me that at that time she was paid 3 times higher than him. So technically speaking, she was in a better situation than him in many ways, which meant that he could not give her incentives to marry him because she was able to meet better candidates. At all events, love is so strange thing that we hardly understand.

"Well, I guess I must have been blinded by love. I could have married better guy!" she said with playful voice. "Anyway, as soon as I got married, I had to give up everything I have achieved and built so far. That was the life of being a wife for one man." I could feel a sense of her frustration which she slipped out unconsciously. I could tell that for her it must have been a tough decision for sure.

Once again, she had to stand up and face all the difficulties by herself in new place where she had no friends but her husband and family-in-law. Although she lived apart from her family for a long time, dealing with things while carrying a baby was a totally different from what she had underwent. Also, living with family-in-law put her into isolated position. This time, her mother-in-law kicked into her life and became the main source of the pain. My grandmother treated her like a servant and criticized her all the time for no reason. My mom never fought back no matter how absurdly her mother-in-law acted. Except my grandmother, other people in the town became my mother's side because they knew how hard my mother worked and sacrificed her to support the family-in-law. After 2 years of this hard married life with my grandmother, my father was transferred to Andong where my mom used to live in her teen and she was finally able to take a small breath of freedom.

My family settled down in Andong and maintained relatively stable life, but it did not last for long. When I was 8, my father invested his and mostly my mother's money in the stock market. All of sudden in 1997 IMF crisis hit the Korea and the stock market collapsed. The money my mom saved for her family disappeared all at once like a vapor. Her voice was shaky on the phone, "I said to him over and over to stop investing money in stock market and, instead, asked him to save money as the way I have done." I could feel her desperation and frustration. "But anyway it happened and I couldn't just sit back and fall down because I have you and your younger sister. Although your father lost most of the savings, he had his job and I could work," She continued. She literally begged for a job by visiting many shops from door to door and applied for jobs advertised in help-wanted advertisements. She worked as clerk in underwear shop, insurance planner, and so on. Because of her limitless effort and sacrifice, the family became better off slowly. She opened her own small underwear shop in 2010 and put her all effort in running the shop. Now her business is stable and pays her quite a lot of money per months. Moreover, my father was promoted to higher position in his job last year.

After finishing listening to her story, I was so touched and impressed. At the same time I came to wonder something: "Mom, you have never tempted to escape from the reality? Like, for example, getting divorce with dad or abandoning family to find a new life for you?"

"Oh why not, Gitae? Of course. From time to time I dreamed being free from the reality because that was not the life I wanted to sustain." She continued, "But abandoning family was the very last thing on my list."

I did not know what to say with full of gratitude and sorry. With a joyful and happy voice, she talked over the phone, "You and your sister were lovely creatures which always made me smile after a very exhausting day from the work, and gave me strength to go on life. The value of my family is priceless. Look at you guys! I am so proud of you, Gitae. You are like a ray of sunshine in my life!"

Kim Young Woo/ 201203937/ Narrative Composition Tues

Surviving in Prison

Among my closest friends, one of my friend, Joseph, had a very spectacular life. Growing up in the streets of Los Angeles, we were heavily influenced by the African American gangster rap culture. Although I was lucky enough to move to the suburbs during my high school years, many of my friends were not fortunate enough to move out of hood, as we liked to call it, and were stuck in a vicious cycle of bad life choices. Sometimes, the bad choices of certain individuals have had significant impacts on another's life. This is the story of my friend Joseph who became institutionalised in the American prison system for more than three years for someone else's mistake.

As I got my voice note application opened on my phone, he looked very uncomfortable and asked me if I could distort his voice in anyway. I had realized that my friend was sort of unsure about this project because interrogation was something very familiar to him. I did not want him to feel like I was trying to incriminate him because for one thing, I knew he was in fact innocent of the crime.

I began my interview by asking, "So, can you tell me why you went to prison?" I could tell that he didn't know where to start, but once he began talking, the momentum took over and he started sharing his story. On November 19th, 2009, two of Joseph's friends decided that they were going to rob money from a random pedestrian on the street. However, when Joseph met up with the two friends afterwards, he had no clue what kind of horrendous act his friends had just done. Completely oblivious to what had happened, he entered a convenient store with one of the friend. He was not prepared for what his trip to the store would have on him. His life was about to change.

"The next day, while I was just resting at home, I picked up a phone call from Paul and he told me that he had bad news and for me to check the news online," Joseph told me in regret.  His picture was all over the news under the title Two Teenage Robbers Sought in Koreatown. The CCTV had caught my friend Joseph and one of the accomplice of the act together in the convenient store. I had to ask, "how did you feel when you first saw yourself on the news." He began to express, "I didn't believe it. I was kind of terrified, kind of tripped out (to lose your mind). I was so stressed at the moment that I began to get rashes all over my arms. I was so nervous. It wasn't a feeling that I could really describe. It was just crazy. I didn't know what to do, so I just slept because I thought I had to wake up from all of this." He ended up waking up to another phone call by one of his friend telling him that he had to pack his stuff and leave right away to somewhere the police officers wouldn't suspect.

