Search This Blog

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Learning Journal 20

I recently took the IRB tutorial to learn more about ethics in the field. This is important for everyone going on a field study because, no matter what research project you are conducting, you want to be a positive influence for the people you will be interacting with. I like to say 'leave people better than you found them.' It is important not to create negative effects for the people you are researching, do whatever you can to alleviate or avoid uncomfortable situations or topics for the people. It's not okay to make a whole bunch of peole uncomfortable or nervous just so you can get ahead in your research.You also don't want to hurt people. This is the purpose for the IRB.

In order to conduct our field study this summer, we all will have to pass IRB approval. Now for some topics, that should be a piece of cake, as certain things don't really deal in the research of people. For me, however, it much more relevant. When taking the IRB tutorial online, it mentioned what constitutes a vulnerable population of people. Though individuals over the age of 65 are not considered a vulnerable population, people with dementia or Alzheimer's are. If I choose to interview, speak with, and spend time with individuals with dementia, I will need to be extremely careful in the actions I make, and the questions I ask. The last thing I want to do is hurt someone. Now, I anticipate that a good chunk of my research will focus on speaking with, interviewing and interacting with people who are not dementia patients and therefore won't need to be as stringint with what I say. Although, if those peole are family members of a patient experiencing dementia, I will need to be careful so as not to make them uncomfortable or to bring up sadness. But speaking about dementia or Alzheimer's to a random member of the society, that is not a sensitive topic and will be easier.

As I go about formulating my project and questions I will ask, I plan on being very careful with my wordings. I want to build a strong rapport with peole when in Tonga, and I want to treat them as I would my own grandparents. I will be extra careful with my proposal, because I want to leave Tonga having made a positive impact on people's lives instead of the other way around.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Learning Journal 19

I conducted a second interview this weekend in order to fulfill an assignment for my prep course for the field study. The first time I did an interview I sort of just played it by ear, general ideas in my mind of questions I wanted to ask. I interviewed a girl from one of my classes whom I didn't particularly know very well, and I think the process went rather well. I asked a few questions which she answered diligently, the whole atmosphere was very casual and laid back. We talked between questions about whatever came up, or anything she was curious about. I believe that helped to build rapport. I was hoping for this second interview to find an older subject, someone closer to middle age, but the chance did not necessarily arise this weekend.

I interviewed a kid from my ward (but do not fear, it was someone I had exchanged very few words with before). I found in this interveiw that the interviewee seemed more distracted during the whole process, and almost anxious for it to be over. It's more difficult to conduct a meaningful interview when the person clearly does not care much about being there. I did what I could to build rapport, but it was harder this time, and I'm not exactly sure why. Perhaps we didn't just 'click' as well. Anyhow, once again the interviewee was a person who hadn't much past experience with Alzhiemer's disease, but we talked a little bit more about her grandparents and elderly people in general.

I think the whole second interviewing process was a good experience because it shows that not everyone is easy to glean information from, and that you may have to try different approaches depending upon the person. You must quickly try to understand how the interviewee works and then apply an interviewing setting according to that. I'm sure that in the field interveiwing won't be easy, first of all there will be a language barrier, and secondly I will be someone very different, and will need to be able to build a solid rapport. I plan to continue interviewing people now in order to prepare myself for the field.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Learning Journal 18

I recently checked out and have been reading through a book entitled "Alzheimer's Disease: Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Care." I have come across a lot of information in my research about Alzheimer's disease, and about the neurobiology of it all, which as fascinating as that is, does not necessarily apply to my project. However, the last few chapters in this book deal with the social and behavioral aspects of Alzheimer's and how families deal with it. I have found this to be much more helpful in my preparation for my project as it gives ideas as to how care can best be applied to patients. This will give me a reference point for my studies in Tonga.

According to this book, Alzheimer's has many "deleterious effects of the family memebrs of patients. As the patients deteriorate, they become less and less aware of their disabilities. Families continue to suffer the effects fo the illness....and as many as 80% of caregivers of dementia patients have been reported to be suffering from chronic fatigue, depression, or anger." (Khachaturian 278). This information is relevant because it will allow me to witness how the family members/caregivers are getting along with the disease. I will most likely use just participant observation with possible gentle questions to determine this.

