SDLC 110: Reflection #8

[Casey Murano]

It’s the week of my interview, and it went very well! As noted in the previous post, I planned to revise the questions and practice speaking, both of which I accomplished. I first simplified the wording for my questions. Then I arranged them so that they could build off of each other and into two main sections: questions about public places and tourism. I started with a question about where she lived and then went on to talk about the public places nearby. The next questions were about the beach, and then I asked about her experiences in traveling and visiting tourism sites in Indonesia and other countries. I felt like this format flowed much better, and I was able to brainstorm some of the possible answers she may give. I also realized that conducting an interview is much less stressful than an unscripted conversation because I am the one asking the questions, rather than being asked the questions (that’s usually the most stressful part for me!). I was able to have responses prepared to my questions that I could add to the conversation and keep it going. After drafting the interview questions, I also compiled a list of important words in questions in case I got into a pickle of not understanding something. These were accessible on my word document. I then talked through the questions several times to make sure I felt comfortable with everything. I recorded myself so that I could practice with the zoom room setting. I felt pretty good about our interview at 7:30 am on 3 December 2020. It’s the week of my interview, and it went very well! As noted in the previous post, I planned to revise the questions and practice speaking, both of which I accomplished. I first simplified the wording for my questions. Then I arranged them so that they could build off of each other and into two main sections: questions about public places and tourism. I started with a question about where she lived and then went on to talk about the public places nearby. The next questions were about the beach, and then I asked about her experiences in traveling and visiting tourism sites in Indonesia and other countries. I felt like this format flowed much better, and I was able to brainstorm some of the possible answers she may give. I also realized that conducting an interview is much less stressful than an unscripted conversation because I am the one asking the questions, rather than being asked the questions (that’s usually the most stressful part for me!). I was able to have responses prepared to my questions that I could add to the conversation and keep it going. After drafting the interview questions, I also compiled a list of important words in questions in case I got into a pickle of not understanding something. These were accessible on my word document. I then talked through the questions several times to make sure I felt comfortable with everything. I recorded myself so that I could practice with the zoom room setting. I felt pretty good about our interview at 7:30 am on 3 December 2020.  Since Daylight Savings Time, Farida has been 11 hours ahead of us, and since Lisana is one of Farida’s friends I assumed she was in the time zone. It turned out that assumption was incorrect. When I logged onto zoom at 7:30 am, I was a bit confused because Lisana was not there! It turns out that she lives in a different part of the country and was a full 12 hours ahead. Fortunately, I was already awake and didn’t miss the meeting. We ended up talking at 8:30 instead. The interview went very well. I started recording the meeting right away but accidentally forgot to check the time. We ended up talking for 13 minutes, even though I think we only had to do 8-10 minutes. I’m happy the conversation lasted that long. Lisana was very kind, engaging, and spoke slowly and clearly. I learned that she lived near Jakarta and likes to talk to friends at the park. She goes to the beach during breaks and takes photographs there because the landscape is beautiful. I shared how I also like to swim at the beach and paint. We then discussed the best places to visit in Indonesia, such as Bali, and how both the United States and Indonesia have nice landscapes. I’m happy I had the opportunity to talk with Lisana and was able to understand almost everything she said. I had to show this listening comprehension during the final section of the final exam. In my conclusion video, I was able to articulate these. I just uploaded the videos today, so I have officially completed Bahasa Indonesia for the semester. It has been a lovely learning experience, and I have learned so much about language and Indonesian culture and places!