For three months, he was on the run, without knowing what he was supposed to do. In the end, the detectives were able to distinguish who the two people caught on the CCTV were and began calling my friend's father. This eventually led him to turn himself in thinking that he would be able to prove his innocence since he actually didn't do it. However, I was confused because i didn't know where the friend, who Joseph was being framed for, was in all of this and had to ask, "didn't you feel angry towards Jason for putting you in that situation? Why didn't you tell him to just turn himself in?" He answered, "of course I was angry at him. I had so much emotions running through my head. I forgave him and then I would be mad again. I just had so much time and I drove myself crazy with these running emotions… Well I talked to him during those three months and he told me that he was going to turn himself in and take the fault." "But?" I asked. "He never went through with it and I just had to go to court by myself. I wasn't going to snitch him out (tell on him) and I knew at most, I would maybe do a couple months until the victim told the judge that it wasn't me because I was so certain he had never seen me before."

When he turned himself in, they immediately processed him and sent him to juvenile hall so that he could be trialed. However, on the day of the testimonial hearing, the victim who had three months to look at the pictures of the suspects online, had convinced himself that my friend Joseph was one of the two people who had violated him and took his money. During this time, my friend Joseph was 17 years old and he didn't know anything about law. His lawyer did not even show up to his trials. This confused teenager who was innocent and naive with whatever loyalty he had for his friend, heard his sentencing, 25 years to life. He told me he was devastated. He wasn't aware of the facts surrounding the case and thought he would only serve a minimum of 3 months to 3 years maximum only to find out that there was a kidnapping charge added to his sentence. In California, there is a law that states that if you force someone to move three feet out of their own will, you can be charged with kidnapping. He told me that after 9 months of juvenile halls, he gave up and accepted his fate.

When he turned eighteen, which is the age when one becomes an adult in America, he had to relocate to the big boys' yard, prison. I curiously asked, "Was it hard in the beginning?" He began explaining the layout of the prison he was at in the beginning, where he had to wait in reception in a single 6 feet by 12 feet cell until he was going to be transferred to another mainline prison. "This is when reality hit me that I was actually in jail. At least in juvenile hall, I was able to hang out with others in the day room and have yard time outside. But, my first couple months in reception, I was literally stuck in my cell almost everyday because I came during holiday season and all the staffs were back home with their families. The prison was understaffed due to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, so all the inmates were forced to stay in their cells without even showers most days and when they did give us showers, it was with ice cold water."

When he told me that they didn't allow him to shower everyday, I was baffled. However, he told me in prison, they had to make the most out of their situation and had to take a "bird bath" to wash themselves. He had to explain what bird bath was because I didn't have a single clue. "Bird bath is when you use a cup and the water from the sink to wash yourself," he explained.

The next couple questions were where I had received the most shocking answers: "Are the people in there really like what the movies depict them as?" According to Joseph, "There are so many politics and rules in there set by the inmates themselves to keep order. I thought that prison was going to be chaos myself, but i was shocked to see a system so elaborate and organized. But, the main thing is that everyone is very respectful towards each other. The kindest and most respectful people I ever met in my life have to be the people I met in prison." It was amazing to hear from someone who had actually witnessed himself to tell me that what the film industry had depicted in the movies, vicious thugs who were violent and almost barbaric, were just like any other person. He continued by telling me that people were very respectful towards each other in prison because disrespecting someone was the worst possible thing that one inmate could do to another. "A sign of disrespect in prison can lead to race riots and even lead to an inmate being murdered," he clarified.

"What was one thing you learned while you were in prison?" I asked my last question.

Amongst all his experiences, what he had learned was patience. He had endured long bus rides while being transferred from one prison to another in shackles from top to bottom on a very uncomfortable metal seat for twelve hours at a time, and also countless months of anxiety of what the outcome of his fate would be. He told me that without patience, he would have stressed himself to death. He told me that he learned the most valuable life lessons during his time there. Although he realized how precious youth was after spending his 18th, 19th, and 20th birthday in prison, he does not regret his time there. Even after finishing spending 3 years in prison and having to be deported to a country he had left when he was a baby, it was amazing to see how optimistic he was and how he forgave his friend even after putting him through all that trouble. I respect my friend Joseph because he was able to make the best out of his terrible situation and became a man in the stigmatised American prison system.

HyeonJu Oh/Ch.5 first draft/Tues 9-11 am

My little soldier

Hyeonju Oh          

 

"Sister, of course you already knew. My bed is not for your comic books. And about mandarins' peels, takes them back to your room later." When I kicked the door and rushed into his bed with mandarins like a usual, he said without any attention. The Korean SAT finished in last week, but his eyes were still stick on his desk. His old glasses were shining under the desk light. He kept reading a book. "Little you, I heard the news from mommy and don't even think that you can deceive me. The Military Academy c-h-o-s-e you!" I yelled for drawing his attention. His chair turned slowly. He looked at me with deep breath. I threw one mandarin to him with giggling.