Something that has occured to me, however, is that there is a possiblity that finding Alzheimer's patients may be difficult of the islands as they may be scarce or the disease may have gone undetected. If I make it to Tonga and fail miserably at finding any person or persons with Alzheimer's, I have decided that I will do a similar study only in how Tongan families care for the elderly instead. As I am sure that old people do exist in Tonga.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Learning Journal 17

This week there is an Inquiry Conference for BYU field studies where previous field study students present what they learned in the field. I have gone to a few of the presentations so far, initially with the mindset of "I'm coming because my class requires it." But a few minutes into the first one, I realized how interesting and useful the information being shared was.

The first presentation I attended was from a guy who went to Tonga (just like I'm going) and studied traditional vs. western medicine. I realize that this is different from my project, however there are correlations I found. He spent a lot of time in the hospital in Vava'u shadowing and volunteering. When I go to Tonga, I hope to have the opportunity to spend some time in a hospital, interviewing doctors and asking about Alzhiemer's disease in order to gain a professional perspective. If possible, I would also try and volunteer as well, in whatever aspect I can, just to gain a little experience that way. I will also be taking a look at treatments for Alzhiemers disease, both traditional and modern if possible. After hearing about the differences between healers and regular doctors in Tonga, I am interested to see if there are remedies for Alzhiemers patients from traditional healers and how different they would be.

I also had the opportunity to go see the keynote speaker wednesday afternoon, and I honestly thoroughly enjoyed his presentation. What he said about the world really not being such a bad place once you get out there struck me as real. It's easy to see the world as an evil place from the safety of homes here in the U.S., or Provo specifically. Sure there are bad parts to it, but there are just as many good parts to match those. I look forward to expanding my horizons this summer and to continue to do the same throughout my life.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Learning Journal 16

Often times I run into people who ask about my field study, where I'm going, what I'm doing there and for how long. I will explain it to all to them, and then at the end of the conversation their final questions tends to be; why? Why Tonga? What made you decide to do a field study. Or you're just a freshman, why not wait? And for the longest time I haven't really known how to answer these questions.

Why Tonga? Well, typically I will respond with 'why not Tonga?' It's there so I might as well go, and besides I've always been very interested in the South Pacific. But that's only the surface. I think that really I chose Tonga because it is so isolated, seemingly so far away from the rest of the world. And I have always wanted to go far away, to get out into the world like that. I mean, if it hadn't been for the money, I would have gone to college in New Zealand, and Tonga, well, it was closest to there. But as I have attended my Tongan language class, participated on the womens cougar rugby team, and studied more about Tongan people, culture and society, the more I have fallen in love with and gotten excited to research in this country. I believe I can honestly answer 'why Tonga' now by saying that they have a beautiful culture that I will feel honored to be a small part of for one summer with  people who I will be lucky to spend time with and study.

Why have I decided to go on a field study? And go at the beginning of my college career as opposed to the end? Well, honestly I hadn't even heard of a field study before I arrived fresh at  BYU last August. I knew already though, that I wanted to travel that summer, that I wasn't planning on going home. I first heard about the field study during freshman orientation but didn't really give it a second thought, coming up with a project on my own and stuff sounded like a lot of work. But then I went to the International Studies Fair and browsed, and ran into the Tonga booth. I asked some questions and picked up a pamphlet for one of the information meetings and there and then I decided 'let's do it', a field study this summer. And that was that.

