Episode 4: Santiago Fieldwork

Hey folks! A sunny day here, hurray, and Sunday of a long weekend! No rest for the fieldworker though, interview tomorrow at my home!

A lovely & productive week!

Monday: At the university, got a V interview in the soundproof booth, that was nice! My first one in there, but definitely not my last. That afternoon I trekked up to Las Condes to do an interview with a woman from the LP neighborhood (who commutes 2 hours up and 2 hours home each day. Yikes! I thought I had it rough doing it 3x a week!).

Tuesday: I headed down to one of my sites in LP, where 2 young dudes who I had on my agenda didn’t show up. Bummer. So instead went to Puente Alto with my friend and one of the psychologists at the site. Lovely. In the afternoon, one of my contacts called up a friend, and she came over.

Wednesday: At my other site in LP, finally got to make those cupcakes with the older ladies! I was delighted to introduce them to the wonderful world of cream cheese frosting. We all just tried a little with a spoon, and then (no joke) one lady just sat down, pulled the bowl over in front of her, and went to town. Hilarious. Got 2 interviews that afternoon, and the promise of more! Finding the right contact at that particular site has been a game-changer. Wish the recording environment was a little better, but I’m trying to be happy with what I get there.

Thursday: Got another V interview at the University, and had a cancellation for the afternoon so I spent my time prepping my side projects—that was actually super fun and I am excited about all of them! I went to go make the copies for one (color copies, 8 pages to a packet), and had a little sticker shock when she totaled it all up: $60.000 pesos, or about $100 dollars! Yikes! I’ll have to go back on Tuesday with the money to pick up the copies. Did NOT see that one coming! (Don't worry, Dad, I saved the receipt ;))

Friday: Super productive day at my site in LP, 4 interviews! Two of the older gentlemen couldn’t participate in the perception portion, however, due to different issues. So I’ll have to make those up. But still!

Totals as of today: 26/60! Woot woot! Almost halfway there! I have about 10 days until a. my Mom gets here, hurray, and b. the official halfway point of my time in Chile arrives. I’m feeling good, hoping to have this one neighborhood completely done by the end of October (if not before that), so I can focus my time & energy on the other one. On Saturday, I headed to the V neighborhood with some foreign friends, and it was both nice to be there on a sunny day (we went to the Parque Bicentenario, Santiago’s smaller version of Central Park) and of course I was looking for places to hang my posters & recruit! I will get it done, I just need to be patient (but also gusto-filled!).

Lessons learned:

1. Money talks. Punto.

2. Things sometimes just take longer than you think they will, and especially here in Chile, you have to be ready for curveballs. Fieldwork, or really just working with participants in general, can be tough cause sometimes they just don’t show up. Or they do, but they don’t really want to be there. Or they want to be there, but they’re just not very chatty. I’ve had some pulling-teeth like interviews, and some interviews where (I kid you not) I ask them one question and they talk for 57 minutes. All I have to do is follow along & nod & smile at the appropriate moment.

3. It’s always good to confirm with people, whether participants themselves or folks who are helping you recruit. This project may be at the center of my mind right now, but it certainly isn’t (and shouldn’t be) for other folks!

Thanks for reading! Saludos from Santiago!