Everything in his room was a symphony in brown and black. There were black cushions and black blankets were on the redwood bed and a small black dumbbell was standing under it. The wall was white. There wasn't any spot on it. The windows were up high and they were covered with curtains all day. But I knew that sometimes they flapped in cold winds in early morning and he enjoyed that kind of scene. All the gadgets on his desk were old. But nothing was covered with dust so I easily guess how he cares about his room. In overall his room was clean and well-organized.

"Actually I never thought that you wanted to be a soldier. Well I know that it is a really honorable job, but I felt that you always refuse to belong to somewhere. Is there any special opportunity to make you decide like that?" I asked him. Then he stretched his arm into the air shortly and touched backside of his neck slowly. "Well, when I firstly dreamed of it was 6 years ago. I was 13 years old and at that time, the North Korea attacked the Yeonpyeong Island. Although I was young, I could feel the negative tension between two groups. And I realized that the peace maintained by a lot of soldiers who died for this nation." He lightly grabbed the mandarin and I saw his big hands with vivid tendons.

"It is much earlier than I thought. But you know, you once said that you wanted to quit the high school. So I believed that you don't like to obey in a strict system. Are you sure that you can be well accepted in the army?" I asked. When he mentioned about his will for quitting the school, the conflict between parents and my brother was little aggressive. But now he answered silently recalling the past. "When I was in a high school, I was impatient. I couldn't endure studying subjects which had no relations with my goal. But now I thanks for all… all the subjects were helpful for the entrance exam."

After he answered, he stood up and collected the peels of mandarins. Because I ate most of them I felt guilty and so I followed him to the trash can. He wasn't quite tall but his body shaped like an athlete. I recalled days that my mother scolded him because he ran about 2 hours for a day in midnight. She might think that it is dangerous, but anyway he got muscles. "I remembered the times that you were young… now you are taller than I, stronger than I, and even cooler than I. After you go to dormitory, how can I live without you? I'll miss you!" I pretend to cry. But he suddenly ran fast and with closing the door, said. "I won't!" His room was locked and I had to go back to my room. Behind me, mother yelled "Don't bother your younger brother!" and the interview was ended like that.

KIMHYUNJEE/ Interview Essay Assignment/Narrative Composition(2)/Tues. 9-11 a.m.

My Mother

My mother and I are the total opposites. We have a different personality, different opinions and argue most of the time. We have ups and downs but just like any other mother and daughter, inside we understand each other. When I first asked if I could interview her, she was surprised. "You want to interview me? You never listen to what I say," she said. However, she kindly accepted to do an interview.

 

Taking a seat in the living room, I started the conversation. "How are you these days mom?" "Well, I have been busy with your sister and her school. Preparing your sister for university reminds me when you were a senior. Next year, your sister is off to college and you are graduating soon! Time flies, I feel so old now," she answered.

 

I nodded my head in agreement. I asked her the first question. "What were you like when you were my age?" "Unlike you", she stopped giving me a face and continued. "I enjoyed my college life. I went to the university that I wanted and studied what I loved. I had a great time."

 

Growing up, she was good at art. She enjoyed drawing and was praised by all her teachers. However, her parents never pressured to study art, but the opposite. She was told by bother her teachers and parents that her younger brother was better in art than she was. However, working hard and following her dream, she entered art school and majored in design.

 

"Did you have any concerns or struggles?" I asked. "Of Course I had," she replied. Just like you, during my junior and senior year, I was worried about my future. Some of my friends were moving, some were going to graduate school and some of them got a job." "You remember my friend who's a jewelry designer?" she asked. "After graduation, she went to a graduate school in America. I wanted to go to a graduate school too but I couldn't. Not only your grandparents were against it, but we didn't have enough money." Your uncles were going to university and I didn't want to be a burden." Smiling, she added, "That's why I always say to you, 'be grateful!'".

 

My mother didn't realize she wanted to go graduate school until she was a senior. Looking back, she wished she studied English and saved money for graduate school. Time to time, my mother would say, "I'm jealous of you and your sister". She wished she had parents like her to support her children studying abroad.

 

"How can I forget mom. You remind me at least once a week," I replied smiling at her. "Then what did you do after graduation?" I asked. "Instead, I got a job as a designer in a company. My salary was high and it wasn't a difficult job. However, I quit after working there for two years." She shook her head. "It was too boring for me. Instead, I became an art teacher."

 

"You could have moved to a different company, why an art teacher?" I added. She replied slowly. "Well, while I was working I thought about what I enjoyed doing. Then I remembered my time working as a part-time teacher at an art hakwon. I helped high school students who wish to enter Art College. It was fun for me so that's why I became a teacher.

