Challenges in the Field

On Monday we talked about all of the challenges we might encounter in the field. I wanted to do a quick survey of the ones that I think will be most important for me in Tonga. The first one I thought about was the language. I'm hoping that it won't be much of an issue because a lot of the population speaks English, but as I learn more about the country I realize that a lot of the people that I want to interview may only speak Tongan. This means that I'll have to find a translator who doesn't mind working with me during the days. Fortunately, I think that this will be a solvable problem in the first week or two of me being in Tonga.

The next thing I'm worried about is cleanliness. I believe showers and toilets are outside. All of the laundry is done by hand. I have never lived that way except when camping, so I think it will be a challenge for me, especially at the beginning. However, with persistence and optimism I'll survive.

I'm also a bit anxious about not being able to call my family whenever I want. Nowadays I call my parents at least four times a week. In Tonga, I'll be lucky to talk to them once a week. Regardless, I am used to being alone and independent, and with the help of new friends I'll feel more comfortable. In congruence with this issue is feeling lonely on an island where not very many people understand me, and I probably don't quite understand them. I can see this becoming quite frustrating. To cope with this, I've decided that I want to have the attitude of "How can I learn more?" and "Can you teach me how to do this?" If I keep busy with whatever is happening on the island, I think that I'll do better with making friends and keeping my mind off of how lonely or isolated I may feel.

It was suggested in class that if we ever feel like leaving, or like we shouldn't be in the new country we're in, we should make a list of all the things we love about Tonga. I think this is a great exercise to do in almost any circumstance. If we stop thinking of the negative things about people or places, we learn to appreciate everything that is good and beautiful about them. A new dimension is brought to the personality of these people or places. We learn to love them in a new way. We can also write back to our family and friends and tell them everything good and happy that is happening, rather than the unfortunate things. This keeps us optimistic and always looking for ways to be busier and happier.

Finally we discussed how our timeline should be flexible. We have to allow for lulls in the plan that can arise for any number of reasons. With this in mind, the field study becomes somewhat laid back and even creates its own pace based on the people being studied. I can also be open to trying new methods and even new people, if necessary.

Money in Tonga

I decided to look into the economy in Tonga so I can have an idea of how much groceries or clothing or supplies will cost. I am also interested in their money and other forms of exchange, if any. Most of the small country's money is gathered in the hands of the nobles and royals. A lot of other exchanges are non-monetary. People trade things like crops and animals. In the past few years, many of the shops have begun to be owned by the Chinese. This occurrence decreases the amount of money in Tonga, leading to harder economic times. Coconuts, vanilla beans, and bananas are grown there and sold around the world. Tourists are relied on heavily as income and make up a significant part of the economic sector. Overall, the economy is stable because the people are accustomed to trading the way they do.

The Tongan form of money is called pa'anga and seniti. Seniti are coins that represent different amounts of money: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 seniti. 100 seniti makes 1 pa'anga. Seniti used to be always represented by coins, but more recently, paper bank notes are used. The pa'anga were issued as coins in denominations of 1 and 2. Eventually, however, people gradually stopped using the coins and the pa'anga is now represented by paper. 1 U.S. dollar is the equivalent of 1.69 pa'anga. Regardless, things are a bit more expensive there, but living with a host family will help. I only plan on spending money for rent, food, and a few souvenirs, so money should not be a problem, especially if I can understand what is a good price for different things.

7 Billion Others

This week, after hearing about the website www.7billionothers.org, I decided to visit it and learn what it was about. The idea is a project to learn about what connects everyone on Earth and what makes us different. Several people traveled the world to interview different individuals. They have filmed, recorded, and documented each interview in order to give people an idea of the those we share the planet with. The overarching thesis appears to be that we cannot accomplish anything on our own. We must work together for the environment, for government, and for freedom.

Several videos have been made that encompass these ideas. I watched one of the longer ones, and this is what I learned:
The video focused on nature, a topic I thought would be applicable to my study. People from Italy and France and Algeria talked about how they feel about nature. Many of them were passionate about it; it almost seemed like they were pleading with me to appreciate the outdoors. Most felt that nature is our mother and that we have a responsibility to preserve her. In nature, you can "let your thoughts run wild." These people have realized how small they are in comparison. A woman from New Zealand said that nature is in us, and we are in nature. If we do not protect us, then we cannot protect nature and vice versa. It is therefore important to realize that human beings are also important. Nature is something that nearly everyone on Earth appreciates. People find it important to the serenity of their lives. And in this we find that there are so many of us with the same ideas towards God's creations.