I still didn't know what exactly was required of me, and the whole of it all seemed slightly daunting but exciting. I remember calling my Dad after I had made up my mind to go and telling him 'so dad, there's a pretty good chance I'm gonna be in Tonga this summer...' and he replied with 'where's Tonga'? and was 100% supportive after that. Now that I am halfway through the prep course and have most of a project figured out and am beginning to draft my proposal, I really think that Tonga was a good choice for me and I am excited to be there. Going on and participating in the whole process of this field study as a freshman has been and (as I'm certain) will continue to be a huge learning and growing process for me as a person. It will help prepare me for future field studies, future careers, and teach me how to better deal with people and situations in my life that are different. So once again why Tonga? Because I really believe that I can learn something from the culture and the people both in my field of study and outside it. I'm ready.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Learning Journal 15

My project will be in studying the elderly, although not necessarily always interacting with them. I will be studying how Alzheimer's/dementia is viewed in Tongan society, and how their culture may affect that view. This will involve interviewing more than just patients with the disease or their family members. I will hopefully see if I can get a broad perspective from the young and middle-aged as well. I hope to, however, visit patients and conduct particpant observation while in their homes. I will definitely see if I can speak with the patients themselves if given the opportunity, however it would not be in a formal interviewing setting, just little observational questions. I also hope to study to some degree how they are taken care of (the patients I mean) by their families. I want to see if their are Tongan remedies and how effective they are.

Right now I participate with First Choice as hospice volunteer here in Provo/Orem. Basically this means I get to sit, talk with, and entertain elderly individuals who are close to passing in order to give their families a break for a couple of hours. Many of the patients with First Choice have alzheimers to some degree, and I have had the opportunity of witnessing first hand the disease. I know for a fact that it is different for an outsider looking in, I don't have a history with them, a past filled with memories that they no longer can remember with me. But I can see the toll it takes on family members and loved ones. I want to see if it is similar in Tonga.

In fact, I have the chance tomorrow morning to volunteer and sit with an elderly lady for a few hours. The experience I am recieving as a hospice volunteer I believe to be invaluable for my ability to speak with elderly indivduals in the field. I still hope to find a volunteering opportunity possible at a clinic in whichever island I end up on, and plan to do whatever I can to set that up prior to leaving. The more my project develops, the more excited I get about going to and researching in Tonga.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Learning Journal 14

We watched a video in class Monday about a kid who went on field study one summer with the intention of studying entimology ( I want to say it was somewhere in Africa but I'm not positive). In order to complete his study of insects and the like, he was conducting interviews with the people there. He was frustrated, however, to find that when speaking the word 'insect' in the countries native tongue he recieved many answers such as 'chicken', or 'mouse'. These, as you and I both know, are not insects. This kid experienced quite a language barrier that made his project difficult to thoroughly study. He realized that what may mean 'insect' to us as Americans does not necessarily translate to the same thing in the language of the country he was in. I feel that, language, more so than culture, can be a bigger difficulty in conducting effective interviews while in the host country. How valid can the information you have gathered really be if the language was not translated correctly? I feel lucky that many people in Tonga are capable of speaking English, though that doesn't eliminate this barrier entirely.

In class Monday we discussed interviewing people and the different tactics you can use as well as the difficulties that come along with it. As discussed above there is definitely the task of overcoming language, but there is also being self-aware and conscious of the peoples' cutlure and customs. What is and what isn't appropriate to say or do, who would be an appropriate person to approach and who should you leave alone or avoid. We discussed the idea of 'rapport', of building a trust with the people you are trying to glean information from. You are more likely to get more research done if you are trusted. I have seen this in my own life, as I personally am reluctant to give up information or relate personal stories to people who I don't know and who seem to care only about what I can tell them and not about me as a person. I know what when I am conducting interviews I will be breaching sensitive topics and therefore must be tactful about the way I go about it. Being brash and straightforward is definitely not the way to do it. But building a solid rapport with the people, letting them understand that I am a friend and not going to hurt them, that will be the most beneficial.

As I continue to prepare for my field study to Tonga I plan on honing my language and interviewing skills so that I won't be completely a fish out of water when in Tonga, doing it all for real.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Learning Journal 13

I am really enjoying the class the prep class that I go to in order to prepare for my field study to Tonga this summer. Every time I go I learn something more, either about Tonga, how to further develop my project, people and societies, or how groups act. It's fascinating to learn these things because I can apply them to my daily life. I may just be in the bubble that is Provo, Utah but we are still a culture and society of our own. I can be a participant but observant in any given situation and learn how the people here act and what influences those things. Everything we have learned in my prep class aren't just applicable to the field study I will be going on, they are applicable to wherever you may be at any given time or place.

