I. Meet Jenifer.

Q: What is your name?

My name is Jenifer Lynch.

Q: Where do you live?

I live in Milton, Ontario. It's outside Toronto, in Canada.

Q: What do you do?

I'm a student there. And I study at Guelph University.

Q: How old are you?

I'm twenty one.

Q: Do you have a family?

Yes, certainly. I have two parents, and I have a younger brother, who's seventeen. And he goes to high school1. And I have two grandparents on my father's side. And they live very close to us, so, they come over all the time. And my father is Scottish. And, as a family business, we run a restaurant.

II. Parents.

Q: What does your mother do?

She has a job as an accountant.

Q: How old is your father?

My father is fifty-one now, I believe. Sometimes I forget. And my mother is fifty.

Q: What is your parents' origin?

My mother's side is Irish, and my father's side is Scottish. And I'm more influenced, I think, by my father's side, because his parents are still alive, as I said, so they're over quite often, speaking in Scottish accents, and telling me stories about their hometowns, and what they think of Canada.

Q: Do you have any relatives in Ireland and Scotland?

Yes, I have relatives in Ireland and Scotland. They're quite old, most of them are in Ireland now, because they're mostly relatives of my grandparents, so, I find, that they're older, and I don't visit them very often. But... we're closer to our family in Scotland, because they are younger, and they've small children. So, we like to go over there on vacation, and visit with them quite frequently.

III. Her brother.

Q: Do you have any brothers or sisters?

I have a younger brother.

Q: How old is your brother?

Well, my younger brother is seventeen now. And he goes to high school, and he'll be finishing high school next year, because right now he is in grade eleven. And he just got his driver's license, and he's been driving my car around all the time, which is... very popular, when you are a teenager.

Obviously, if you have a car, it's a very good thing. And... he plays hockey, and he also plays soccer. And he doesn't enjoy school very much, because he's more athletic, and he likes to spend his time playing sports.

Q: Is it a difficult job to be a senior sister?

I wouldn't say it's a difficult job, no. My brother is very independent, so he doesn't rely on me too much, except for when he wants to borrow my car.

Q: Don't you think that it's easier to be a younger child?

Yes, I always thought my brother had it easy having an older sister, because then he always had somebody to show him around places, that he's never been to, and introduce him to people.

And I always wanted an older brother or sister to...introduce me to their friends and take me places. And I always think that the younger child always has it easy, because the elder child is the first to do things, so that when the younger child grows up, the parents are more used to them going out and staying out later, that they give them more leniency.

Q: Were you glad, when your brother was born?

Yes, I was very excited, when my brother was born, because...well, I was very young then.

But when you're young you always want a... little brother or sister to play with. So, I was very happy, when I... when my mother had a child.

Q: Do you have friendly relationship with your brother?

When I was younger, I didn't appreciate my brother that much, because he used to follow me around everywhere, and he would want to do everything, that I was doing, and to come along, and play with me and my friends. And, of course, when I was younger, I didn't want him to follow me. But now that we're older, I enjoy his company more, because we can sit and have conversations, and I'm not as embarrassed of him, when he comes around.

Q: Does he show his respect to you?

I think that he's always looked up to me, and enjoys spending time with me, because I usually find, that any younger brother or sister usually feels that way about their older brother or sister.