The people that put these films together have spent many years on a field study that just consists of a general survey of the people on Earth. I think that through this project we can learn about the people all over the planet with a very individualized perspective. And this brings a perspective to my own field study. The work is not easy and people are very diverse. Different ways of thought and lifestyle are scattered across the Earth, but there are also small things that connect us.

Social Situations

In class Wednesday we discussed the importance of preparing ourselves for social situations in Tonga. I have thought about these situations, but not in enough detail. I can imagine myself walking down the street, attending community events, and cooking dinner with a family, but beyond that I assumed I'd figure things out. However, I think there are many other things that should be considered. For example, it's important that as American foreigners, we still spend time with natives. In order to feel integrated into society, we can't spend time with only the Americans.

I want to discuss and explain a few of the social situations I may come across in order to evaluate some of the circumstances I might find myself in and how I will react. The first one I thought of was attending church. Church is a great place to interact with a lot of people. And, because we're all LDS, there will be a sort of mutual understanding. I think that conversation will flow a little bit easier; I can get to know the families in a friendly and simple setting.

The next one I thought of was grocery shopping. For me, I think this will be challenging because of my limited knowledge of the language. However, as a visit the store again and again, I can become familiar with the owner as well as the people that shop there. It also gives me an excuse to ask questions like, "How much is this? Is that expensive? What do I need if I want to cook...?" As a result, I hopefully will have made a few friends.

Another social situation that might come up is cooking with the family. Nick mentioned that usually the women cook inside and the men out. This gives me the opportunity to talk to the women about their lives. I can find out what their families are like, what they like to do, how they cook things, and what it is they cook. I just hope that I'll have enough questions and that I can understand what they're saying. Again, I'll have to be sure that I become independent of any other American visitors that are with me.

The last thing I wanted to mention was how I might explain to a Tongan what I'm doing there. I'll probably start by telling them that I'm there to study plants, but because this is somewhat ambiguous, I'll change it in a way that sounds more like, I'm here to learn about what you do with the plants you grow in gardens. In my life, I have not spend much time growing gardens, let alone using the plants for medicine or decoration. And even though plants are probably a more mundane aspect of the Tongan culture, there is still much I can learn.

Gaining Access

An aspect of the field study experience that may be overlooked is the issue of "gaining access" to a community. We may assume that a new community will accept of on principle, because we're new and/or exciting. But there are many field study experiences that say differently. For example, we listened to a podcast from Stephanie Sinclair, a woman who was interviewed after visiting an FLDS polygamist sect. Initially, I think most of us are repulsed by the idea of polygamy, which is exactly why it is so important to understand these people. This photographer for National Geographic was able to enter one of these communities and find out about their lifestyle. But the access did not come easily. She said that she worked for at least four months to gain their confidence and at least a low level of trust. Only then could she interview members of society in a way that would yield sufficient information for understanding.

What I learned most from this discussion was that we cannot hope to have control or power over another group. Although polygamy is a tender issue for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, they are still children of our Heavenly Father. We can only hope to understand the polygamists for the choices they have already made. Having pity or anger or annoyance for them will do nothing. We at BYU should understand this idea of tolerance very well--the history of our persecution has been rampant and constant. We cannot turn and persecute others so quickly.

In the article we read by Neuman, we learn that field researchers can participate and observe at different levels, the ultimate of which is "going native." This means that the researcher is completely integrated into the new society. They think and feel the way that natives do. This can greatly assist the goal of the study, but is a status that is very difficult to attain. How we present ourselves is an equally important aspect of a field study. It says an immense amount about the people we are, the people we want to be. In Tonga, I think that there will already be certain expectations for us that we will have to live up to. We have to remember that the Tongan people may perceive us in a way that we are not accustomed to. If this is the case, then it is important to adapt to their perceptions and ideals. We are not in Tonga to change what people do or think, merely to observe.

