"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.