Preparation for my second Interview
Before I did my third interview, I took more time to prepare for it. As I have already taken interview with my two interviewees, I got chance to gain a lot of information about Malaysia. I believe that the two interviews which I had already taken will make my third interview much better. My third interviewee named Chung Auang Wang. We met in Church since last semester, she is a nice person. When I looked Malaysian for my interviews, I thought of her. Last week when I went to church for mass, I saw her there then I asked her, she was glad to agree with it. We had made an appointment on April 2nd in library. We kept contacting by telephone. For I have experienced two interviews which really made me more confident for my third one. But in order to get more specific information about Malaysia and make my third interview much more successful, I went back to my first and second interviews, read all the questions that I asked. I checked all my questions carefully and found the mistakes in my previous interviews. I wanted to do the best for my last interview. I also went back some websites to search for more information about Malaysia, I tried to learn and get more valuable information.
Besides, my first interviewee invited me to Malaysia culture café in Mitchell Hall on April 1st, which was hold by International studies center. It was a great chance to learn and get more information about Malaysia. I met many Malaysia students there. I tried to talk with them, they were really nice. When I came back from that culture café, I wrote down some information which would make my third interview more integrated and detailed.
Describing the interview
The flow of my third interview was really good. We had a great time during the interview. We met at 2:00pm in library’s first floor. Before she came, I bought a café and some cookies. Which made our talking more relax and comfortable. Based on we had the same religion; it made our interview more wonderful. We talked many topics which we both were really interested in. She was so nice to answer all my questions. We talked about the personal situation, religion, culture, family history and so on. Her detailed answers made me learn a lot about Malaysia. Everything went smoothly. The interview was really exciting and knowledgeable. I really enjoyed asking questions and collecting more information about Malaysia. I appreciated her answers deeply. Our interview kept for one and half an hour. I recorded all conservation between her and me, once I done my interview; I stayed in library to arrange for our conservation. I knew that I had made a great progress from the third interview
Report On Country
Location
Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy in Southeast Asia. Kuala Lumpur is the capital. Malaysia is separated as West and East respectively by the South China Sea. It has a total landmass of 329,847 square kilometers. The peninsula land borders are shared with Thailand and northern one-third of the island of Borneo, Indonesia, Brunei, and south of Vietnam. Malaysia is quite closed to Singapore; they are connected by a causeway and a bridge.
Petronas Towers
The Petronas Towers (also known as the Petronas Twin Towers or KLCC) are skyscrapers and twin towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004 until surpassed by Taipei 101, but remain the tallest twin buildings in the world.The building is the landmark of Kuala Lumpur with nearby Kuala Lumpur Tower.
History
Malaysia’s history dates back thousand years ago when Buddhist and Hindu empires from Indonesia and Thailand were dominating the peninsular. Then, the arrival of Muslim merchants transformed Melaka into the hub of an Islamic empire ruled by Malay sultanates.In 1511, the Portuguese easily took over Melaka from the Malay sultanate and went on to control its major trading seaport, which was laden with tea, china, cargoes of pepper, cinnamon, cloves and other precious goods. Then, in 1641, the Dutch came into power for the same interests followed by the British in 1795. For over a hundred years, British colonial rule spread its power to other states in the peninsular. During the British-era, Chinese and the Indians were brought in to hack the forests and turn it into townships and rubber plantations. The Chinese also worked in the tin mines. Malaysia was occupied by Great Britain and Japan. It was independent until 1957.
Economy
Malaysia is a relatively open state-oriented and newly industrialized market economy. The economy of Malaysia is the 3rd largest economy in Southeast Asia. Malaysia is attempting to achieve high-income status by 2020 and to move farther up the value-added production chain by attracting investments in Islamic finance, high technology industries, medical technology, and pharmaceuticals.
Government
Malaysia is a federal constitutional elective monarchy. The federal head of state is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, commonly referred to as the "King". The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is elected to a five-year term by and from amongst the nine hereditary rulers of the Malay states; the other four states, which have titular Governors, do not participate in the selection. The position has to date been, by informal agreement, systematically rotated between the nine; the order was originally based on seniority. The system of government is closely modelled on that of the Westminster parliamentary system, a legacy of British colonial rule. The King's role has been mostly ceremonial since the 1994 version of the constitution.
