Observations

Well, I have officially finished my observations, so my field work is done. I still have a bunch of work left, such as expanding my notes, coding them, looking for parallels, etc. And don't forget the many papers I'm yet to write with the information I've gathered. I have a long road ahead of me in my project, but the fun part is just about over ;)

But I look forward to sharing my notes and findings with others, and to maintain the great friendships I've made here.

Something I've found while abroad is that we are all just humans and we basically want the same fundamental things. We just have different ways of going about it sometimes. In the context of families, and from what I've seen in my observations, mothers are mothers and children are children. Children are funny and say hilarious things, and mothers laugh and repeat the humor to friends. Children are sweet and sensitive and mothers cuddle them and love them. Children say something profound and mothers are proud and in awe. Children are naughty and mothers discipline them, with the hope that they are teaching them to be better people and learn from their mistakes.

I suppose I didn't expect families here to be much different. So what was I here to learn?

Gatekeepers

This past week, I was able to meet with the woman in charge of Rogpa to gain permission to observe in teacher's homes. Rogpa puts a lot of effort in protecting the privacy of the families involved, including the teachers. Pema is the acting gatekeeper for these individuals and it is through her that I have been able to progress in my project with the help of this organization.

I feel as if the meeting went pretty well, considering she is a very busy woman and I hadn't interacted with her much before that point. She is very enthusiastic and encouraging of my project, and she happily gave me permission to begin observing in the homes of the teachers at Rogpa, as long as I provide her with a schedule of my visits. I asked the teachers if they would be willing to let me come observe. One said that if I got permission, of course I would be welcome. Another nodded in agreement with her...(?) and I'm hoping that another will get a report from the first two and realize that I'm not a spy, that this is PARTICIPANT observation, and I just want to get to know them a little better.

Another note about my meeting with Pema:

Wait...the date is WHAT!?!?

Alright so tomorrow is July. That means that this blogging ball needs to start rolling. It'll be rolling fast because it's all downhill from here!!!

Jeez louise I can't believe how fast this is all going. It's true that you think you have all the time in the world and then all of a sudden, BAM, you're buying your tickets for you "mid-semester" retreat and planning your last few weeks in the field.

So here's THE BACKGROUND:

I am a Human Development major working on a project in McLeod Ganj, India. This town is located in the Northern state of Himachal Pradesh, and it's where many Tibetan refugees are currently living. It's also the headquarters of the Tibetan in Exile's Government, and the home of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Because it's such an interesting and spiritual area, it attracts many tourists from all over India, and all over the world. It's also kind of a base-camp for trekkers who journey into the mountains and up to Jammu and Kashmir. I am here studying Tibetan parenting styles and trying to answer the question: "what to Tibetan parents in this area consider to be good parenting?" This is a very exploratory study, and I will be accomplishing it through participant observation in 3-5 Tibetan homes.

And here's WHERE I AM:

Pictures- Round 1

 Here are some pics of our trip. These are just some random highlights.

 This is the street in Delhi on which our hotel was.

 This is me in front of the Lotus Temple in Delhi