1. What do you do in your spare time?
It varies, I mean, it depends on the amount of free time I have. A few weeks ago, I would normally immerse myself in a light novel during lunch breaks or after dinner, but these days, I’m just too busy with my work that the only thing I crave is some sleep, so all my spare time would be devoted to taking a quick nap.
2. What do you do to relax?
These days, I’ve been suffering from severe stress and depression due to the excessive amount of workload I have, and the only time I can relax is during my 4 – 5 hours of sleep every night. So, it may sound a little bit weird, but the only thing I can do to relax is, sadly, sleep.
3. How do you usually spend your weekends?
I’m not a party animal, so during weekends, I always refuse all the party invitations from my friends. Instead, I would visit a café on my own and indulge myself with a nice cup of earl grey and some new book I’ve found on Amazon. That couldn’t be more perfect for a Sunday afternoon.
4. What do you usually do after work or classes?
I work evening shifts, so on a daily basis, I stop at around 9 p.m. and leave work 15 – 30 minutes later. At that time, most shops have already closed and there’re not many recreational activities left to do if you don’t want to hang around bars, so I often go straight home to take a hot shower and have a late dinner. Once in a while, my boyfriend would take me to the movies after work, but I would fall asleep half way through the film.
5. How much time do you have each week for doing these things?
If your asking for a specific number of hours, I guess I’d have to say just a couple of hours per day probably.
6.Why do you like doing these activities?
I don’t. I mean… who would like to go back home right after work just to have a late, cold, and sometimes leftover dinner? That’s just what I have to do since I have to work until late in the evening. I’m not allowed to choose, that’s the problem.
7. How did you start doing this activity at first?
Actually, my life didn’t used to revolve around work. A few years ago I used to lead quite a busy social life, back in university, so it took me a whole year to get used to my current lifestyle. So, I think everything has just become a routine to me now. Not in a natural way, but it has.
8. Is there some other hobby or sport you would like to try? Why?
I’m crazy about music and all kinds of musical instruments. It’s such a miracle how each instrument makes a different sound, but when they’re performed together, they can create perfect combinations of melodies. Perhaps, in the near future, I would learn about the mechanism behind this miracle. This is also a hobby, isn’t it?
9. How do you spend your time in the evening?
It’s the same every day. I just keep running around in circles: going to work, coming back home, working at home, then going back to work the next morning. That’s why the evening is, somehow, just another chance for me to satisfy my workaholic self. That’s it.
10. Do you prefer staying at home or going out during evenings?
It’s like an everyday dilemma. My heart always insists me to go out and have some fun, but my mind would say no to that seemingly irrational idea. Well, my deadlines are there, my work isn’t finished. So, most of the time, I would reluctantly stay home.
11. Do you do this every evening?
I hate to admit, but yes, every evening when I have work left unfinished. Sometimes, I’ve even done all my make-up and already gotten dressed. However, while waiting for my boyfriend to pick me up, I often change my mind and go back to my work instead.
12. What do you like to do on the weekends?
As I’ve mentioned earlier, I’m quite a loner and I really enjoy that part of myself. So, during weekends, I would usually find something to do on my own, like redecorating my room, going to a café all alone, or just find a quiet spot in my house to do some crosswords and quizzes. I just really love to enjoy time by myself.
13. Is there any difference in your life now from when you were a child?
This is an intriguing question, since I honestly don’t know what to tell you. But overall, my life has changed considerably compared to what it was throughout my childhood. Everything, from my feelings, my thoughts to my relationships or accommodation, is so different now that I nearly have no recollections about the past.
14. Do you think modern lifestyles give people enough time for leisure?
It’s hard to say. Nowadays, people can have access to more and more entertainment facilities, and these facilities can accommodate our demands for recreation at any time. That’s why it’s become harder to distinguish between working hours and leisure time, which means you can’t really tell whether the current lifestyles can give people an adequate amount of time for leisure.