 

Looking back, I don't think I ever saw my mom complain about her job as an art job. Although it wasn't an easy job, she seemed to enjoy what she was doing. I remember watching my mom as a proud daughter and constantly reminding my friends that my mom is a great art teacher.

 

I asked her a final question. "If you could say one thing to yourself when you were my age, what would it be?" She took time thinking about her answer. Then, she thoughtfully answered. "Just go for it. Be bold." She took a pause and continued. "I told you that I didn't go to graduate school because of money and my parents, but that's just an excuse. If I was confident and brave enough, I could have just gone to graduate school. If I really wanted to go, I could have earned money and left. However, I wasn't brave enough to do that. I was scared and thought too much about outside factors." Nodding her head she repeated, "Yes, just go for it. Be bold."

 

"Just go for it. Be Bold". Although she was saying it to herself, it felt like she was saying those words toward me. Going through a similar stage, I couldn't help but relate and felt a comfort through her words.

Alyssa Yoo/ Interview Essay Assignment/Narrative Composition/Tues. 9-11 a.m.

Diverse Experiences Shape Life

 

My father had come back from a wedding, and I was waiting for him to sit down on the sofa. The environment was familiar to both of us. There was a long, black sofa in the middle of the living room and a television right in front of it. I had told him in advance that I'd like to interview him, and he had said yes. So there we were, sitting next to each other, barely without the moment of silent awkwardness.

"Dad, how come you took Mom and me to America?" With glasses sitting on the edge of his nose, his natural gray hair stuck out on all sides. He had my grandfather's tiny eyes, but his personality was nothing like his. My dad was fast-tempered, talkative, and funny. When I threw out the question at him, there was not a moment of hesitation.

"In Korea, you can't talk back to your bosses. I was the kind of person who'd talk back to my boss if his ways were unfair. I even did not get promoted for a whole year for trying to tell everyone about my boss' wrongdoing. I thought things would be different in America. I was also tired of coming up with new ideas for my radio programs because people thought what was new yesterday was old." He went on about how stressful it was to come up with new ideas that people would show interest in. It was entirely up to him to create popular programs. I started to feel uncomfortable because I had not liked him in the past for not being home to play with me. He was always home late, smelling strongly of alcohol. I never understood my dad because he seemed happy when he came home, but as I talked to him, I realized he wasn't open about a lot of things.

My father used to work at the Korean Broadcasting System company (KBS) as a producer. As he was outgoing, he was the vice president of the Producers' Association. Also, he was friends with famous Korean baseball players. He even had fans in different countries since he was the host for some of his own programs. He had a stable and well-paid job, but he gave it all up to start doing physical labor in America.

"Hours and hours of physical labor made me want to give up my studies in oriental medicine. But I had you and your mother, which helped me keep going." I knew how hard it was for him when he was in America because he'd never done physical labor in Korea.

When he got a degree in oriental medicine at South Baylo University in California, he opened his acupuncture hospital. My dad already was fluent in four languages so he had no trouble communicating with his patients. His business was going well when he had to come to Korea because of his parents, who were both diagnosed with diseases.

"I wanted to still be an acupuncturist in Korea, but the only way I could do that was to go to university again. I did try, but after a couple of failures, I decided to go on with my life." My dad worked as a business man ever since, and he is a Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) at Paus International. He had diverse experiences, and he never regrets it.

"They say that people just see what they've experienced. I think it's true because I got to see the world in a different perspective after all these different experiences." It was time to wrap up the interview and just as I tried to thank him, he said, "Do what you love doing. You'll never get the same opportunity again. Take action for what you're passionate for, and you'll be happy. Although money does seem to be everything, it's not. I want my daughter to be happy." My father was never the kind of person to say something sweet like this. He was always indifferent, and he never complimented me for my accomplishments. This interview was meaningful to me because I got to know what my dad's thoughts were because I never knew them.

"Thanks, Dad. I appreciate it." I handed him a little snack for doing the interview. He laughed, and I smiled.

 

Yukyung Bang/Eighth post/Narrative Composition Tuesday 09:00~11:00

201301511 Yukyung Bang

People think they would know everything about their family. It's a huge mistake. I had also believed that I knew every bit of my younger sister, and those 16 years of living together before I left my hometown would not be a waste. So, when I decided to interview her, I did not know what to ask. While rummaging for my own memories about her to find the interview topic, I suddenly realized that I should focus on those years for which we have not been living together.

 

I left my hometown to live in Seoul when she was 17(She is now 20), the year she entered high school to endure those painful years to figure out her own identity and future. She said sitting next to me on my bed, "When you left, it was like I was being left alone even though you were the one who had to live by yourself." Being lost in thought, she stared into the air for a while. She finally opened her mouth and said, "It was the year when a lot of things changed. Suddenly, our home turned into an empty net after the baby birds whose wings got strong enough to fly left because you and Yuna(our oldest sister) were gone altogether. I remember sleeping alone in my room for the first time. That night, I had a nightmare."

