Thoughts about the class readings

I enjoyed the class readings for today, but one thing that I thought of while reading them, especially "Christmas in the Kalahari" was STRESS. The idea that you think that you are doing something nice only to find out that it is the exact opposite thing that you should have done is probably one of the worst feelings ever. Of course in the story he actually did do it right, but he thought it was wrong and it gave him a lot of anxiety. And if he had really done something wrong it would have really sucked. That is just the type of cross-cultural misunderstanding that I'd prefer not to have while I'm in Mexico. That being said, how do I make sure that it doesn't happen? One of the interesting things from the article was that when he understood that the people were only teasing him and he asked them why they didn't tell him that was their custom and they said he didn't ask. That really killed him. As an field researcher he knows the importance of questions in his investigations. But really- how was he supposed to know he should ask a question like that? How do researchers figure out how to ask questions and not just assume that what they are presented with is the truth? I think about how I might react in the field. I am a pretty confidant person and can easily talk to people, but I can also be very shy especially when I'm not sure what I am supposed to be doing or if I feel disapproval from others that I respect. I anticipate that it will take me a bit of time to feel comfortable in Mexico. I will try my best to push myself out of my comfort zone right away but I also want to make sure that I don't step on any cultural toes while I do so. It is quite a delicate balance to try and enter a different culture as an active participant without knowing exactly which actions are appropriate and which actions are completely inappropriate. That's why I say STRESS when I think of this situation. The anthropologist was trying to do something nice for the people and while essentially he did, his lack of understanding of the culture caused him a lot of anxiety as he was trying to figure out why they were acting the way they were.
And so I say stress to that but in the end I have to remind myself of the great lesson he learned. Not only did he learn the lesson of humility which was the goal of the people, but he learned that they were essentially treating him as they would any native member of their community. This means that he was accepted among them. He had successfully entered their community and was treated as they were. Of course he was still different and not considered to be a native member there, but he was well integrated into their community and well-liked. So with that said- his time there was very successful even if it got a bit stressful sometimes. So when I go to Mexico- honestly if I am not constantly feeling like I'm being pushed out of my comfort zone, I'm probably not learning as much as I really need to be learning. So while I might feel some STRESS  at times (hopefully not too severe- or at least hopefully I won't do anything to ruin my trust with the people etc) I will also learn a ton and feel that my time there was a success.

IRB protocol sample 2

I will say that having that mock IRB meeting helped me understand a whole lot more what we are supposed to be looking for as far as critiquing the IRB samples that we are given. This time looking at the second sample I was able to be a lot more specific about what was needed. This also makes me realize that if I didn't have someone going through it with me I would make a lot of the same mistakes. with that said, there is one thing that I would like to comment on as far as sample 2 went- I felt like the background and literature review part was very well written. I don't know if others agree with me, but I felt that it was. I feel like, for my own literature review that I have been a little bit lost as far as what exactly I am supposed to put in it and how I am supposed to write it. Seeing this one helped me understand a little bit better. As well, I have looked over Amy's proposal several times and I am starting to figure out the logic of it and how it's supposed to flow. I honestly feel like I have enough information for it, I just don't know how to organize it. This is a good realization- because I think that I was treating it as something different than anything I have ever written before- and while it is, it doesn't have to be so foreign. I realize that I can treat it like a specialized research paper- for me this idea is a lot less daunting than a "literature review." Funny how semantics make such a big difference. Anyway- now that I have let some ideas float around in my head a little while- I guess this is kind of like that idle thinking that was discussed in the "Ophelia" article- I am ready to put them down on paper and get it going a little better. I'm excited to see how it all pans out. I'll let you know.

