This is first interview with Brandon

Preparation for the first interview:

            Brandon is a classmate that I have in my English 191 class. I asked him if he had anytime to do and interview and he said he did. We set up and date and time to do so and before this date I came up with questions and practiced them. I also brought a device to record with so that I wouldn’t have to write or something when I was talking with Brandon.

Interview report for the first interview:

            I had some troubles with this first interview because I was nervous and haven’t done a lot of interviews in the past. I was worried that maybe Brandon wouldn’t understand what I was asking him or I wouldn’t know how to start or end the interview. I took my time though, and treated it as if I was talking to a friend and did not have to many misunderstandings or problems.

 

Country report:

 

America's gross domestic product accounts for close to a quarter of the world total, and its military budget is reckoned to be almost as much as the rest of the world's defence spending put together.

The country is also a major source of entertainment: American TV, Hollywood films, jazz, blues, rock and rap music are primary ingredients in global popular culture.

The United States originated in a revolution which separated it from the British Crown. The constitution, drafted in 1787, established a federal system with a division of powers which has remained unchanged in form since its inception.

Early settlers arrived in ships such as this replica of the Dutch vessel Half Moon. People from all over the globe still try make the US their home

The US contains a highly diverse population, the product of numerous and sustained waves of immigration. Ethnic and racial diversity - the "melting pot" - is celebrated as a core element of the American ideology.

The 1964 Civil Rights Act outlawed racial and other discrimination, but race continues to be a live issue.

The election of Barack Obama as the country's first African-American president in November 2008 marked a defining moment in the country's chequered history of race relations.

Interview transcript for the first interview:

Interviewer: Hi, my name is Ali. What’s your name?

Brandon: My name is Brandon Doege.

Interviewer: Are you going to school here in St. Cloud?

Brandon: umm… yup I’m going to school here at St. Cloud state. I’m a…umm…it probably would be considered a sophomore in my major but a junior in college. I’ve been in college for three years.

Interviewer: oh, that’s cool. Three years?

Brandon: yup.

Interviewer: This the third year?

Brandon: yup, this will be my third year. I uhhh…this is my second year here and I went my freshman year to another college close by. I went to St. John’s.

Interviewer: Oh…uhhh.. St. John’s from here is like 20 minutes?

Brandon: yup, its like 20 minutes east.

Interviewer: I have a question about here. The first thing, where are you from in here, are you from Minnesota?

Brandon: yup, I’m from St. Cloud area, im from a town called Sauk Rapids. I move schools, like before high school, I moved schools a couple times, but I’ve always been in this area.

Interviewer: I have a question about the weather here in Minnesota, I’m not from here, I’m from another country. Do you like the weather here in St. Cloud?

Brandon: umm, see uhhh I would say I really like our weather in the summer cuz I’ve been down south during the summer in like the Oklahoma area where its really hot and its still gets humid down there so its like 115 with 80% humidity. I would say being here in the summer is nice because it gets around 80 or 90 usually and it’s a little humid but it’s never intolerable. But then you get wintertime, spring and fall is perfect weather. It’s cool and not hot, you’re not sweating ever. And then when you get wintertime, the only time I don’t like winter is when I cant utilize it for snowmobiling or something fun. Fall is also a good time for hunting.

Interviewer: In your leisure time do you go hunting or what do you like to do?

Brandon: Yea, like I said, I like to go hunting in the fall and snowmobiling in the winter. In the summertime, like spring and summer time most seasons are closed cuz that’s when they are having their babies. So, like during that time is when I hang out with friends, I mean if I didn’t have school, hunting is probably what I would do in my free time.

Interviewer: So when you go hunting, how many hours do you go for?

Brandon: mmm, it depends, sometimes like deer hunting you’ll stay out there for four or five hours and just sit out in a stand. Or duck hunting is about the same, you get out there before the sun rises and you sit out there till sunset. There are a lot of laws in hunting, so you have to fallow them.

Interviewer: That’s good to know, so what are your goals for the future then?

Brandon: I’m going to school for RN, to become a registered nurse. So being a male RN, I have a lot of opportunities to work because they are really in demand. I would like to work at a hospital someday. So after college, I honestly don’t know where I am going to end up. I like St. Cloud, but I’m probably going to move away from St. Cloud. So I haven’t decided yet, but I’ll for sure become an RN and see where life takes me after that.

Interviewer: That’s really cool. Thank you so much for answering these questions for me. Do you have any questions for me?

Brandon: It’s not a problem at all, and no I don’t have any questions.