Extra Credit Learning Journal 2

I went to "Manulua: Creative Activities between Two Communities" by Prof. Joe Ostraff on Thursday afternoon. It was really good and very informative. He talked about how to get into and navigate different communities. He showed slides of different pictures of Mataika, Tonga and used the parallel between a Tongan little girl holding a kitten and his daughter holding a baby pig. He said that children do the same things. Even though they are from a different culture and have different backgrounds they still do the same thing with animals. It made me think about my views of going into Tonga and how I view the people. I think I sometimes view the people of Tonga by their culture. I think one of the most important things I need to remember when I go down to the field is that Tongan's are just like me. Yeah we have different backgrounds and perceptions regarding certain things but bottom line we are all people. We all have the same basic needs. I really liked Joe's presentation. Especially the part when he said that the Tongan's don't really care when palangi mess up or do something not culturally appropriate because they are palangi and it's okay. That really helped me to feel better about entering a culture I am not familiar with.

Learning Journal 21

I went to the inquiry conference on Tuesday and it was really informative. I went to Educate a Girl, Educate a Nation: Changing attitudes about girls education in Wiamoase, Ghana. It was a very interesting presentation and it reminded me about a movie I watched in my anthrofilms class last semester. It was about microcredit and how it is used to generate wealth among the poor populations. The companies would only loan money to women because they knew that if they gave it to the mothers the whole family would benefit. If they gave it to the men they would just spend it on things that they wanted and it wouldn't benefit the whole family. It made me think about the power of women in societies. I know that T0nga is semi-dominated by women because of the Fau of the families. It made me also think about what ways I might come across women dominance or ways that women are better suited for certain jobs than men in Tonga. Also what ways are men and women's roles different or similar in the Tongan community.

Learning Journal 20

I've thought a lot about the topic of agency lately and how it is used. I agree that agency can be used to discern from right and wrong but I definitely think that agency can also be used to choose between good and better things to do. I was thinking about how the principle of agency we discussed in class could be related to my project and ultimately to my field study experience. I think a lot of it has to do with how we use our agency and the decisions we make while we are in the field. We can choose right and wrong things pretty easily I think but being able to decide better things to do is something different entirely. When we get in the field I don't think it will be hard for us to decide not to cheat or lie. It might, however, be harder to decide how to utilize our time more effectively and do better things with our time down there. For example interviewing people is a very good method of gaining information but going with them to work and gathering food might be more valuable. Observations in the market place would be an effective way of gathering general information on a certain topic but actually talking to people and creating rapport might be better. These are just some thoughts that have been running around in my head.

learning Journal 19

I have been thinking a lot about the article "Helping, Fixing, or Serving" and what it truly means to serve someone. In my last learning journal I talked about the importance of making sure the people you talk to don't become a number. Ashley commented on my journal and asked me if I had thought about ways I can communicate to the people I spend time with that I see them as an individual. I thought about that and came up with a few ideas. First off I think just knowing someone's name goes along way. Last summer I made it a goal to know everyone's name in my ward. I learned everyone's names and whenever I would see any of them I would call them by name and say hi. It was really cool how much of a difference knowing someone's name really made. I made a lot of friends. People were more comfortable around me cause they felt like I really cared about them since I had cared enough to learn their name. Another idea I had was to ask them questions about their life and show genuine interest. Don't talk about myself unless they ask me questions. Try to focus on them and their interests instead of mine. I could also find out about the things that they cared about and ask them about it any time I see them. Also remembering things about the person even after you talk to them goes a long way as well. These are just a few ideas I have come up with so far but I'm going to keep thinking and see what I can come up with. Ps mentoring was cancelled today so I guess I'll have to practice telling someone I have to go next Friday....

Learning Journal 18

I read, "Helping, Fixing or Serving?" by Remen. I really liked this article. It really made me think about the differences between helping, fixing, and serving. The two stories that were told really made me think about how easy it is for people to become a number, or just another customer. Or how easy it is for someone to see a problem and want to fix it for someone else but forget that that person has a story too. They have needs, wants, desires, and dreams. I think it is very easy to get caught up in life and doing things that you forget what is most important to remember. People you see everyday are not just a number or a customer. They are just like you. They have dreams. They have feelings and you can't treat them like a number. I thought about how this relates to doing a field study. I realized that its really important while we are interviewing people to remember that they aren't just a number. That they aren't just another person to interview. They are an individual with needs, wants, and desires. Everyone you interview is different and its really important to keep that in mind.

Learning Journal 17

Today I had good practice with meeting someone new and getting a lot of information out of him. I met him at Wasatch Elementary where we both mentor little kids. Our kids we mentor were put in the same group so I thought I'd take the opportunity to talk to someone new and see how much information I could find out about him. I asked him his name, where he was from, and what year he was in school. I thought they were simple enough questions that should be easy to answer and could run into conversation. He must have thought so too because all he did was give me one word answers. So I thought maybe he wouldn't be such a good candidate to practice getting information from since he didn't seem to keen on giving any. But then I thought to myself, "Well here is a challenge" and I kept asking him questions. He kept giving me one word answers. But then when we were both walking back to BYU he started talking to me. And talking and talking and talking.... I hardly got to get any word in except to practice probing which I'm pretty sure I'm getting really good at! We walked all the way back to the library and stopped in the atrium. I thought this would be where we would part but he had other ideas. He kept talking and talking. I mean I got a lot of information out of this guy and learned a lot about him but I had a ton of homework to do. So we talked for about another 45 minutes and I didn't know how to stop him. I wondered why he was so eager to keep talking to me. I thought it might be because he doesn't really have people to talk to so he latched on to me or maybe he just likes to talk. But then I realized something. I am a girl and he was a guy. Usually a guy doesn't want to keep talking to a girl if he wasn't interested in her and this guy kept talking with no signs of quitting. I thought, "Shoot how do I get away? I'm not interested in this guy and need to leave!" After another 20 minutes I finally saw someone I knew and asked him where he was going. He said he was going to the no shh zone to study and I said oh me too! So I said goodbye to my new found friend and walked away with the words "see ya next Friday at Wasatch!" ringing in my ears. So I suppose my practice of talking to someone new was a success because I certainly gained a lot of information from him but it cost me a lot of lost time. I really needed to leave and do some other important things but I didn't know how to get away. I guess there will be experiences in the field like this one. I will need to leave and my informant will just keep talking. I need to learn how to adequately and nicely say I need to leave and go. I guess it will just take more practice. Good thing I found someone who loves to talk to practice on ;) Till next Friday...

Learning Journal 16

Today I read "Diagnosing and Treating the Ophelia Syndrome". It was a pretty interesting article and really made me think about myself. It made me question whether I think whatever I am told to think or whether I truly do think for myself. I know I ask people what they think about a certain subject and when they tell me their opinion that generally becomes mine. Unless I really don't agree with what they say. Especially when teachers or people in authority say things I generally believe them. I hadn't really realized this about myself until I read this article. It made me think about why I am this way. Why do I believe what people say or think they way the tell me to? Maybe it's because I'm not really confident in my own thoughts or feelings about things. Maybe it's because I don't really believe what I say either. I think this is why I have trouble critically analyzing things and situations. I know that this could be a potential problem as I go into the field because I am not only going to have to get information but I am going to have to analyze it as well. This article made me realize I need to learn how to think for myself and not just believe anything someone tells me.