A view from the hotel breakfast area. NOTE: I did remember my underwear.
Published May 27, 2015, last updated on June 3, 2020 under Voices of DGHI
Five t-shirts, four long sleeve shirts, three scrub pants, two pairs of jeans, and a multitude of other clothing items lay scattered about my room as I decide what to pack for my 10-week research excursion. I will be implementing a survey to understand the health services street children may use in Battambang, Cambodia. My survey is ready, my tablets are tested and secured to collect the data. I've gathered all the chargers. But, something feels missing ...
Oh yeah—underwear.
For the next two months I will be writing about my fieldwork experience in Cambodia. Perhaps some of you reading this have gone out in the field and collected data before. Some of you may be completely new to the process. Either way, I hope my stories will give you a better idea of what fieldwork is like or give you new ideas of things to do while conducting your own work.
My tip for today: Preparation is important, but the execution is crucial:
On a balmy, sunny afternoon, three frogs are sitting on a lily pad. One frog decides to jump off the lily pad into the water.
How many frogs are on the lily pad?
Three. Deciding to do something is not the same as actually doing it.
