Mi Nuevo Amigo- Informal Interview Method

I stressed all week about finding someone to conduct an informal interview with.  My biggest concerns were first, finding someone I did not know or was not introduced to so that it would not be obvious it was an interview situation, second, to find someone who was a foreigner, and last, to practice good ethnographic questions to get the best kind of answers to generate important details, etc.

I should have known all along that the best way to do an informal interview is through the serendipity of it.  "How do I find good informants?" was the questions we were all asking last class period, and if I have learned anything from this exercise is that I have to be looking for it, trying for it, and take opportunities as they come.

Here is how it went down.  I got off of work as one of the new guys at work, an immigrant from Mexico I will call A.  A and I were the only ones who were off the clock and eating at the same time, and rather than sitting at the booth over from him I decided to take the opportunity to have an informal interview over our meal. 

A seemed a little stunned that I sat next to him.  We greeted, exchanged names, place of origin, etc.  A spoke great English, so I did not have to rely to much on my Spanish, which made translation a little easier, though there were definitely some words and phrases that did not compute when we were trying to talk.  After learning more about the place that he was from and why he came to America to start with, I gathered some interesting details and tried out some of those ethnographic questions we talked about in class.  I was happy with the results.

For a "grand tour" question, I asked A to tell me what his hometown was like, what people did for a living, to describe the smells, sounds, and lifestyles.  I got some interesting information such as a taco stand on the corner called "Mama," and other details like the fumes from the cars that painted a better picture for me, but I thought it might have been a little too "grand tour" if I was going to get more specific details.  Plus I think the other questions were a little strange for him.

I then tried a "mini tour" question.  "Can you describe the street you lived on?"  I got a lot more interesting details, and it felt more like a story, which is what I am going for with my interview.  He described the curves in the uphill road toward his house, how everyone was always walking except for the wealthy (which was not his family, which led us to his family dynamics), the different types of fruit trees and an experience he had with the neighbor trying to take some fruit when he was younger.  It was much more rich, and I got A to laugh, which was great.  It helped him to be more comfortable with me, and I think I was able to show that I genuinely cared about what he was telling me.

I then talked to him a little more about why he came to the US and what it felt like being an outsider.  Sure he is not a Tibetan living in exile, but he was one of the closest things I could find here.  I asked him what some of the cultural differences were that he saw.  He talked about personal space, family relations, and a general better situation in life and more opportunities.  When I asked him what some of the most challenging things he faced moving here he expressed his frustrations with learning English, but that he also knew the importance of it.  Going for another kind of question, I asked him to give me an example of what an English lesson looked like for him when he first started taking the classes at the local university after long work shifts each day.  He commented a bit about the teacher, the class size, room, and also his desire to learn the new language, but by asking about a particular day I was able to get details about how the class was structured, what the relationship was between the teacher and pupils, etc.  It was a useful question, and again, if I am going to be writing stories I cannot afford to skimp out on detail.  I think that informal is the only way to go if I am going to get these kinds of descriptions about their experiences having not been to Tibet myself or lived in exile.

We finished our meals but I not only got a great informal interview, but also a new friend and a better understanding of what it might feel like to be A.  If I were to write up a piece of a story based on this conversation, I would start with his childhood and the fruit stealing.  Of course, to really get the full picture I would need to do several follow ups and keep the interviews coming, but it was a start!