Country: Singapore
Preparations for the interview
This is my third and also my last interview. I have gained a lot of experiences, so I do not need to worry about it. First, I have listened to my last two interview records, and see if there is anything not perfect. According to the country’s culture and religion, I have checked and rechecked the question list. At the same time, I check my cell-phone to make sure it can work well as a recorder. I also contact with Guang and Song to see whether they can find another interviewee for me. And finally, they recommend me Wei as my interviewee. So I send him an email to ask whether he can do the interview with me. Luckily, he accepted it and everything went well. So I printed the question list two copies, and met Wei to do the interview.
Description of my third interview:
This is my final interview; I have self-confidence to do it perfectly. Everything went well smoothly, and the atmosphere is also very good. Wei had also provided me more different information about Singapore, this time I can have a better knowledge about Singapore. Wei did not mind my asking all the questions from the list. We made this interview a really perfect interview. I believe this time I have proved my skills and can get use to the interview atmospheres. Wei and I talked a lot about his home country Singapore. We both enjoyed the talk very much.
Report On Country
Sentosa, which translates to peace and tranquility in Malay, is a popular island resort in Singapore, visited by some five million people a year. Attractions include a two-kilometre long sheltered beach, Fort Siloso, two golf courses and two five-star hotels, and the Resorts World Sentosa, featuring the theme park Universal Studios Singapore.
Sentosa was once known as Pulau Blakang Mati, which in Malay means the "Island (pulau) of Death (mati) from Behind (blakang)".
The name Blakang Mati is rather old but may not have been founded in the nineteenth century as generally believed. In fact, there exists an island that was identified as Blacan Mati in Manuel Gomes de Erédia's 1604 map of Singapore. Other early references to the island of Blakang Mati include Burne Beard Island in Wilde's 1780 MS map, Pulau Niry, Nirifa from 1690 to 1700, and the nineteenth century reference as Pulau Panjang (J.H. Moor). However, early maps did not separate Blakang Mati from the adjacent island of Pulau Brani, so it is uncertain to which island the sixteenth century place names referred.
The island has gone through several name changes. Up to 1830, it was called Pulau Panjang ("long island"). In an 1828 sketch of Singapore Island, the island is referred to as Po. Panjang. According to Bennett (1834), the name Blakang Mati was only given to the hill on the island by the Malay villagers on the island. The Malay name for this island is literally translated as "dead back" or "behind the dead"; blakang means "at the back" or "behind"; mati means "dead". It is also called the dead island or the island of the dead.
Different versions of how the island came to acquire such an unpropitious name abound. One account attributed the ominous name to murder and piracy in the island's past. A second claimed that the island is the material paradise of warrior spirits buried at Pulau Brani.
A third account claims that an outbreak of disease on the island in the late 1840s almost wiped out the original Bugis settlers on the island. Dr Robert Little, a British coroner investigating the deaths, stumbled upon what was called Blakang Mati Fever, purportedly a type of fever caused by miasmastic fumes arising from decaying leaves and swampy water on the island. This event led to a controversy in medical circles at that time as to the causes of what was later recognised in 1898 as malaria spread by the Anopheles mosquito. The government's malaria research station was originally located here.
A fourth interpretation is that "dead back island" was so-called because of the lack of fertile soil on the hills. However, since the island creates an area of dead water behind it with no wind (hence "still behind" - still or stopped being an alternative translation of mati) it may be as simple as this — less romantic perhaps, but believable from a nautical viewpoint.
In 1827, Captain Edward Lake of the Bengal Engineers in his report on public works and fortifications had proposed an alternative name for Blakang Mati as the "Island of St George". However, the island was seen as too unhealthy for habitation and his proposed name was never realised.
In a 1972 contest organised by the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board, the island was renamed Sentosa, a Malay word meaning "peace and tranquillity".
Through the 1980s and 1990s, a number of pay-to-get-in tourist designations were built on the island, most of which the local people found uninteresting. Consequently, there was a joke that the name Sentosa stood for "So Expensive and Nothing to See Also".
Interviewer: Chenlong Mao
English 191
Interviewee: Wei
Interviewee's country of origin: Singapore
Interview date: 11/6/2010
Me: Hello, nice to see you. It’s kind of you to accept the interview.
Wei: Hello, nice to see you too. It’s no big deal; we can do it very good, right?
Me: That’s no doubt. So let’s get started.
Wei: OK. Let’s do it.
