My First Interview!!!

Hello!! I have been away for so long! I hve been travelling around and working and being lazy and have had so few windows for the internet that I have had to forgo blogging to check in with friends, family and my banks (!!). Ug. But I am here now, tank da laird!!

Mamallapuram was really lovely and we had a great time there. we met some really cool people as you do when you are travelling around... DB was an extra in a film for a day which may have been when I last blogged... I honestly can't remember. Anyway, we stayed in Mamallapuram for him to do that for day (what an experience!! Bizarre!!) and then realised that we couldn't really leave for the weekend (buses too busy) so stayed on so I could meet this woman that a friend I had made told me about who runs a private NGO for widows of the Tsunami - she was volunteering for them. SO I tottled along on Monday (I was really nervous! I hate being shy!!) and met the lady and I thought she was going to show me around the project and people but instead she showed me into her office and sat down and I started a proper interview! Needless to say I had done no preparation except to try and remind myself about what on earth I am researching so as to keep questions relevant, but I had no outline of any questions/topics I wanted to cover or anything!! So we sat down and she was truly a dream of a first interviewee I think - she was eloquent, educated, spoke fluent English and was passionate about her views so eliciting information was no trouble at all... I settled down and all went rather well. I probably interviewed for about 45 Mins and could see that toward the end she was getting restless. I was really polite and took notes all the way through because I was actually unsure about getting out the dictaphone. To me at the time it felt like if I got the dictaphone out all of a sudden it would create a kind of formality and seriousness and maybe jeopardise the friendly, informal tone of the meeting... I wasn't sure. And also I wasn't sure if she would want to get up any time and show me round - I didn't know how long we may sit for. As this was my first interview - and a relatively impromptu one at that - I wasn't too worried and expected to make 'mistakes' to learn from in the future. As it was, I was ok really because I really like hearing people's opinions on my topic or on politics and suchlike so asking her questions to find out what she thought was really interesting and came quite naturally. Only at one stage I did panic to myself and think I had no more questions and had no idea where to lead her next!!! What shall I ask! I had only been there for about 15 mins and had no questions! Next time I will definitely sit down before the interview and at least jot down four key topics/areas of interest that would like to talk to them about. I will also try and get the dictaphone out, although I found it useful having notes to take rather than just staring at her as she spoke - that may seem weird. We shall see. Also I learnt that it would be useful to ask them to say a little about themselves and their background - ostensibly to give context to the interview and interviewee, but also so I know who the chuff they are, their surname, their place in the org and their personal backgrounds because you can't always know - espeically if it is an impromptu meeting!!! Otherwise, obviously, looking up such details prior to the interview would be for the best!!! If it is a big org that would quite easy and very important to show respect - not knowing who you are interviewing would be such a dreadful mistake. But with very small, independent orgs with no internet presence whatsoever or any papers etc, it may be hard to know much other than the are the Head, they must know something, I must speak with them!!

Also, I learnt that I have to remember to ask about confidentiality/anonymity!! D'oh! I remembered all the way through that at the end I must ask if she minds being quoted directly or if I should keep her and the org confidential etc but the end was rushed because a little kiddie needed her attention and so I said we shall call it a day as I saw she was busy and totally forgot! I shall see her again sometime so that is good, I shall ask her more questions I am sure and ask her then but in the meantime, should i not see her, will keep her confidential. But, it being my first interview I am quite forgiving and actually was very pleased with the amount that I found out and the ease of the interview. I did always think that the interviewing part was going to be the worst bit but maybe it will be good.

Also, I am in a quandry about interviewing technique. I have read and read about how to 'do' interviews etc but the actual process of interviewing is so ad-hoc - how do new interviewers know that they are asking the questions the 'right' way?! What if I come back and all my interviews are 'bad' ones - like leading the interviewee etc? And the info I have been given is nonsense?! I am worried about this. I think I did ask some questions that were quite leading, but then again I didn't ask them out of the blue - I had a firm idea of what they were saying, I just wanted to confirm it more succinctly so I would say something like 'Would it be fair to say that bla, bla, bla' to which she would think and then confirm or deny. Also, in the interview I didn't have much of an analytical head on so wasn't really analysing her opinions in the context of her background etc. But then this can be done later when I a) write up and reflecton the interview later and b) when I get home and start the analysis? I liked what she was saying a LOT and really her information was both revelatory, confirming of other reports I had read about the aid-effort, and also gave new leads of investigation. So that seems like quite a result to me.

Also - where do people learn to type up the transcripts? I tried typing it up afterwards but ended up doing my own type of transcript from my notes and memories. It wasn't a direct transcript but I hadn't taped it so it couldn't have been.

I am really dreading hearing myself on the tape, and really dreading hearing myself asking stupid questions. What if I listen to it back and realise I must have made such a fool of myself?!! Ug. I am used to reading back essays now, again and again, but that took years - I was cringing at reading my work back for years. So I expect I now have to get over 'hearing' my work back. !! how strange. Another PhD first. I suppose if I do become confident (hard to imagine now) that a) my voice isn't vile and b) that what comes out of my mouth isn't embarrassing cr*p, then that would be another milestone for my personal development and may make me better at talking in public and in groups and stuff.

Hmm, interesting thought.

Anyway, after the interview I spent the rest of the afternoon volunteering and then had some tea and a big chat with th friend who introduced me to the interviewee, which was lovely. I miss girl chats! Hanging around with DB is lovely but I like to have other friends (obviously). Speaking of which, DB and I are back to Chennai on Saturday and starting volunteering on Mon!! Eek! I have loved the volunteering I have done so far but am worried becasue this is for three months (well, I have said we will stay three months but if I hate it after 6 weeks, or it isn't proving useful for my work, I shall leave) and what if I hate it and it is like a job and I have to work alllll the time?! I think am worried I will be doing admin every day, getting up at 7.30am to commute and having no life outside of work and being tired from work! I am a full time student - a professional student - and dancing to someone else horrible tune is scaring me. However, I haven't heard about accomodation or about when to turn up or even where it is (I have an address but hours of pouring over the map hasn't helped - ah ha, I shall see if I can find the area online in a min!) so I hope that we will be forgiven for turning up at around 10.30am on Monday and that they are more chilled and busy than disorganised and stressy... Doing something would be nice though. I am just spun out by the whole 3 months thing - that is such a long time!! In the meantime though we have a trip to Goa pending for about 10 days... and Christamas and New Year... and for afterwards I am planning a very upmarket trip for my ma and her friends to Kerala at the end of Feb, they are coming out for my 30th beeday and to say hello, as we are away for such a long time! Am really planning on staying until the end of June now. Just need to work out how to get a new visa... India is fabulous, we are having such a fantastic time and really, I have no desire t go home at all. And having dipped my toe into my work I am pleased and relaxed in Pondicherry.

Anyway, I am off now having spraffed for about an hour!!

I will be back soon - probably next week with news about my volunteering post!! Fingers crossed I like it, and there are children in it somewhere - rather than computers! Ug, admin hell NOOOOOO!!!
x J