How to be an Explorer of the World Part 3

This week we got to interview people from Sanborn Lake. In preparation for this we had to read an article by Kathleen Blee. At first, I was unsure as to why we needed to read this specific article by after meeting with one of the men from Sanborn it was apparent that we needed to be knowledgeable about things in American History. I was excited to meet with him and get to know him. It was way out of my comfort zone, but it went well. I didn’t have grandpas or anyone who was that was a grandpa figure in my life. I enjoyed listening to his stories and memories of Sanborn Lake. Some of these memories were eye opening to me. He talked about things that were against what I believed but were things that are a part of history. However, it was so cool to see how strongly he cared for and believed in these things.

Before the interview took place, we had to read precautions and steps for conducting the interview. Chapter 4 was mainly about getting familiar with oral history. What it is, how to be prepared, and what to do to prepare for it. I didn’t expect there to be so much pre-interview work. I guess I had only thought that preparing the interview questions, but there was so much more. We had to prepare voice recording equipment, find a quiet place to hold the interview, talk with the interviewee and work around different schedules. Chapter 5 and chapter 6 were for during the interview and after the interview. Reading chapter 5 helped calm my nerves quite a bit before going in the interview. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this was reassuring about how to handle myself in the interview, what questions to ask, and how the interview would play out. Chapter 6 was about taking pride in your work. Understanding that conducting an oral history project is a big deal. It is a contribution to the public record. But what we had to keep in mind in our personal interview is that our interviewee didn’t want his information or stories put on record. I didnt see why someone wouldn’t want to help input about things that he/she cared about. But that helped me learn people skills and put myself in another person's shoes and situation.