PART IX
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 15

QUESTION 15:
Tell me about a memorable thing that happened during a family holiday.
What is it that makes you remember that incident to this day?
Give me all the details.

ANSWER STRATEGY:
I remember one Seolnal many years ago that ended in disaster. Everything was the same as usual; we had the morning
memorial ceremony to remember our ancestors and then ate
the feast that awaited us. But just a couple of hours later, my
cousin came down with a terrible stomachache and started
vomiting. Then one after the other, almost everyone became
sick. We couldn’t put our finger on it at first, but eventually we
realized that the fish my auntie had brought with her had gone
bad. The image of everyone huddled around the bathroom
clutching their stomachs will stay with me forever. Everyone
went to the hospital that night, but the diagnosis was nothing
more than a mild case of food poisoning. It’s water under the
bridge now, but at the time everyone held my auntie
responsible for the catastrophe. I felt so sorry for her.

KEY EXPRESSIONS:

come down with
I came down with a fever after coming back from my business trip to Ethiopia.

put one’s finger on
I cannot put my finger on what exactly happened after I blacked out.

water under the bridge
We had a major disagreement 5 years ago, but it’ s all water under the bridge.