PART IX
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 9 & 10

QUESTION 9:
Tell me about people who live in the countryside.
What do they look like and how do they dress?
How are they different from people who live in the cities?
Do you know anyone that lives in the countryside personally?

ANSWER STRATEGY:
It’s never really crossed my mind, but I guess that Korean
farmers from the countryside look similar to farmers all over
the world. Usually their clothing is more functional than it is
fashionable. First and foremost, they need to be comfortable
because farmers have to work hard in the field. I don’t think
that you’ II find anyone wearing a suit and tie when they’ re
working on a farm. It’s not set in stone, but I think that city
dwellers wear more fashionable, expensive clothes than
people who live in the countryside. It takes a while for trends
from the city to catch on in the countryside, but I don’t think you
can judge who dresses better or worse. In fact my mother-in law
lives hours away from the nearest city but dresses very
elegantly whenever I see her for family gatherings.

QUESTION 10:
Tell me about a memorable incident you had when you visited the
countryside.
Give me the background of the incident and talk about what happened in detail.
What made that incident so special?

ANSWER STRATEGY:
     The incident that I’m going to tell you about happened the first
time I met my wife's parents, I wanted to do my best to impress
them and win them over, so I wore my best suit and we set off
extra early from Seoul. One of the roads leading Up to my in-laws'
house was very narrow, and as we were driving Up, a
chicken suddenly flew into the road. I swerved to avoid it and
ended Up in a ditch. There was no major damage to the car, but
I had to push it while my wife stepped on the gas. She thought
the whole situation was hilarious, but showing up late for my
first dinner with her parents was no laughing matter for me. To
top it all off, I slipped and fell in the mud. Luckily her parents
laughed about it and the rest is history.

KEY EXPRESSIONS:
cross one’s mind
I was so busy with my work that eating dinner didn’t even cross my mind .

first and foremost
The first and foremost thing that we have to do is to segregate the things that are still working from those that have already malfunctioned.

set in stone
The time to meet for lunch is not set in stone.

win over
He tried everything he could to win over my parents.

no laughing matter
The students suddenly became serious when they realized that the test was no laughing matter.

to top it all off
I was late for class. To top it all off, I got soaked when it started pouring rain on the way.