We made maps of our project ideas and the resources we have found thus far to help us learn about and understand those ideas further. The exercise was very useful in helping point out to me where the weaknesses in my project research lie, and which sources I have found that are pretty much useless in helping me with my project. I can now pinpoint better where I need to direct my researching focus. I need to find more sources that deal in Tongan remedies for Alzheimers (as I have none so far) and in studies done on alzheimers or dementia in the south pacific, Hawai'i, New Zealand or Australia. I'm working right now on finding very narrow sources, because I can find ones that are general and broad but not specific. I am working on finding better, more specific sources.

As I continue attending class and researching my project, new ideas are introduced to me, or come to me that will help me in my ultimate goal of a well thought-out field study conducted in Tonga.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Learning Journal 12

What defines family? Is it the people you grew up with, the people who raised you, the people who you can trace your heritage back to, or the people you find along your path through life? I don't think there is any one right or wrong definition for who is included in a person's family. It's all up to the individual to really say who is in their family. True, everyone has an immediate family, and an extended family beyone that, but those are only the people related to you. I believe family goes further and deeper than that.

When asked to define my family, I initially will start with my mom and dad, my brothers and sister, my aunts and uncles, my dozens of cousins, and my grandparents. But I don't necessarily like to stop there, I believe that my family consists of all those people who mean and have meant something to me, beyond a friend or aquaintance, throughout my life. I have some friends who I grew up with, just as close as siblings, whom I regard to be my psuedo-brothers and sister. It doesn't matter to me that we are not related, we are still family.

In my Tongan class a few weeks ago the teacher wrote the Tongan word for 'family', Famili, up on the board. A student in the class noticed how close the spelling was to our own enlgish word for family and asked why that was. Our teacher responded that intitally Tongan's didn't have a word for family, it was derived and adopted from the english language years later. We were told they didn't because they didn't really need a word for family in their culture. Family means so much to Tongans, and extended families and the like were so close, they really didn't have the need to define what a 'family' was, they all just knew. They had however, and still have, a word for 'kin', and that was enough.

I will be integrating myself back into a family when I go to Tonga. I will be living with a host family, listening to the parents as if they were my own, and fulfilling chores just like as I would back home. I am working on, right now, mentally preparing myself for the challenge and experiences that will come from living in a host family, from being part of something bigger than myself. It won't be easy, I'm sure, finding where I fit in. It's something that I can only really figure out once I'm in Tonga. It may not be easy but I'm sure it will be worth it. So what defines family? We define it.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Learning Journal 11

I would like to start this journal by saying that it is the 11th one, and 11 is my lucky number. Therefore this is obviously going to be the best journal. Anyways, I have been attending the Tongan 102 class here and the more I go, the more I really enjoy it. Learning a new language (even if it's only the basics) helps me realize that I'm going somewhere amazing. The little bits I learn, sentences, phrases, and single words, get me excited for when I will be immersed in a country that natively speaks this beautiful language.

One of my goals for when I am in country is to learn as much Tongan as I can. I realize that the majority of everyone I will be interacting with on a daily basis will speak English, but I will still do my best to pick up Tognan. I think it is important to note, however, that although most people speak English, there will certainly still be differences. For example, phrases might have different meanings because of the culture differences. I think it is possible to run into situations where we will be speaking the same language but not necessarily meaning the same thing. It is then important to be careful in what I say and how I act. To be considerate of their culture and respect them. Language can be a barrier, but can it also open up a whole world of possibilites. I am sure that I will encounter situations wherein I will have no clue what is going on perse but I'm ready for it.

