"When is he going to start DELVING?" I asked myself.

I have fallen in love with the interview process.

For my final project, I am doing research that involves, among many other things, hoofing it around this sweltering city to interview people on the Omani news media.  My interviews are sometimes scheduled, sometimes not, sometimes useful, somtimes repetitive, sometimes smooth, and sometimes wrought with problems and those little issues that seem so small on their own, but in greater numbers seem like a swarm of insects -loud, invasive, and oddly terrifying.

They're always interesting.

I love the improvisational nature of these things.  I go in with my neat outfit and my questionnaire and my best "Hi, I'm a perky student face!" and then end up having to throw half my assumptions out the window.  Most of the time I start making up questions on the fly -a few times I've had to forget my set interview entirely, and follow a train of thought that they were dead-set on expressing, and that I was reasonably sure could be applied to my project.

People never act the way you expect them to.  I've been struck by how smart or dense or compassionate or courageous or cold or insightful people can be.  And I love watching people as they're interviewed -maybe a little nervous at first, gradually getting more comfortable, maybe getting frustrated at my ability to understand their point, smiling as they hit that perfect metaphor that brings their statement together.

Recording my interviews and transcribing them afterward also gives me a chance to examine myself.  My speech patterns are falling under scrutiny, (I have a tendency towards trailing off and not finishing a question, something I'll be working on.  Although I have decided that I do have a pleasant speaking voice) and I've been working on techniques to put people at ease.  Smile, nod, seem interested, be encouraging, but don't express an opinion (and how do you avoid it when they ask for yours?), take note of what they're focusing on so you can steer things toward, or away from, certain subjects and get the interview you need. 

Ethical questions come up as well.  Do I take advantage of being a cute woman?  I've noticed (by accident) that men will sometimes get more expressive and more enthusiastic if I'm acting more interested (and maybe a little impressed) with their opinion.  So far smiling and putting expression into my "Really?  Do tell!" comments seems to be safe, but I think there is a line there that can't be crossed. 


Even the transcribing process has its gems.  It makes for a long, and often tedious, activity, but on more than one occasion I've given up typing entirely to listen to a particularly fascinating anecdote. 

(Ambient noises, though, have become my deadliest enemy.  I'm reasonably convinced that the man coughing in the background of Interview D was purposefully doing so at the most inopportune moments.)

Maybe this will translate into a career someday.  I've become fascinated by journalism -history, theory, ethics, and the ever-important current events that are covered- and I'm seriously considering pursuin journalism post graduation.  For now, though, I have to get this project done.  two and a half weeks to go, about 7 interviews left, and 30 pages to write.  Wish me luck.

Debating Dubai

I have a confession to make.  I liked Dubai.

Even typing the words makes my New-England Liberal-Arts sensibilities cry out with anguish.  "Noooo!" they say.  "What about the flagrant abuse of imported labor... the fiscal irresponsibility... the mind-boggling environmental impact... the capitalism run rampant!?"  It's hard to admit, really.  I've not liked Dubai for so long, changing my mind is hard.

Having lived in Muscat makes it easier, though.

In the words of one of our lecturers in Dubai, "Muscat is nice.  Boring, but nice."  After a few months living in what is basically a few downtown areas, shopping malls, and suburbs connected by one very long highway, the urban nature of Dubai was ridiculously fun.  They have a metro system, for crying out loud.  A clean, reliable, cheap metro system.  And metered taxis!  I didn't have to bargain for a few minutes before getting in a cab, only to have the driver try to change the price upon reaching the destination!  And if the distance was short enough, walking was possible.  Dubai is much less humid that Muscat, making the heat more managable, and there are well-used sidewalks that make you feel like you're a part of the landscape, rather than the freakish exception to the "drive everywhere" rule. 

Dubai also feels safe.  Not that Muscat feels particularly dangerous, but we were walking and exploring and roaming about without any of the anxiety you would expect in a new city.  People were polite, the streets were clean, and due to the international nature of the city, I didn't stand out that much.  Even the seedier parts of the city felt okay.  When I accidentally got in an elevator with a prostitute, she politely asked me how to get to a particular floor.

I don't think I could live there.  All the previous arguments against Dubai still stand, and need to be dealt with.  But as was asked in our post-trip discussion, why does Dubai get all the hate?  Can any of the big American cities claim to not have issues with human trafficking, or terrible environmental consequences?  Why are the building projects looked at as a bad thing, when Dubai is becoming a center for architectural innovation and modern Islamic art?  Why do we have to view Dubai's capitalism as a problem, and not as a viable alternative to the problems that plague the region, like extremism and economic stagnation?

Food for thought. 

Speaking of which, Dubai has sushi.  Which may have affected my opinion somewhat.

Back in the Saddle Again

Hey all!  It's been a long time... between finals, my computer crashing (and the subsequent quest for a competent computer technician -if you ever want to hear me rant, ask me about that one), moving to a new host family, and traveling to Qatar and the U.A.E, I've been having a little trouble keeping up to date with my blog posts. 

But here I am!

Now that my classes have ended, I've entered the month-long Independent Study Project period.  During this time I'll be conducting interviews, doing research at whichever learning institute will have me, and writing a 30 page opus on a subject specific to Oman.  Academia, here I come.  Hopefully I'll have the chance to travel around a bit, too!  And update my blog, naturally.

Thanks for reading, folks.  I'm glad to be back.