Methods

In class we’ve been working on our IRB proposals. With this, we have to include the methods that will be used to conduct our research project. Initially I imagined that this only included interviews or participant observation. Fortunately I discovered that there are many other ways that exist or that can be developed to derive information from research subjects. We can do things like pile sorting, an activity that helps develop ideas. It consists of writing key words on note cards and having the subjects sort them in a way that makes sense to them. This sort of idea will help me to understand how Tongans perceive things. It allows them to have more control over the discussion, and consequently invites a more friendly and beneficial environment.

A second method I want to use while doing research is designing questionnaires to be filled out by the subject. It may be the case that the people I talk to are more comfortable in writing. This will leave room for thoughtful explanations and therefore a deeper conclusion. Overall, I want to be sure to preserve the thoughts and ideas of the Tongan people. We also talked about bringing focus groups together. This will help drive comfortable discussions about things that Tongans may not normally be comfortable talking about, especially with someone like me.

I also plan on collecting a lot of photographs of the plants and gardens and people that I see. This will help prepare me for any sort of presentation or information I need to bring back to BYU. I might consider drawing the plants that I study as well. Voucher specimens (dried samples of plants) will also be taken and brought back to the US. I have to learn how to do this, however, and so will probably be writing a learning journal about this in the near future.

Each of these methods will be very beneficial to me while on the islands. They also will help to diversify the evidence that I gather and make my trip more interesting. Mapping out these methods in detail is also a way to predict the success of my project.

Vanilla

I recently learned that vanilla plantations are quite common in Tonga. They grow mostly in shade houses on Vava'u. The family owned company produces vanilla that is distributed around the world. If I choose to take my project in a more agricultural direction, it might be possible to volunteer at the vanilla plantation. Vanilla beans are long and thin. They make sugar, syrup, oil, and honey butters. The plants require a lot of pruning and must have a support tree to grow on. So, the support tree must also be grown on the plantation.

They do what is called "looping," which is a process where new roots are planted in the ground to help the currently growing plants develop better. The plants have to be induced to flowering, ie: the pollination is done by hand. They only flower once a day, so the pollination has to be done once a day. Once the seeds are harvested, the beans are sweated and dried periodically. They are then scalded, wrapped in towels, and placed in a box. The beans dry over a period of 2 months and the entire process takes 5 to 6 months.

<http://tongavanilla.com/growing_vanilla.html>

Although I don't know or understand much about the vanilla process, I look forward to the opportunity to maybe work at a plantation or to at least talk to those that are in charge. I think that this would be a great path to knowing the ins and outs of the agriculture in the kingdom of Tonga.

Ethics

In class we've been discussing the ethics involved in a field study. It's tres important that the people and culture being study are respected completely--and on their terms. Oftentimes it is difficult to tell when one is being disrespectful towards another culture, but the offended party remains offended. This can often be imperceptible, especially to those of us who are unaware of the effect our actions can have.

Malcolm attended our discussion Wednesday and said some things that made me think. We talked about how the Tongans view Americans. They call us "palangi," which directly translates to cracking or breaking the heavens. They look up to the American way of life as a better, more fully developed way of living, regardless of whether or not this is actually true. We have power, money, and technology, things that are considered very valuable in present time. Consequently, being an American in Tonga has implications in itself. The way we convey ourselves, our questions, and our surveys speak volumes about ourselves as well as where we come from. I have made it a goal to seek to learn all I can from the people there. I have to approach every situation with the attitude--and even saying outright--"I want to learn, can you teach me?" If someone asked me to teach them something about my everyday life, I would be almost thrilled to tell them about it. In this way, I can help encourage the Tongans to preserve the unique aspects of their culture.

Nick mentioned that we might be asked for money because we are American. Unfortunately, although we want to help the people in any way we can, monetary compensation is not ideal. Not only do I not have enough money to hand out, but I would not want a village to infer that money is the only thing interesting about me. I can give back to the community in other ways: teaching English, helping with weaving, or watching the kids.

These ethics apply most acutely to the effects our project might have on a society. We talked about the Tuskegee trials of the 1930s, when African Americans were told that they "had bad blood" and would be given treatment. These men were not told everything concerning the study that was being done. The study was actually a comparison on the effects of treated and untreated syphilis. This study, however, was done immorally, and was not made public until the 70s. A code of conduct was created by the IRB to prevent anything like this from happening again. Although this example seems severe, it teaches us that almost anything we do can adversely effect those being studied. If we are careful and thoughtful, our presence can have a positive effect on the people we hope to learn from.

"...how important it is to be human and to have human experiences."