 

However, she had no time for sorrow. She entered high school even before she got over the shock of being alone. She pointed out that looking back, it was better for her because she spent a lot of time with her friends at school and less time at home. As time passed, she got used to her new life and environment slowly. It seemed as everything was going well without a hitch. But a new problem arose. In her third year in high school, my mom and she had arguments continuously over the field in which she wanted to work: film.

 

"It was like talking to the wall. She wouldn't listen to me, and insisted that I should study. She treated me as if I was you or Yuna. There was no one who would listen to me at home. Because I was so tired of having quarrels with mom, I just shut my mouth and mom and I drifted farther apart. I regret that now but I was too young to understand her. But in retrospect, I think that was when I grew independent and mature, thinking about the future and making my own decisions."

 

Listening to her, I remembered that she called me much more last year than usual. She used to complain about how not understanding and inconsiderate mom was. I felt sorry that I just considered it as mere grumbling and did not care about it much. It was me who was being inconsiderate. She did not seem to recognize how I felt as I pretended to be busy writing down what she was saying. Concealing my feeling, I asked her what she did to change her mind.

 

"I joined a school broadcasting club. There I met a few friends who also had interest in film and writing scenarios. We met on almost every weekend to discuss ideas, write a scenario, shoot a movie, and edit it. It was such a low-quality movie but we submitted it to a local film contest for middle and high school students. We placed second. I showed the result to my mom, and she finally told me that I could study film. I was more than happy. After that, he supported me fully and even allowed me to get private lessons. Without her, I wouldn't have been able to enter my school."

 

Now, she's a freshman at an art college and studying film as she wished. I asked her what it is like to study film in college. She answered with a big smile that it is fantastic. A filmic world is somewhat different from the real world, where she can create from the characters to the background to the plot to the ending. "I feel free," she said. Even though she has to come all the way up to Seoul once a week because of field classes, she does not feel tired at all. She's passionate, enthusiastic, and definitely happy.

 

"Of course, it was a lot more difficult than what I had expected at first. Unlike when I was in high school, everyone else seemed to be better than me. There were students who had already worked in the field. But this time I knew that I had to go through all by myself because I became an adult and knew that no one, you, Yuna, mom and dad, were not always there to help me. What I learned was at the beginning of something, the fear and frustration is only temporary."

 

She's an adult. That was the thought that had never occurred to me. Because to me, she was always my younger sister so fragile and so naive. But, not anymore. She has grown up and become so independent and strong to stand on her own. I felt happy but somewhat sad at the same time that my baby sister is not a baby anymore.

 

"So, this is the last question. What do you want to do in the future?"

 

"I want to be a producer, or a writer, or a director. Oh, I cannot decide right now. I'm trying as many things as possible for now. Maybe I will figure out next year. Until then, I'm going to enjoy my freshman year. You know what? My friends and I am planning to go to Taiwan next month. It's going to be so much fun. Oh, speaking of which, can you help me with some reservations? You know I'm not good at English. Please? I already told my friends that you would help us..."

 

I smiled and said yes. She is still my baby sister.

