Wednesday!

I am at work - it is super quiet today! I think I have missed something - why is no one here? oh well, I have my story about the rain cycle to edit so will be fine for a bit... I have been very lucky though and was just given a pastry (I said no, I am always too shy to take food from strangers but the Indian people I have met so far do not recognise 'no' when they are giving you something - it is so lovely!) and it was *gorgeous*. I have to know what it is so I can eat it every day.

I had a very enlightening day yesterday (on my holiday day!). I...
* realised that technically, I have only been on active research duty for three weeks. This makes me feel a lot better about my lack of formal interviews.
* Read through some notes I brought from England, and read about how fieldwork takes time, interviews are hard to get and you need persistence and patience. I am showing little patience (but am happy to show more!) and this week is the beginning of my persistence (follow-up phonecalls to my emails last week). It was nice to find out that getting people - particularly in organisations - to give interviews etc is not often simple or easy. So I am doing just fine.
* I realised that in the few weeks I have been on active duty I have actually learnt a lot, am collecting anecdotal evidence and also discursive evidence (from newspapers) and taking pictures - to build up an image of life here and issues etc.
* That I shall act as if I am not going to extend my visa and go to my fieldwork sites as planned. then at the end of March if I am in need of more time, shall gamble and go to Sr Lanka and hopefully, get an extension. If I can't that shall have to be a limitation of the research is all. Or I will have to come back for a couple of months next year.

So those were my major insights and, again, I felt better for realising them. I am not a failure after all but quite normal. :0)

I am off teaching in an hour with the crazy kids. Then I shall come back to the office for a bit, then hopefully sneak off home early. I have some reports to look up too, and download while I have the internet. I know this all loks terribly unethical, like I am not working, but actually I am being a bit prolific in my story writing so have plenty of time to spare - and I offer myself around for other things but they don't need me so... I do some uni work.

I really wish I could read some uni books. I really want to read more around my topic while I have spare reading time. Unfortunately for me, I have to make do with Graham Greene's Brighton Rock. I used to try and read Graham Greene and hated his writing but am now hooked. Hurray! Problem is, I shan't be able to give them away so will have to lug them around India till I leave. Bums.

Later y'all!

x J