Interview+HJBJS

We sent 2 emails to two people of different genres. One was to a person working in Red Cross in South Africa, and another was to a Singapore undergraduate who happens to be Ho Joon's Singaporean friend's brother. The reply from a Red Cross worker is still pending. Sorry!



Transcript: Hi there! I received your e-mail and heard from my bro that you're good friends with him. Nice to talk to you and your friends! Well, since you need this for research, I will go directly into the questions. 1. What do you think of South Africa? Well, to be honest, it is only my second year here, so I am probably just as new to South Africa as you. What I have noticed during my stay here, though, is that it's completely different from what I had expected. You know, when you see on the news or TV, everything about Africa is not very good. But I realized that was not the whole side of Africa and I am beginning to love this country, although I would rather go back. lol 2. What are some problems in that country? The outside world believes that HIV/AIDS is the most threatening issue in Africa. And true enough, it is very severe. However, I think violence and everyday social lives are the biggest problems in the country. Some countries are literally torn apart by the ongoing civil wars. Though the region here that I live is pretty safe, I learned about the lack of social security when I had to attend a seminar located in the outskirts of the city with my friends. There was what happened to be a riot as the officials were taking their leave. Also, to tell you a personal experience, part of our work involved committing ourselves to voluntary services. And you should have seen the houses and the environment. The houses looked like they were about to collapse and they are barely fit for humans to survive in.

3. What do you find interesting or attractive about the country?  LOL I like that question. There is actually a kind of trend we can never expect from Singapore or even, Korea. And that is friendliness. In my volunteering days, I have gone to many different locations and met people from troubling backgrounds. Although I couldn't talk much with them (I kind of regret that haha), they were really welcoming and friendly and even treated me like a family member. It was a really touching side of Africa and really makes me hope that some day, Africa can get itself completely out of poverty. 4. We are learning about movement. What do you think is a key factor that affects the movement of people (either in or out of Africa)?  Hmmm... Compared to about ten years ago (I am guessing this, of course), there are much more foreigners here. In fact, much more. And not a lot of them are tourists; I have read in local newspapers that a lot of investors (both individuals and companies) are coming to Africa for business purposes. It shows Africa has grown economically. Thus, Africa's development is a factor that attracts people in. And by the way, if you have any further questions, feel free to email me, ok? Nice to have talked to you! Shaun

(And by the way, you can contact Shaun at the_justifiable_13@hotmail.com Thank you!)