learning journal #10: I am the storyteller

Today in class we talked about participant observation and the benefits with that.  I definitely believe that by doing participant observation, and observing body language and movement, will change our awareness.  With writing observations and taking notes, we are in some way telling a story of the people we are studying and living with.  It's important to take actual notes because it's easy to forget the little details that happened in a specific context.  I will be in Tonga for three months, and in that time I could observe reoccurring events and pick up on patterns if any.  When I write something down the first month, I can look back on it during the third month and possibly make connections.  I really liked the idea mentioned in class that I would have to learn "Tonga's English" in order to communicate with them in English.  Last summer when I was there I've noticed that their English slang is similar to New Zealand slang.  That makes sense because many have family in New Zealand, and people who need medical attention are most likely sent to New Zealand to receive it.  New Zealand and Tonga have a pretty close connection.  Knowing this has helped me to communicate better to them, and I am able to understand them better.  I think this is one of those things that can't be taught in classrooms, but can be taught in the field.  I could take notes on communication and how teenagers communicate to each other.  It's always better to take a lot of notes so you could refer back to it later on.  I liked the idea that we are the storyteller and this will be my story.  This motivates me to try to be more aware of things and people in Tonga, and to take good field notes that I could use when I return.  I've been to Tonga twice before and each time I've learned something new about my culture.  I hope to gain new insights about my culture and be able to do my field study.  I also hope to establish relationships with health workers and teachers there.  These are some of my hopes and expectations for this field study.  Thus, I would need to make good observations and write down important notes so I could use it to write my story, and then be able to share my story with everyone else.