The Final Methods Practice

I chose to interview again as my final methods practice, as I imagine most of my investigations will be done through this method.  I'm not sure, but it may be hard to pick up a lot of meaning out of a participant observation where people aren't speaking English.  If the people in Bylakuppe use English frequently with one another, then participant observation would yield more useful information, however, I don't see them using primarily English when talking casually with one another.

For this interview I spoke with an owner of a respite care company that has similar roots as Karuna Home. He started the company because he felt great fulfillment and responsibility in working with people with severe disabilities.  His religious perceptions changed the way he felt about what he wanted to do with his life, as well as the mission of his company.  Because his religion (LDS) believes people with disabilities are blessings and teachers, he regards his clients very positively and treats them like the capable people they are.  I get the impression from the Karuna Home website that the monks that started this home felt similarly about the residents--that they are able and that their lives have meaning.  However, I'm not sure if both religions believe that individuals with disabilities should play active roles in the community, or if they just play different roles.

It was beneficial to interview someone who started a respite care company because my experience with the creators of Karuna Home might be similar in some ways.  One thing I noticed while interviewing was that the informant had little or no interest in providing in depth answers to questions about the logistics of his business.  He did, however, provide lengthy and analytical responses to any questions regarding the way he felt about the clients, his philosophy, religion, etc.  It let me know that his true intentions are to help the clients and that he has a passion for his line of work.  It will be a struggle to learn to word boring logistical questions in a way that elicits concrete, concise responses, if needed.