the ophelia syndrome

I agree with this article. I have seen the ophelia syndrome in my classmates and in other areas of my life for a while but just didn't really have a name for it. I also know that I have been victim to this same syndrome- for various reasons. As well I can think of specific instances where I have rebelled against it. But I want to comment a little on those times well I fall into this attitude of wanting to be told what to do. I think that the attitude of wanting someone to just tell you the right answer and following blinding is never the way to go. I also think, however, that there are times when it is important to get some guidance on what you should do. I'm not saying that the article wouldn't agree with this, but what I'm saying is that sometimes it is hard to differentiate between the two or it is hard to see that we have crossed the line from one into the other. I think that it is a natural human tendency that we have. I think that it occurs from weakness, laziness, and fear.There may be other reasons for falling into the Ophelia syndrome but I feel like these three cover most of them. I know that in my own personal experience, when I take a class and I only fulfill the assignments and memorize that facts without really taking time to be more creative- I usually enjoy the class less. Sometimes, this doesn't really bother me. Sometimes it is a class that I have to take and I don't want to put the effort into it that I need in order to make it more interesting. However, the classes that I have enjoyed the most have been those classes in which I was more challenged and in which class discussions or assignments required more independent action and thinking.
Okay so those are just a few thoughts that I had during the article. But as well I need to think about what this means to my project and going to Mexico.
One thought that comes to mind is the importance of adaptability. While I am in this class, I want to be as well prepared as possible before I go into the field. I want to know exactly what I will be doing, when, and how. I try to talk to the facilitators as well as my professor to figure out exactly how the heck I'm going to pull off this project. Right now, you could say that I would like them to tell me exactly what to do. More or less, this is appropriate. There is a reason I need to have a faculty mentor- because I have never done anything like this before and she has so she can guide me through it. But when I get out into the field I will need to be more adaptable and able to think on my feet. I may plan my whole project out to the 't' but I'm sure there will be several things that just do not go as planned. And so I'll have to figure out how to adapt my project to the circumstances that arise. Not only will I need to adapt my project, but I will need to adapt my behavior and my efforts to immerse myself in the culture. There won't be someone there who will just tell me what to do at all times, and if there was someone who was willing to do that it could easily turn into one of the "Big Fat Greek Wedding" moments- you know when the brother in law tells him to say something in Greek because its really nice or something and really it tuns out to be obscene. -- Yeah I think that kind of goes along with the idea in the article where you should always get a second opinion.
Anyway- I like to think that I can do this well- think for myself etc. But I know that it is easy to fall into the ophelia syndrome and I just need to make sure that while preparing for my field study, that I don't just rely on what my professor says etc but that I come up with new ideas for this project in Mexico.  

IRB protocol and other thoughts

First- I have to say that I read the first sample for the IRB protocol and most of the second one and I feel like they are both fairly well written. I know that we will do over their strengths and weaknesses in class, but it was hard for me to know why one would be rejected or not. So that just makes me realize that this isn't just an easy fill in the blank information sheet. For right now that is okay and I'm sure that I will get the help that I need in order to make sure that I write mine appropriately. As far as my IRB protocol goes, I know that my mentor and another professor in the Exercise Sciences department have been working on a protocol for the same project but in Austria. They are supposed to send it to me. This will be good to help me know a little bit more about the project and the methods we will use. Of course my project will not be the same because I will be in a different location and I also think that some of my methods will need to be slightly different because I will be there alone and because of the differences in location.
I also read the article for today "Choosing a site and gaining access." One thing that stuck out to me was the idea of being a "Martian" as well as an observer trying to be somewhat native. (I don't have the article in front of me so I can't remember the exact terminology that it used.) But the idea was that you had to take on both roles at different times of the study. You should be able to look around you and notice what would be normal to a native but see them as a martian would. So you notice all the little details and commonplace things that a native would not. You also have to blend in and take on a role that assumes that you are just another ordinary person in the setting you are in. That will be kind of hard for me in Mexico- I won't be able to pass as a Mexican- but I also don't need to. I will need to try and become immersed in the culture enough that the people feel comfortable with me there.