Costume
Most Malaysians dress as Westerners do but many Muslim women wear long skirts/pants and head scarves. On special occasions, people from each ethnic group wear their traditional clothes.
Ø Malays: For Malay women, they wear the baju kurung; Malay men wear the baju melayu with a songkok on the head. Alternatively, the men wear batik shirts with trousers.
Indians: Indian women wear the sari. The salwar kameez or Punjabi suit is popular with northern
Indians: Indian women wear the sari. The salwar kameez or Punjabi suit is popular with northern
Ø Peranakan ladies: Also known as Baba Nyonya, they are Chinese immigrants who married Malay partners. They wear the elegant kebaya that can be described as traditional high fashion.
Ethnic Groups
Malaysia is a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural country. The ethnic groups include Malay which takes up 50.4 percent; the second one is Chinese, and it accounts for 23.7percent; then they are indigenous and Indian, occupy 11.0 percent and 7.1 percent respectively.
Religion
In Malaysia, 60.4% of people are Muslim, second one is Buddhist. There are few Christian and Hindu. As for the language, Bahasa Malaysia is the official one, then it includes English, Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai.
Marriage
Even with significant changes in marriage practices, weddings reveal the sharp differences in Malaysian society. There are two ways to marry: registering the union with the government; and joining in marriage before a religious authority. Christian Malaysians may marry Buddhists or Hindus answering only to their families and beliefs; Muslim Malaysians who marry non-Muslims risk government sanction unless their partner converts to Islam. Marriage practices emphasize Malaysia's separate ethnic customs. Indians and Chinese undertake divination rites in search of compatibility and auspicious dates, while Malays have elaborate gift exchanges. Malay wedding feasts are often held in the home, and feature a large banquet with several dishes eaten over rice prepared in oil (to say one is going to eat oiled rice means that a wedding is imminent). Many Chinese weddings feature a multiple-course meal in a restaurant or public hall, and most Indian ceremonies include intricate rituals.
Holiday
Malaysia has many holidays. The most observed holiday is Hari Kebangsaan(independence Day). Other notable national holidays are Labour Day( 1 May) and King’s birthday (first Saturday of June). Muslim ’holiday Hari Raya Haji, Chinese New Year and so on.
Cuisine
Malaysia's cuisine reflects the multi-ethnic makeup of its population. Many cultures have greatly influenced the cuisine, from within the country and surrounding regions. Much of the influence comes from Malay, Chinese, Indian, Thai, Javanese and Sumatran culture. Largely due to the country being part of the ancient spice route. The cuisine is very similar to that of Singapore and Brunei, and also bears resemblance to Filipino cuisine. The different states have varied dishes, and often the food in Malaysia is different from the original dishes. Rice is popular in many dishes. Chili is commonly found in local cuisine, although this does not necessarily make them spicy.
References
d. ^ a b "No.10760: Agreement relating to Malaysia" (pdf). United Nations Treaty Collection. United Nations. July 1963. http://untreaty.un.org/unts/1_60000/21/36/00041791.pdf. Retrieved 2010-07-29
Transcript Of the Interview
Interviewer: Yingying Nan
English 191
Interviewee: Chung Yeoh Wen
Interviewee’s country of origin: Malaysia
Interview date: April 2nd, 2011
Interview Location: Library
Me: Hello Chung, How are you?
Chung: I am good. How about you?
Me: I am pretty good, too. Thank you! I am so glad that you can come to take this interview.
Chung: It is my pleasure.
Me: How are your classes? I heard you had 3exams last week?
Chung: Yes, it made me really busy and tired, I spent long time on reviewing, but I did a good score.
Me: That is great. Hah~~I am going to ask your some questions now, just some personal questions, and some relevant questions about Malaysia.
Chung: Okay, I see.
Me: When did you come to SCSU?
Chung: I came to America 2years ago, but I came to SCSU last year. I studied in Wisconsin for one year, and then I transferred from Wisconsin to Minnesota.
Me: Why did you transfer to here?
Chung: Because it is much cheaper here, and there are many international students. I found this university from website, I saw many pictures about their events, it is nice. And the international studies center holds many activities each semester. Besides, there are many Malaysia students. You know, I am the only person who came from Malaysia in my previous university.
Me: Yes, it is right choose for you to come here, there are many activities each semester for international students. Students can get a lot of fun. So why did you come to America to study instead of in your own country?
