Interview task

Interviewer : So do you feel that there is one side of your "double life" which you prefer?


Christina : I think that's a pretty difficult question for me to answer. (1.0) What kind of a mother would I be if I said I preferred my work to being a mother to my child?


Interviewer : So, you do prefer work?


Christina : The two things aren't comparable. I can't compare working to parenting, they're completely different. They both have good and bad qualities. (0.5) I probably have a slightly larger soft spot for my career simply because it's what I love to do and what I've done for years. It's my passion.


Interviewer : Don't you think that some people could see that as a shocking thing to say?


Christina : (2.0) What do you mean?


Interviewer : Well, do you understand the importance of being a parent? To a lot of people, being a parent is the most important thing in their life. So for you to insinuate that you prefer working to parenting seems quite shocking, does it not?


Christina : Maybe those people don't love their jobs as much as I do. I never ever said I don't love being a parent. (1.0) However, I also love my job very very much. 


Interviewer : In your article, "My Double Life : Kalashnikovs and Cupcakes", published in the Sunday Times, you wrote that you cried when you found out that you were pregnant as you knew that you would miss the war in Yugoslavia. Do you feel that this is a bad reflection on you as a parent?

Christina : (1.0) If I felt that it was a bad reflection on me, why would I write it? I wasn't upset that I was pregnant, I was more upset that it was inconvenient at the time. (1.0) But the fact that I kept with the pregnancy, despite the fact that I was very career driven at the time, surely shows my dedication as a parent.