15. Do you think people today have more time to relax compared to the past?
We do have more time to relax now compared with the amount we had in the past thanks to a great number of technological advances, which are gradually replacing people’s involvement in many fields. However, many people now are refusing to take a break, perhaps because they just don’t want to be made redundant in the modern society.
16. What do you think is the importance of leisure time in life?
Adequate and frequent leisure time keeps our lives balanced. What I mean is if we just stay focused on our work and study without proper relaxation, we would eventually find ourselves exhausted and may suffer from all kinds of mental conditions related to stress, like depression or bipolar disorder. So, I do believe that leisure time plays an integral part in people’s lives.
17. Do you think old and young people spend their leisure time in the same way?
Unfortunately, no. Family bonds would be strengthened significantly if this happened in real life. However, it’s no surprise that the youth and the elderly hardly ever share the same interests due to the huge generation gap, so there’s no chance they would do the same thing in their spare time. You’re most likely to find youngsters on their phones, and on the other hand, old people would often be found doing some conventional activities for leisure like playing chess or knitting.
18. Do you like to travel in holidays?
As long as it’s a long holiday, for example, Tet, or summer holiday. I just honestly don’t want to go away for just 2 – 3 days because that would leave me no time to enjoy myself.
19. If you had a child, what leisure places would you go with your child?
Well, I know children are often crazy about amusement parks and if I had children I suppose they would definitely beg me to take them there. Unfortunately, I can’t stand crowded and noisy places, so maybe instead of that, I would take my kids to some leafy area, like a national park or botanic gardens, where we could discover more about nature.
1. How many hours do you sleep every day?
Well, it actually depends on my work deadlines. I never go to bed at the same time every day. Whenever I work to meet a deadline, I have to stay up until ungodly hours and just get 4 or 5 hours sleep. However, at the weekend, I can let my hair down and sleep in.
2. Is it necessary to take a nap every day?
Yes, definitely. I think taking a nap is a way for people to recharge their battery after working hard in the morning. A 30-minute sleep would be enough to refresh their energy.
3. Do old people sleep a lot? Why?
Yes, I suppose. I mean, somehow these people enjoy sleeping, but in most cases, they have to. When people reach an old age, they often face loads of health problems such as heart disease or diabetes. Therefore, taking a deep sleep is beneficial to their health.
4. How to have a good sleep?
I guess people have different ways to get a sound sleep. But if you ask me, I would say that drinking chamomile tea before you go to bed is really effective. This type of tea will calm you down and let you sleep easily.
5. Do you like to get up early in the morning?
Actually, I’m a night owl and getting up early is like torture to me. I love sleeping in and will never get out of bed before 11 a.m.
6. Can you sleep well if you are in a noisy environment?
Definitely no. To be honest, I’m a light sleeper and noisy places will destroy my night. I may go through a night of broken sleep and feel exhausted the next morning.
7. How many hours do you sleep at night?
I wish I could spend 7 or 8 hours sleeping. But unfortunately, I have to deal with a heavy workload and only get about 4 hours sleep.
8. What time do you go to bed?
Around 1 or 2 a.m. As I said before, I’m always up to my ears in work so I often stay up late to finish my tasks.
9. Do you have a nap during the day?
It really depends. At the weekend, when I get off work, I often take a nap for around 20 minutes before hanging out with my besties. But during weekdays, I’m just as busy as a bee.
10. Do you think sleep is important?
Yes, of course. From my perspective, sleeping plays an important role in people’s physical health. It’s the time for our body to take a rest after a long day. A good night’s sleep also helps us release our emotions and forget all the bad things that happened during the day.
1. What kinds of apps do you often use?
Communication apps like Facebook, Viber and Zalo are what I cannot do without. I use them on an hourly basis to stay in touch with the world. To me, using these apps is no longer a hobby, but more like a habit now.
2. What kinds of apps would you like to have in the future?
I am trying to think of one, but nothing comes to mind at the moment. Perhaps it’s because in this era of information, there is an app for just about anything. Even the simplest tasks like booking a taxi or ordering food can be facilitated by mobile applications.
