Week 8: June 19th to June 25th
I realized that I never really clarified my methods, and if I did - I apologize, because we are all about to go through it again.
When initially conducting this project, mind you, from scratch, I ran across several barriers. Many of them including the fact that there is no such thing as medical anthropology (academically) in the Northern Coast of Peru, nor is there any research or community-based involvement in educational centers (such as Colegio Jose Olaya) outside of NGOs. For that nature, a lot of cold calling and meetings took place, luckily the professors and directors of CJO were accepting, willing, and open-minded.
Since then, I have adopted three primary methods: observations (during their DPCC classes and recreo), interviews (free-listing + semi-structured conversation), and lastly community involvement. Whether this meant spending time with the students during their activities or completing additional meetings with the professors about my initial thoughts, this was all incredibly important.
As far as life -- well, I've adopted a similar approach: staying curious. Although my desire to explore was hindered by a series of violent robberies near my apartment, I hope that within these next two weeks I can truly explore a variety of restaurants and embark on different journeys (which includes my trip to Macchu Picchu)! Finally, I have made some friends that have truly helped Trujillo and Huanchaco, Peru feel like a second home.
Hopefully I can come back on Fulbright, but we will see about that (currently writing my essay as I publish this journal).
Comments