My project, since it deals in gerontology, will most likely focus on interactions with the elderly. I said above that many people in Tonga speak English, which is true, but an exception to that would be the very old. This is another reason that I wish to pick up more of the language. It will be increasingly difficult to conduct my project if I cannot effectively communicate with the patients I interact with. I look forward to the challenge that this language barrrier brings, and all the learning and joyous experiences that are sure to come with it.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Learning Journal 10

I have spent this past weekend trying to pay attention to and notice different things about myself. How I walk, the gestures I make with my hands, and small habits I have. Things that I otherwise do unconsciously. I noticed that I tend to walk slowly (when not in a hurry) and gaze all around me. I stand up straight and rarely look at the ground or my feet when I walk. When either alone or with friends I have noticed that I don't like to keep my hands still. I often twirl my earrings, run my fingers through my hair, tap and click a pen or pencil consistently, or doodle. I often gesticulate when I talk to people, be it a presentation or me telling a story to friends. There are lots of little things I do, which means that there are tons that other people do as well.

Noticing the small nuances that I do has helped me pick up on what other people do. And the more observant of these things in others, the more conscientious you can be about how to appopriately approach and maintain conversations with strangers. If you can read the body language of people (because body language can tell you tons) then you can respond in such a way that will aid you in obtaining the results you desire. Body language can tell you so much about what a person is thinking or feeling (be it conscious or not), from the way they look at you to how they sit in a chair. For example, a person not making eye contact you or fidgeting terribly is probably no longer engaged in conversation. Understanding body language and being concious of these things can help when I go to a new culture, Tonga.

As I recognize the things people here at BYU do, it makes me excited to learn and grow from the gestures and customs of the people of Tonga. And now that I am more concsious of what I do and how I act, I can (hopefully) better integrate myself into their community and culture.

Friday, February 3, 2012

Learning Journal 9

The more experiences I have, in general, the more I begin to recognize that what I focus on, what I dwell on and think about most tends to be the bulk of what I learn in any given situation. From there, I recognize that what I think about most is derived from values that I hold as a person, be they conscious or not. As I prepare to go Tonga this summer, it is important to start realizing what I expectations I hold for the time I spend there. That way, once there, I won't be as much of a lost little sheep. As much.

Anyhow, in class on Wednesday we made a list of what expectations we have for when we are in Tonga. They were just simple jottings of things, and some of mine included things like making lasting friends, learning some of the language, becoming immersed in the culture, and trying new things. A lot of it seemed to focus on ways that I can expand myself, ways that I can learn without imposing myself on their culture. Academically I have expectations as well, to conduct a well thought out research project. To learn how better to approach people, and how to tactfully conduct sensitive interviews. It would seem then, that a lot of my values lie in bettering myself and learning, as well as forming friendships. I value people, learning and growing experiences.

The more I learn, the more I can discover what I will expect from the country, though, to a large degree, I recognize that things will be better than I expected or not measuring to exactly what I expected. I look forward to the experiences that this field study will bring, and how much I will grow from that. I look forward to, and am nervous for, experiences that will challenge my social norms and make me think about what is right or wrong. It will be an adventure.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Learning Journal 8

In class on Monday, we discussed the concept of time. Now, time in the first place has always been something really fascinating to me, it is always there, always passing, but never tangible. We try and fill time with the most productive things we can (sometimes), we try to make the most of our time, we want to make an impact with our time. But, no matter what we do, as we get older, it just passes more quickly and more quickly, making it seem more fleeting with every passing day. In class we discussed two forms of time; monochronic and polychronic time.

Monochronic time is like scheduled time, I have to get this done in this amount of time and that in that amount of time. Polychronic time is more fluent, it is time that we dedicate to people and doesn't necessarily have a beginning or an end. When first these two ideas of time were proposed my automatic response was to reject them, to say that this is just something that some guy (ironically with too much time on his hands) thought up and decided to throw out there. It was just one person's idea of time, and my initial reaction was to refute it, we all have different ideas of how our time is spent or what it's worth. However, the more we discussed mono and polychronic time, the more sense it really made. Yeah, I still don't necessarily believe that everything can be categorized into those two ideas of time, but they do have merit.

Over the past few days I have begun to recognize monochronic and polychronic time in my own life, as I rush to class, or practice, or a meeting. I see polychronic as I spend time with a friend, without a real beginning because the amount of time with them doesn't matter, just the fact that I spent time with them. I think it truly is fascinating to see how we spend our time, and realize that no matter what, we are never as busy as we say we are because the ways we spend our time is always a choice. Even if that choice is hard.