3. What’s the most popular app in your country?
Facebook is no doubt the most frequently used app in Vietnam. I would say the biggest reason is its user-friendly layout. Besides, Facebook has created such a solid virtual community that people just can’t help but use it.
4. What was the first app you used?
I don’t remember precisely, but one of the first apps I installed on my smart phone was Google maps. I relied on it a lot, and I still do now, since it helps me get around the city by showing the shortest route.
5. Do old people in your country like to use apps?
Based on my observation, I would say no. Most old people in my country are technology illiterate, which means they can’t even use a normal cell phone, not to mention complicated mobile apps.
1. What kind of place is it?
My hometown is Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. As one of the main metropolises in my country, it is a densely populated area and faces traffic congestion all the time.
2. What’s the most interesting part of your hometown?
I suppose it might be the Old Quarter, the most ancient part of my city. If people, especially foreign tourists come here, they will have a chance to immerse themselves in a combination of traditional and contemporary architecture, which they can hardly find in other regions of Hanoi.
3. What kind of jobs do people in your town/ village do?
As I said before, my hometown is the capital of Vietnam, so there is a wide range of jobs for people, including blue-collar and white-collar jobs.
4. Is your hometown changing?
Yes, of course, every day. Our government invests so much in Hanoi’s economic growth. The public transport system is being upgraded and skyscrapers are springing up like mushrooms.
5. Would you say it is a good place to live in? Why?
Don’t get me wrong, but Hanoi is not a good place to settle down. To be honest, I think people get really sick and tired of its hustle and bustle. Living here means people have accepted to face health problems every day. Being stuck in traffic jams and breathing in polluted air on a daily basis is detrimental to their mental and physical health.
6. What changes would you like to make to your hometown?
If I could make a change for the better, I would adopt some solutions to control population growth in Hanoi, like imposing limitations on immigrants. Also, I would find more ways to reduce traffic jams.
7. What are the advantages of living in your hometown?
Let’s me see. Street food is the first thing that comes to my mind. Hanoi is famous for its yummy street food, so one of the benefits of living here is the chance to immerse in its special cuisine. Another thing is the nightlife. People will never feel bored in Hanoi, with different places to chill out at night, such as bars, clubs and juke joints.
8. What are some problems that your hometown is faced with?
Actually there are so many. But the most pressing issue is air pollution, I suppose. You know, the air is severely polluted due to a massive amount of exhaust fumes released from private vehicles into the atmosphere every day. People living in Hanoi also suffer from unhygienic food, a major cause of sickness and disease. Almost everything in Hanoi is served at roadside stalls and most do not have clean settings.
9. Compare your hometown with a nearby city.
Compared to Hung Yen, a neighbouring town of Hanoi, my hometown’s economy is more developed. However, Hung Yen’s got fresh air and lots of natural scenery, which children in Hanoi rarely have a chance to enjoy
10 . What are some environmental problems in your hometown?
One serious environmental problem we are facing is tons of non-biodegradable plastic waste. Even though the government has conducted several educational campaigns to raise the public’s awareness, the residents still use plastic products every single day and unintentionally destroy the environment.
1. Why did you choose that job?
Frankly speaking, my major at university had nothing to do with what I’m doing at the moment. I selected this job mainly because it suits my personality as a sociable and friendly person. Besides, my boss offered me a high salary.
2. Do you enjoy your job?
Despite its heavy workload and strict requirements, I still find it satisfying since it facilitates me in the process of my self-development. I have experienced a great transformation in myself ever since I got this job.
3. Do you get on well with your co-workers?
Well, I guess the answer is yes. This is because we have a lot of things in common. You know, we are nearly the same age as each other and are all crazy about board games and travelling.
4. What was your first day at work like?
Well, I have been working there for more than 2 years, so it’s quite difficult for me to remember clearly my first day at work, but from my vague memory, it was fantastic since my colleagues were really nice to get along with and the students were pretty bright.
5. What responsibilities do you have at work?
As a teacher, I’m in charge of teaching English for a group of around ten pupils and making sure that they reach their target band scores by the end of the course. I also work in a team with other co-workers to design the material for our courses.