Kweonho Lee/Ch.5 First Draft/Narrative Composition/Tues 9-11am

Super Grandma Kweonho Lee            As I pressed the doorbell button, I heard a friendly voice shouting from inside, "Who is it?" Instead of talking on the finely working intercom, she would always yell from her room so that the visitors would be able to hear her before she reaches the door. Respecting her traditional style, I yelled back at the door, "It's me!" I waited patiently as it always took a few seconds for her to open the door after the voice. The door opened slowly, and there was my grandma spreading her arms to give me the warmest hug. "Come in sweetie, you came earlier than I thought," she greeted me with a pleasant smile.              I went inside the house. The air in the house was warm thanks to the heating and I liked the comforting smell that made me feel so cozy inside. It was very similar to my mom's smell that I remember from sniffing her pillow in my childhood. Even the faintest whiff of the smell in the room made me feel relaxed and comfortable. I looked around the living room which was full of family pictures. The house was not big even for one old woman, but there were pictures everywhere on the white wall making the house look smaller. On the table, there was an opened bible and a few handwritten notes next to it. My grandma, who was seventy-eight years old, was very energetic and passionate that she had never stopped reading books or working out. She was truly an amazing old woman and I wanted to know more about her life.              "So, why would you want to know about your old granny?" She asked me, handing me a full of deliciously looking fruits. "As you can see, I'm living my ordinary days and there's nothing so special about me that you would be interested in." She shrugged. I knew at the moment that she was just being humble in front of her grandson, so I decided to ask my first question.              "Grandma, you are actually really special! No one can ever guess your age to be late 70's. How can you look so young?" I asked curiously.              "Do you really think so? Actually people think I'm in about 50's and all of my friends envy me," She said in an excited voice. "I think the most important thing in living a healthy, young life is having daily routines. As you know, I always wake up at 6 in the morning. I pray for each member of my family including your family for one hour. After that, I eat my breakfast and go to the swimming pool to work out. Then I would come back and read books for a few hours. I go to church or hang out with my friends in the evening"              She was very proud of herself for living a well-organized life. I could hardly imagine myself living such a diligent life because I would end up sleeping all day in my bedroom if I didn't have to go to school every day. However, she told me that she had never skipped working out in the swimming pool for more than 10 years.              "Don't you feel tired? Why are you so motivated to work out every day? It's not easy even for the young people like me." I asked.              "No, I have never been tired of working out. Instead, it's what makes me feel young and feel alive. I think being healthy is the most important thing in living," she replied, and then stopped for a moment. Her bright face slowly faded into a sad one. She gave a deep sigh and continued, "Well, your grandpa's sudden death really changed my life."              My grandpa died 15 years ago from liver cancer. I didn't remember a lot about him because I was only 9 years old. My mom used to tell me that he was a great dad and a considerate husband for her mother. He was so much dedicated to his family that his death affected the whole family. After he passed away, my grandmother moved to this small house and has lived here until now.              "After he left, I felt really lonely. I cried every day in my room and I could not rely on your mom or other aunts as they were all busy with their jobs and taking care of their children. I had to overcome it by myself," she told the story in a calm voice. After clearing her throat she continued, "One day, I chose to get out of my room and to start working out every day to get over the depression,"              "When do you miss him the most?" I asked a further question.              "Well, a long time has passed and I'm used to living alone now but sometimes… sometimes I feel lonely when I lie on the bed alone at night. Although I look very extroverted and seem to enjoy my social life, I do miss him when I'm alone in the house," she answered smiling.              My grandma never showed her sad emotions in front of us and it was the first time I saw her talking about how much she missed her husband. I always thought her as a strong and adventurous woman, but I came to know that she was hiding her weakness in the deep inside her heart. There was a moment of silence after her answer. I looked at my grandma and she seemed to be recalling her old memories. I waited patiently until she looked at me in the eyes.              "Are you happy with your life now?" I asked my last question, hoping for an answer that would please her and make her feel joyful again.              "Sure, of course! I was just being emotional," she replied in a cheerful voice. "It was frustrating at first, but now, as you can see, your grandma is enjoying the happiest life! I thank him so much for everything he had done for me when he was alive. He was a great man. Now that he's gone, I can enjoy my life and do whatever I want to do without having to worry about taking care of an old husband. Maybe it was a blessing from God because he didn't have to suffer any pains of getting old and ugly. He is still in my heart as a kind, reliable, and good man."              Her response was quite impressive. I could not help but respect her positive attitudes. I was also able to understand how much she loved her husband. Although his death may have been a painful memory at the time, it was what made my grandma to be a stronger and happier person. I was very proud of the fact that she was my grandma and pleased to know more about her.

Yousun Jung/Ch5. Essay/Tues 9-11 a.m

Ordinary, Not Ordinary

Yousun Jung

I don't like the hospital. One of the reasons is that I have to see people in their weak and sorrowful status and it makes me painful. When I saw my grandma in the hospital, with her face just as if the whole world has come to the end, I felt so sad and I became speechless. Still I had to say something to encourage her, but she was habituated to saying that typical words: Now I am old enough to die. I don't think she means it, but it is difficult to conduct an interview with her when she says so. If I ask even one question, she would definitely say that she was not worth enough be interviewed because she was going to die soon. That's why I never knew what happened in her past life, but only her worries about her future life. I didn't want such a flow for an interview.

Therefore, before interview, we watched one movie first. It was the movie named Ode to My Father, which became popular and famous as it described how fathers and mothers strived for their living in 1970s. Somehow it made her reflect on her past, which she rarely had done. Finally she opened her mouth.

"In my thirties, I never stopped working to manage the poor living." It wasn't so when she first married my grandpa. He was a public office and had no financial problem. Rather, they were so wealthy that my mum remembered her early life stable and abundant. However, after my grandpa had lost his job, my grandma became the only wage earner in the family. "I don't even remember other things. I don't know how my children grew up. All I had in my mind was to manage the living", she added.

It made me so sad that the situation gave misunderstanding to different people. My grandma thought that she did her best, but my mom thought that grandma didn't take care of her well. Even when my mom became old enough to start working, it was my grandpa who prepared breakfast for her and took time with her. Whenever they have conflicts, my mom told me that grandma is too selfish and she never cared about her not only now but also those days. But when my grandpa said that all she had had in her mind was to manage the living, it made me understand the situation at the same time have a pity on both women in difficult time.

I asked her when was golden age in her life. She said it was when she opened a supermarket after long days of getting wage. She maintained it for quite a long time, even until when I was a small child. I still remember the supermarket. That was when all her children got married and settled, so she had no financial worries. She was still good and diligent worker, but she didn't have to overwork.