Proposal

Of course I started writing my proposal. I'm glad that we have been working a lot on finding articles to support our project and our literature review because I had somewhat of a head start for the proposal. However, I feel like I'm lacking a lot in that area. I have a lot of articles that support my project in some ways, but putting into coherent words as well as making it unified proved to be quite different. As well, I still feel like there are some holes in my research. I may need to do some more searching to find more quality articles for the literature review. I also think that I need to outline a bit of a plan for it so that I can keep my thoughts organized within the proposal. Just describing the articles isn't very helpful if they aren't linked in a somewhat organized way. In addition, I am not sure how to describe the obesity trends in Mexico. The fact that they are increasing does not really support my project- or at least my hypothesis, but in Irapuato and the more rural areas these trends would be expected to not be as high. Of course I don't know exactly what I will find there, but that is what I expect. I think that is one of the hardest things- I can't really make conclusions about what it will be like there, I can only draw assumptions based on the articles that I've read that somewhat relate to my study and to rural Mexico. I'll figure it out though.

short thoughts

I looked over Amy's proposal again for her project in 2009. I'm really impressed with it and fear that the information that I have thus far collected is not quite adequate for my proposal. Luckily, I have time to get it there. Also, I have more information regarding the procedures for the project. I still am not sure about recruitment. Especially after talking about IRB protocol on Monday I realize that I have to be sure that my recruitment techniques do not go against the IRB standards. I will be dealing with a vulnerable population- children- and I will need to be sure that I do not coerce or manipulate them in any way in order to get them to participate in my project. In addition, one comment that was made on Monday made me think a little about giving back to the people. I need to be sure that my time there is not only spent developing my project and my knowledge but also I need to be sure that I am giving back to those who help me. For Amy's project, she brought small inexpensive gifts to give to those who participated in the project. I will need to make sure that this is appropriate in Mexican culture but I think that it is a good idea. As well, I feel that appreciation needs to be expressed not only to those who agree to be subjects in the study but to all those whom I interact with. I don't necessarily plan on buying gifts for them but it is something to keep in mind while I am there so that the people enjoy having me there and then afterward still want to have more students come to their homes.

Testing Methods

One thing about doing this kind of research and preparation for a field study is that answering one question seems to bring up two or three more questions. One of the questions that I have had is what are the tests that we are specifically going to use to test the kids. I was able to get an article from Dr. Mitchell that describes the fitness testing that I will need to administer to the kids. Apparently it is slightly different from what they had Amy do in Ghana. The exercises consist of deep squats, hurdles, lunges, and push-ups. The nice thing about the article is that it describes exactly what I will be looking for when I'm testing the kids. One thing that I know will be difficult is effectively explaining to the kids how to perform the tests. I taught karate for three years and we would frequently have the kids do push-ups. Despite my best efforts and ability to clearly explain it to them in English, there were always several "saggy-bottomed" push-ups or "teepee" push-ups. So it was kind of difficult to get them to understand the placement of their bodies and how they need to hold themselves to do it right. One thing that I am hoping will help is that I will likely be working with each child individually. In karate I would usually have a class of 15-25 students and I could not give them each individual attention to know how to do the exercises. With the kids in Mexico I will have more time and I will be able to work one on one with them. I'll just need to practice a lot of patience.  
There are a lot of technical tests and procedures that I am going to need to understand and perform while I am out in the field. I'll be honest- it is starting to overwhelm me just a bit. Luckily, Dr. Mitchell and Dr. Johnson are both planning of holding several training meetings in order to teach me what I will be doing when I get out into the field.
I also wanted to briefly comment on a discussion I had with a girl who is from Mexico City. I told her about my project and she said that when she was little and going to school posture and sitting up straight in the chairs in class was very important and they were very strict about it. I have not read any articles or studies that have described this and so it was nice to get the information directly from her. I do not know if this will still be the case after the 20 years since she has been in elementary school or if the schools where I will be in Mexico will be the same as in Mexico City- but I will expect to see a lot of differences between American and Mexican schools.