Learning Journal 4

The last couple of days I have been reflecting on my project and idea. I think it is a good topic and could be really interesting to study in Tonga. The only thing that troubles me is the field research part of my project. I'm not sure how I am going to research. I can observe people and their day to day activity but I think the best way to get the best research is from actually talking to people and interviewing them about my topic. I don't think I would have a problem with talking to people. I just don't know if I it would be socially acceptable to ask people about being obese. Obesity is generally a touchy subject to talk about. From my research about obesity Tongans are not ashamed of their weight and are almost proud to be overweight. If this is true then talking about obesity shouldn't be a problem. Or maybe the reason they are overweight is because it is the social norm and the bigger the better truly is what Tongans think. Given that information maybe a lot of Tongan's are secretly ashamed of being obese but don't show it or change because of the social norm. If that is the case then they won't want to talk about their weight and would be offended if I tried. These are just thoughts that have been running through my head. Hopefully as I get a better understanding of their culture and way of thinking I will be able to get a better idea of how to do research when I finally get to Tonga! :)