I really enjoyed the reading we  did for Monday's class and the discussion and examples we had in class. There were several things we talked about that apply to my field study experience. Ashley threw out a bunch of vocabulary words. One of them was defocusing. I think this is an important concept to remember for several reasons. Defocusing allows you to step back from a situation and check out what your emotions are doing. What judgements are you making? It also helps you refocus your observational skills. What things have you allowed to become commonplace, that are really very important? This can help a stagnant situation gain some pizzazz. A point that Ashley brought up was that defocusing can help with safety. People keep asking me if my parents are worried that I am going to South Africa. I say a little, but I am going to be careful and follow the rules BYU has created to help keep us safe. I'm sure that as we get more used to East London safety might be less and less on our minds...I hope to use defocusing to step back, remember that I am in a new, different culture, and keep on being aware of my surroundings - as that pertains to my project and to staying safe.

     The reading was entitled "Choosing a Site and Gaining Access". In class we focused mostly on the gaining access side of things. We listened to a really great interview that was the perfect example of someone gaining access to a community. Applying this to my project: I do not have 18 months. I have three months. So I am going to start working with the "gatekeepers" now. Gatekeeper was another vocab word. For me, I do not have to worry about going through some tribal chief or the CEO of a business - my gatekeepers are going to be the zoo administrators. I am preparing a letter of introduction to send to them. This is my first step in gaining access to the zoo. Once I arrive in East London, I will continue to work with the gatekeepers, but I will also need to start establishing rapport with zoo keepers. It sounds so clinical and sterile to be describing it this way - but I really am excited to meet new people and just learn about their lives as South Africans and as people who work with animals. Something from the interview that I appreciated was that the woman who was doing the study tried to make the community comfortable around her...I genuinely want to make friends with the people who work at the zoo, and I want them to be able to rely on me to help out with things. I do not want to be the superior outsider. I realize this might take a little time, but I am willing to put in that groundwork before I pounce on people to start answering my questions. Rapport is going to be really important for me... I want to gain their trust so that I can have a little bit more of an insider's access - to the enclosures, the animals, and the interactions that the public doesn't always see. I can practice some of this stuff now by practicing being a good friend to the friends I already have, and I can make some new friends. Whahoo!