This week have been interview week and 3 have been done so far. And I can tell you that it is so much fun, it is hard to keep the interviews shorter than 1 hour! My interviews are not straight/up interviews with prepared questions it is more like thematic discussions. This means that we are having a conversation/discussion about some themes that I have prepared and the interviewee is the one doing the most talking. I thought and I have also been warned from people at home and here that abortion is a really stigmatized subject and that it will be hard to get the information that I am looking for. I have also considered this and I was a bit nervous during the first discussion, but it went really good and it was no problem to bring it up after about 30 min of discussion of other relating factors. But something that is hard to handle are some opinions that I myself don´t agree with. Trying to stay in the role of information gatherer and not someone who came here to give information and lecture about abortion and reproductive rights. So I am working on how to stay calm and proceed with question on why it is like that and so on.
I still have to do at least 2-3 discussions more so the following days I am going out to look for some more persons who would be willing to participate in the research. I have already asked the other participants if they know anyone but I haven´t got an answer there yet. Someone that would be so interesting to interview is the teacher here at the school who is teaching the sex-ed course since 15 years back. I think that she will have some really valuable information, so I am going to try to get in contact with her.
When transcribing the interviews I learn a lot on what I have to do a little bit different the next time or I find a question that I really have to ask the next person, it is a process and I am learning along the way. So the following days will be transcribing and just collect and organize the material that I have right now.
Nicaragua is as hot as it can be and I am longing for the rainy season to start soon!
/Sandra