"Working there, living with your grandpa, enjoying visits of sons, daughters and even grandchildren… it was such lovely day." Now many things have been changed. She cannot work anymore. My grandpa had passed away around 10 years ago. The only thing that she still enjoys is visits of her children and grandchildren. That's way she urges me and my sister to come to her house and stay there for some time.

Her face has been full of worries for a long time, so it looks sad even when she is not. Being in a hospital, she looked weaker and sadder. However, thinking of golden age and urging us to come to see her more often, she looked better and more comfortable. She opened her drawer to find the knife and started to peel off an apple to feed me. I had to stop her, but she was strong in terms of feeding her grandchildren.

"If you had any chance to choose your life and do whatever you want, what would you do?" Eating the apple, I asked her one more question. She looked hesitated. I wondered what she would say. Getting proper education? Having some more time with her family? What would be her answer? However, her answer was not what I could imagine and it surprised me a lot.

"I don't know. I had never imagined such a thing, so it is difficult for me." She answered as if I asked her in Swahili language or about the theory of relativity. I never thought there would be people find it difficult to answer about their dreams or wishes. I felt a pity on her again, as she had her whole life struggling to manage an "ordinary" life. The word "ordinary" doesn't seem ordinary, as I knew how she strived to get it. I loved her more, and promised her to visit her for many days during winter vacation.

 

Moses Choi/ Eighth Post/ Tues 9-11 a.m.

Getting a Job in Korea as a "Woman"

 

It is well known that getting a job in Korea after graduating university is becoming more and more difficult, and it is now causing considerable distress to many university students. Erica, one of my closest friends in Hankuk University, is no exception. She is a 25-year-old student who is in her 9th semester. At first, I even felt reluctant to bring up the subject to her, because I know she has been under tremendous stress in getting a job herself. However, she was kind enough to answer my questions sincerely.

             I asked her to be my interviewee, and went to a café near the university together. I started the interview by asking her about her biggest concern these days. She said, "To graduate university at the right time, and more importantly, to get a job at the right time." She chuckled, as if she were implying "if I could." As someone who knows how hard she studied and lived as a university student, watching her struggling to enter a company made me realize again how hard it is to get a job.

             Then I asked her which kind of companies she was trying to enter. She said she prefers public firms over private firms. To be specific, she wanted to enter a firm where she could work as a researcher or an administrative staff. That led me to ask, "When you considering for a job, what are your priorities?" She answered, "Mainly the stability, that is the reason why I prefer public firms. I don't want to work in a too competitive atmosphere. I don't want to feel like I'm just a replaceable component." and the next part surprised me.

             "Also, as a woman, I want to continue my career after the marriage and childbirth. I want to keep working after the maternity leave." Naturally, I went on by asking the part in detail. As a woman, she was considering something I did not even think about. "While both a man and a woman get married and give birth to a child, there is a part a woman must bear, like being pregnant." She was worrying that under a competitive atmosphere of private firms in Korea, it may be difficult to continue working after a lengthy break due to a delivery.

             That was not the only disadvantage she felt as a female job seeker. When I asked her if she has any difficulties in applying for the companies, she replied with hesitation. "Well, I think it heavily depends on which firm I'm applying for." She listed some of the companies which are known to be highly men-oriented, even notorious for their army-like atmosphere. "As a woman, I'm not confident if I can blend in and adapt that society. Or, even before I can worry about those things, it may be extremely difficult to enter those firms where there are much more men than women." Upon listening to her, I even felt some kind of guilt, because I would not be worrying about all those things only because I am a man.

             To wrap up the interview, I asked her if there is anything more to say. She said, with a big smile, "Well, though it is definitely hard, everyone around me seems to enter a company somehow. I'm sure I will too, if I try hard." Her positive and diligent attitude was really touching. At the same time, I came to hope that our society to become more equal so Erica, as well as the others, can be rewarded for her hard work, regardless of gender.

Yousun Jung/Task 5.2/Narrative Composition/Tues 9-11am

1. Choose a classmate, friend, or family member to interview.
   - I chose one of my friends, Sophie.

2. Before the interview, prepare a short list of questions.
   (1) What do you major in your university?
   (2) In your major, what specific subject or topic are you interested in?
   (3) Are you going to keep studying or get a job related to that area?
   (4) Why or why not?

3. During the interview, take notes or tape the conversation.
   (1) I major in Biotechnology.
   (2) I am particularly interested in human's immune system and viruses. Above all, I'm interested in AIDS—Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome— which is one of the disease attacking the immune system.
   (3) Yes, I'm going to keep studying. I am thinking of going to graduate school and getting a job in this field. I'd like to work in labs.
   (4) I was able to meet some people living with AIDS after I had started studying this area. I felt strong compassion with them, and it made me dream to help them with my studying. I really want to keep studying, not because I want to live a wealthy life but because I want to benefit others by studying and having jobs in this area.

