Country Report:
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic which consists of fifty states and a federal district. [1] It has a total area of 3.79 million square miles and over 312 million people, making it the third or fourth largest country in the world. It is also one of the most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations in the world because of the large-scale immigration from many countries. [1]Washington, D.C is the capital of United States. [2]
Description: Map of US depicting state boundaries and their capital. [2]
"Flag of the United States consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows of five stars. The fifty stars on the flag represent the 50 states and the 13 stripes represent the thirteen colonies that rebelled against the British monarchy and became the first states in the Union." [3]
[3]
[3]Climate in United States varies due to its large size, big range of geographic features, and non-contiguous arrangement. [4] According to Wikipedia, " In the contiguous United States to the east of the 100th meridian, the climate ranges from humid continental in the north to humid subtropical in the south. The southern tip of Florida is tropical. The Great Plains west of the 100th meridian are semi-arid. Much of the Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Nevada, and the Cascade Range are alpine. The climate is arid in the Great Basin, desert in the Southwest, Mediterranean in coastal California, and oceanic in coastal Oregonand Washington. The state of Alaska—on the northwestern corner of the North American continent—is largely subarctic, with an oceanic climate in its southern edge and a polar climate in the north. The archipelago state of Hawaii, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, is tropical." [4]
In United States, different regions have their own distinctive cuisine. For example: Midwestern Cuisine covers everything from barbecue to the Chicago-style hot dog. The cuisine of the south has been influenced by the many diverse inhabitants of the region, including Americans of European descent, Native Americans and African Americans. The foods in the west are mostly fast food hamburger and the San Francisco burrito. [5]
Description: Midwestern Cuisine [5]
Description: Cuisine in the West [5]
There are about 28 different religions in United States. [6] According to the imformation proveded by Wikipedia, the major religion in United States is Christian,which covers about 76% of American adults. Non-Christian religions cover about 3.9% to 5.5% of the adult population. Another 15% of the adult population is identified as having no religious belief or no religious affiliation. About 5.2% said they did not know, or refused to reply. [7]
Description: The Washington National Cathedral, in Washington, D.C., is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church. [8]
There are a lot of holidays in the United States. For example: New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, Veterans Day and Christmas. Christmas is the holiday Americans celebrate the most. It is on December 25 and it is a holiday to remember the birth of Jesus. [9] The traditional colors of Christmas are green and red. [9] White, silver and gold are also popular. Christmas trees are used for decoration. [9] Exchanging of gifts is one of the most important things to do in Christmas. [9] Children believe their gifts are given by Santa Claus. A standard Christmas meal includes turkey or goose, meat, gravy, potatoes, vegetables, sometimes bread and cider. [9] Special desserts are also prepared, such as Christmas pudding, mince pies and fruit cake. [9]
Describe: Anbetung der Hirten (Adoration of the Shepherds) (c. 1500–10), by Italian painter Giorgio da Castelfranco [9]
Describe: A Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, New York City [9]
Describe: Christmas pudding [9]
Preparation:
This was my first interview. I printed out two copies of the questions that I was going to ask my interviewee and read them through. I was going to give my interviewee one of the copies so that he/she could read the questions before we get started. I expanded some of the questions. I didn’t want to just ask the questions I printed out. I hoped I could make the interview more like a conversation. I wanted my interviewee fell comfortable talking with me. I tried to think the way my interviewee may answer the questions and how I should respond to his/her answers. I also wrote out some examples for the questions that seem hard to come up with a response. For example: “how has your culture influenced your people/family values” is a hard one to answer. I prepared some example answers for the question so that my question seems clearer. I charged my cell phone and made sure it would work during the interview. After that, I found one of my friends and practiced my interview with her. The practice interview went quite well, but I know it would be harder if I was interviewing a person I don’t know before.
After I got ready, I went to the library and went to the third floor. I found an American student who is doing his homework. I talked with him and asked him if I could have some of his time. I told him it may take him ten to twenty minutes. He was willing to take the interview.
Interview
Interviewer: Wenjun Wu
Interviewee: Cory Porkkoner
Location: Third floor of the library
Interviewer: Wenjun Wu
Interviewee: Cory Porkkoner
Location: Third floor of the library
Time: 1:30 pm, 10/24/11
Me: My name is Wenjun Wu, what is your name?
Cory: My name is Cory Porkkoner.
Me: Where are you from?
Cory: I grow up in New York Mills Minnesota.
Me: Why do you choose this school?
Cory: Because it is close to town and fairly cheap.
Me: Do you pay your own tuition or your parents pay for you?
Cory: I pay. I do part time jobs.
Me: Please describe the education system of your country.
Cory: I would describe it as far as money goes, which can be pretty cheap until twelve grades. After that you get to pay for it.
Me: How has your culture influenced your people/ family values?
Cory: Hmmm... It is kind of hard one to answer.
Me: Yeah. There is an old Chinese proverb said that: “Among all the good deeds, filial piety comes first.” So, respect older people especially parents is the most important thing in China.
Cory: I’d say here a close friend or family is more of eagle centered value system.
Me: What is the form of government in your country?
Cory: Democratic republic.
Me: Could you please tell me more about it?
Cory: Yeah. Here we elect people to lead the citizens of the country, like the only decision that the individual has is the person that they elect to make the decisions for them. So it is not formal democracy inside, quite republic. It is kind of blend of the two.
Me: Tell me one thing that makes you proud of your country.
Cory: I think the people. They seem nice.
Me: Oh yeah. I know, they are very nice and willing to help.
Me: What places would you recommend to tourists?
Cory: Hawaii, New York City.
Me: Have you ever been to Hawaii before?
Cory: No, I haven’t. A friend of mine went there before. He said it is fun.
Me: Wow, I’d like to go there too!
Me: What festivals do you celebrate in your country?
Cory: Christmas and Fourth of July. There are parades and fireworks.
Me: Oh, I like fireworks. I have heard that you can’t play fireworks as an individual, right?
Cory: Like the ones really explosive, you cannot do. Like the little ones sparklers, you can do.
Me: What is the weather like in your hometown?
Cory: Summer is hot. Winter is cold. It is pretty much like the weather here.
Me: What are major sports in your country?
Cory: Football, baseball, hockey and basketball.
Me: What sport do you like best?
Cory: Playing?
Me: Yeah.
Cory: I like tennis.
Me: I tried to play tennis before, but I do not have enough strength to hit the ball over net. So I play badminton instead.
Me: What is a traditional food in your country?
Cory: Anything overly processed.
Me: Oh yeah, I see a lot of fast food here.
Cory: Yeah, it is terrible for you.
Me: But Subway is fine. I like subway here.
Cory: Yeah, subway is a decent one.
Me: I also like fried food. It tastes good, but I don’t eat them a lot.
Me: What do most women do after they get married in your country?
Cory: Get a job or have kids, I guess.
Me: Ok. I don’t want to keep you long because you need to do your homework. Thanks for your time. I appreciate it.
Cory: You are welcome. Have a nice day.
Me: You too!
Personal impressions:
I had a good time interviewing Cory. This was my first time interviewing a person, so I was very nervous at first. I felt much more comfortable after I asked a few questions. And it went quiet well. There are things I can improve next time. I didn’t get a lot of information about my interviewee this time. I could expand the question list more. For example, I could ask him what he does in his free time besides playing sports. It could help me know more about my interviewee. I could also tell him some culture from my country. I learned something more about United States in this interview. It is very fun experience and I will try to improve on my second interview.
Work Cited:
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