Me: Could you tell me a little bit about yourself and your home?
Wei: My name is Wei. I’m from Singapore, which is a little country near the equator. This means it’s a very hot country. I have been studying here, Saint Cloud, for around two years. My major is computer engineering. You know, I can also speak Chinese very well.
Me: I see. So during the time here do you find anything you are not comfort with? How do you like here?
Wei: To me, it’s very common can’t get used to living here at first. Then I tell myself it’s a challenge, which I must conquer it first, and after that I can continue my life here. Well, Saint Cloud is a good place. I have made new friends during my studying here. So now, everything goes in the right order, I can get used to living here very well.
Me: I can’t agree more. Do you find anything that is different from your home town?
Wei: So far, I feel it’s very different from my home town. But I think the common grounds are as below. First, they are both immigration country. Second, they have a very high GDP. I guess the most significant difference is that, Singapore people are most from Asian, while in America, people are most from Europe. What else? The food, the weather, the people. And even more. But that’s all right. After I go through two different living styles I can learn a lot. Yeah, that’s it.
Me: Perfect. You are really like accept the challenges, aren’t you?
Wei: You got it right. I am a guy really like do something difficult, that’s the living style I prefer.
Me: Cool. So how do you spend your spare time? Do some sports, go shopping, or just hang around with your friends?
Wei: To me, I would like to do some sports. I will spend some time to play basketball, or some kind of races. I like do some sports with my friends. You know it is very good to sweat after a long time of sports. Not only I can lose weight, but also I can keep fit.
Me: That’s good. Movement is life. Can you tell me something about your country? Like some places of interest, or travel sites. I have been there about five years ago. It is really a beautiful place.
Wei: That’s good. As you know, Singapore is a small country, however, there are still some places you can have fun. The Merlion, for example, is the symbol of my country. The Merlion, which has a lion head, and a fish body, stands for the lion comes from the sea. We believe that The Merlion can give us people power. Also, Sentosa, I guess you have been there right? You can watch water screen movie there. Many parks you can visit to have a good time.
Me: Yes, I have been there. How is the education in your home country compared to the United States?
Wei: Well, that’s not very different. But I must say I prefer the education here in Saint Cloud. First, we are free to communicate with teacher about the questions you have met during the studying. Second, students can choose the courses freely for a semester. However, in my country, we just listen to teacher most of time. And we can’t choose our courses. I guess these are most important differences.
Me: What are some religious or cultural customs in your country?
Wei: As you know, we people most from Asian, so we most believe in Buddhism. And we also believe in Christianity. These are the most domain religions. We both celebrate Spring Festival and Christmas. As you know, people from western and eastern gather in the Singapore. To me, the whole family will go back to China to visit friends or relatives probably, but not very often.
Me: Any difference in how a man and a woman may contact each other?
Wei: Well, this is very like your way to do it. In Singapore, we follow the open way to treat with each other. Although we are most from Asian, the people are very open now; we are affected with western mind, so you don’t need to worry about it very much.
Me: And what are weddings like?
Wei: People from different culture have different choices. Some from Asian will feast their friends and relatives to celebrate this very important moment. However, some from Europe will choose to do it in the church. You know, it depends on your origin culture.
Me: It’s true. What do you eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?
Wei: We usually eat rice or noodles as staple food. You know, Singapore is located in the sea, so we can have a lot of seafood for meals. To me, I often store something I need in the fridge just in case. I guess it’s very like your traditional meals in China, right?
Me: That’s right. We probably have almost the same stuffs for food. And do you want to stay here or do back to your home when you finish your study?
Wei: Well, I guess may go back to my home, because my family is in Singapore. It won’t take too much time to study here. Studying overseas is just a way for you to wide your view and experience a new living style. I believe after this special experience I can probably have better chances to gain a perfect job.
Me: OK. Well, almost finish the interview. Last question: Can you share me a special experience during the period you live here?
Wei: Oops, that’s a tricky one. Let me see. Oh yes, I got one. Last winter, one day, I overslept, so I hurried up ahead to have class. You know, it’s in winter, so the ground was covered with a thick layer of snow. I run very fast, and accidently fell down. I broke my leg, I even couldn’t stand up. So that day I was late for the class. The pain lasted almost one month, afterwards, I recovered. That was really a tough time.
Me: OK, that was a really a lesson. And it’s nice talking to you, Wei. Have a nice day, and see you then.
Wei: Yeah, me too. You are welcome. See you.
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