6. Would you like to change your job in the future?
As I said before, I’m very satisfied with my job, so I guess in the future I will still stick with it. Right now, I’m doing a master’s degree in teaching, which I think will assist my career a lot. So, you see, there is no reason for me to quit.
7. What is your typical day like at work?
Well, normally my work day won’t start until the afternoon since I often have to attend my own classes at university in the morning. My first class lasts for 2 hours, from 2 to 4 pm and then I have a two – hour break before having another class at 6:30 and finally get everything done at around 9 pm. To be honest, I find this schedule quite exhausting but I can still handle it.
1. Do you live in a house or an apartment?
I live in a flat in a 25-storey apartment building with my family. I enjoy my life there, because all facilities and services are available within walking distance, which means I can easily grab anything I need in just a few minutes.
2. What is your favorite room in your home? Why?
Definitely my own bedroom. It’s the personal space where I can do whatever I want without getting scolded by my mom. Besides, my bedroom is an ideal place for me to avoid noise, so I tend to lock myself up in my bedroom whenever I need to concentrate on my study.
Would you change anything about your home? Why / why not?
Well, perhaps I would expand the dining area. It is the common space for family members to gather, so I think it would be nice if my house’s dining room could be a little more spacious.
3. Would you like to move to a different home in the future?
Although my current accommodation is perfectly fine, I would love to experience living in a villa once. Since it was my childhood dream to have a swimming pool and a garden of my own, a villa seems like an ideal house for me.
4. How is your apartment decorated?
My home is styled in a minimal way. Almost everything is painted in plain white, and a few landscape paintings act as a delicate touch. The interior design is simple, but very pleasant to look at.
5. Do you plan to live there for a long time?
Answer 1: My answer would be yes. I have nothing to complain about with my current accommodation. Everything is up to par, from the neighbours to the vicinity to amenities. That’s why my family has no intention of leaving this wonderful neighbourhood.
Answer 2: That was never my plan. Two years ago I decided to rent a room here because my house was too far and it took me forever to get to my office. But I only stay here for maybe 1 or 2 years more before I can afford a house of my own.
6. Do you have a garden?
Unfortunately, no. There is not enough space for a garden in our flat, but I would love to have one in the future. I think every household needs a green space, not only because it is aesthetically pleasing, but also because it is a good way to get in touch with the natural world.
7. Are there many amenities near your home?
My house is located in a residential complex, so everything is within reach. There is a gym, a park, as well as a wide variety of shops, which are more than enough to cater for all residents in my area.
8. Who do you live with?
I live with one of my coworkers, who was also my college friend. We share the rent and other expenses like electricity and water, so it’s not really expensive.
9. How long have you lived there?
I’ve been living here since 2016, so it’s 2 years more or less although I did spend 6 months living in HCM city. I thought about moving somewhere else, but living here is pretty great and fun. Besides it’s really close to my office.
10. What’s the difference between where you are living now and where you have lived in the past?
There’re quite a few differences. My parents’ house is huge with separate rooms, each of which has its own bathroom so it’s really convenient and private. However, my apartment right now is much smaller and I have to share a bathroom with my roomate.
11. Which room does your family spend most of the time in?
Probably the kitchen where we eat together. Unlike other families in town, we don’t watch TV very often, at least I don’t watch TV so we never sit together in the living room. Dinner is the only time of day that we all sit together and enjoy our meals.
12. Are the public transport facilities to your home very good?
Not even slightly! The bus stations are always crowded with people who are really inappropriate and always talking out loud. The floors are so dirty that I don’t even want to step inside a station.
13. Do you prefer living in a house or a flat?
Each type has some things to offer me but I would have to go for a house. There’s usually more space, and the water supply is much more reliable.
14. What part of your home do you like the most?
My room. It’s big to begin with. There’s a bookshelf attached to the wall which is my favourite spot for reading. And you know what’s best? The bathroom. I have my own bathroom in my own room.