4. Then ask the other person to interview you.
   (1) I major in French.
   (2) I like some French novels. Also, I am interested in social and cultural aspects of France, especially the spirit of "antithesis" in France interests me a lot. I like studying history about French Revolution, 68 Revolution or Resistance.
   (3) Not really. I don't think I can, that's why I don't plan for it.
   (4) There are not many jobs related to French literature or culture. I don't think I can study further in this area to be competent enough to get those jobs. I don't want to compete in this area. I think I can just leave it as my hobbies.

5. Freewrite on the following questions.
   - What did you learn about interviewing?
   I've learned that it is very important to maintain the subject and the stance. Otherwise the interview will be meaningless. Also, I learned that I need some more interesting questions for interviewee so that he or she can talk with ease.
   - What question got the longest answer? Why?
   The fourth question: Why are you going to keep studying or get a job related to that area? I think "why" question gets the longest answer, because it demands the specific reasons that cannot be answered by simple yes or no.
   - What question got the shortest answer? Why?
   The first one: What do you major in your university? I think it's just a simple question, which askes the simple answer.
   - What question led to the most interesting response? Why?
   The last one. It can differ person by person more than any other question, and its difference is unimaginable extent.

 

 

Gitae Shin/p.148 Task 5.2/Narrative Composition(2) Tuesday & 09:00-11:00

1. Choose a classmate, friend, or family member to interview informally for about 10 minutes. Pick a person you feel comfortable with and who is enthusiastic about being interviewed. Remember that this is just a practice session and not designed to provide material for your essay.

: I chose my friend as the interviewee.

 

2. Before the interview, prepare a short list of questions. The questions may be on any subject but will, of course, be influenced by the person you have chosen to interview.

: 1) What is your nationality?

2) If you can speak English, how long have you learned it and how did you learn it?

3) What kind of English accent do you prefer?

4) How much do you think one's English accent matter in terms of the communication?

5) Based on your answer to the previous question, please tell me the reason why you think so?

6) Do you think attitudes of people (including yourself) toward the speaker change based on his or her English proficiency?

7) Based on your answer to the previous question, tell me the reason why you think so.

 

3. During the interview, take notes or tape the conversation.

 1) Korean

 2) More than 6 years. In school and in private school. Watching Hollywood movies and series.

 3) British the most and American the second best

 4) Does not matter that much.

 5) As long as the communication is good, the one's accent doesn't matter that much. Because I think there is no need to pretend to be a native when obviously we are not, and actually it is something that makes English rich as a language.

 6) Yes, definitely.

 7) I somehow match the other speaker's level. When the other speaker has poor English, I try to speak with more basic words and slowly.

If a speaker is more fluent in English, he or she will have more confidence while talking to the counterpart. Especially, Koreans are very conscious about their language abilities. The better you are at the language, the easier one can speak out and express themselves.

 

4. Then the other person to interview you.

 1) Korean.

 2) More than 6 years. Exactly the same way you have learned it except that in my case I went to the U.S. for 10 months when I was 15.

 3) Absolutely British.

 4) I don't think the accent is the most important, but it is to certain extent.

 5) I believe content itself and how to interact with the counterpart are one of the most important factors. However, if speaker's accent is too unfamiliar and sounds weird, probably the listener may feel the accent annoying.

 6) Yes, in general.

 7) I think English is still being considered useful tool to distinguish and stand out oneself from others. So if the one can speak fluent English, he or she tends to become more confident as most Koreans are not good at speaking in English. In other words, being fluent in English is kind of scarce ability, so people generally respect the person.

 

5. After these informal interviews, freewrite on the following questions:

1) What did you learn about interviewing?

: It is not just the one-way communication. Although you set many things in order before actually interviewing the person, things are likely to go off the track you designed. Also, the setting for the interview will highly influence the interviewee and interviewer, so the interactions between them are pivotal variable on which the result of the interview depends.

2) What questions got the longest answer?

: Question 7.

3) Why?

: I guess as a Korean, my friend and I have seen so many cases people comparing their English proficiency to that of others. Especially as Korean students have been taught English only to read and solve the questions assigned, speaking English have become one of the most fearful activity to do in real life as well as it is not needed before entering the university. Anyway, we will encounter so many people good at English and they will be our competitors in the job market.

4) What question got the shortest answer?

: Question 1.

5) Why?

: The question itself does not require long answer.

6) What question led to the most interesting response?

: Question 3

7) Why?

: Probably because it is related to 'what if' question, which does not require the interviewee to think carefully and be serious on the topic. Telling what they want in their mind, even if it cannot be achieved, is fun to answer.

 

6.

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

: I would dress myself up with suit or classic type of clothing. Also I would treat the person in a decent place such as restaurant or very exotic and fancy coffee shop. In addition, I would prepare the interview a lot as I want to get as much useful information as possible at one chance.

2) What will you try to avoid doing?

: I will try my best to avoid looking foolish, too nervous, and anxious because it will make the interviewee feel uncomfortable so that the interview could go wrong.