Chung: Studying abroad is very important for Malaysian. Higher education is a vital part of Malaysian life, hundreds of thousands of students have been educated in Britain, Australia, and the United States; the experience of leaving Malaysia for training abroad is an important rite of passage for many of the elite. Besides, I can meet many students from all over the world, it can gain our knowledge.
Me: Yes, it is. So what is your major?
Chung: My major is accounting. I like numbers, hah~~
Me: I see, do you think it will be easy to find a job after college?
Chung: I am not sure, but at least accounting is ok to find a job in America or in my country now.
Me: Where will you work after you graduate from college? Will you go back your country or stay at USA?
Chung: I will go back to my country. It is really hard to find a job here because of we are international students; American economy is not really well at present, they have low employment rate. Besides, I like to stay with my family; I don’t want to live too far away from them.
Me: Yes, I agree with you. I like to stay with my family together, too. Chung, are you Chinese Malaysians? I heard you speak Chinese last time?
Chung: Yes, I am, but I only speak a little. My ancestor is from the Fujian Province (Southern of China). We speak Hokkien, it is a Fujian’s dialects. There are many Malaysian Chinese in Malaysia, but we mostly speak Chinese dialects, the common dialects are Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainese. I can speak a little Cantonese, Mandarin and Hokkien.
Me: Wow, you can speak 3 dialects, it is really cool.
Chung: Because my dad’s ancestor is from Fujian, they speak Hokkien; my mom’s ancestor is from Guangdong province, they speak Cantonese. Even though we live in Malaysia for long time, we still keep our Chinese dialects. In my family, they all keep talking dialect, especially for elder person. I learn Mandarin when I was in middle school, then I watched Chinese dramas and movies, it helped me a lot.
Me: Yes, that is a good way to learn Mandarin. Chung, when and why did your ancestor come to Malaysia?
Chung: I heard from my grandpa that my ancestor came to Malaysia in late 19th century. They were encouraged by the British who needed Chinese coolies to work on their rubber plantations and tin mines. They came as free labor on credit ticket system.
Me: It was so hard for them to leave their own country, and lived in a totally new place, and had to over work every day.
Chung: Yes, when my grandpa told me this, he cried. It was extremely difficult for them to live here at the beginning. That is why I am really appreciating my life now.
Me: You are right. Chung, I know that most Chinese immigrants are Buddhism, why your family is Christian?
Chung: Because my great grandpa was saved by a priest during the Second World War (the Japanese army invaded and occupied Malaya). The church was really nice to help many people to avoid killing by Japanese.
Me: Oh, I see. Does there many Christians in Malaysia?
Chung: Not really, Christian is a minority religion in Malaysia. The largest group is Muslims (60 percent of the population is Muslim). Since Islam is the official religion, the government is most concerned with the practices of the Muslim majority, they regulate religious policy for Muslims, and even use of state funds to build mosques.
Me: But how about other religions? Does government treat unfairly?
Chung: As for Christian church buildings, there are many restrictions on construction of new churches. My dad told me an instance, it took more than twenty years for the local authority in Shah Alam to allow a church to be built there.
Me: It is serious. I never heard it before, thank you for your sharing. Chung, what do you miss most in your country?
Chung: My family, my friends and food. I ate a lot of food when I came back to Malaysia last summer holidays. But this summer I won’t go back, I will take summer classes.
Me: I see. While what is your opinion about American diet?
Chung: I like Salad, it is healthy. Dessert is too sweet for me. I don’t like burgers and pizza, it will make me much fatter, hah~
Me: I think so, hah~~ as for your tuition fees, who takes care of it in your family?
Chung: My parents. But I also work in WOW in Atwood; it just makes some money for my living fees.
Me: It is good for you. How do you think people here?
Chung: People here are really nice. People smile nicely when they meet on street, even we don’t know each other. I has been to New York last year, people there are rude and cold.
Me: Yes, people are nice here. So what is the most interesting thing you have experienced during your time studying at SCSU?
Chung: It is skiing! You know that Malaysia is a tropical rainy climate country, it is hot and humid. I never ski before. It is really funny.
Me: Hah~~ that is great. We have almost done our interview, I am so happy to talk with you! Thank you very much!
Chung: You are so welcome!
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