^^please double click and zoom-in to read my field-notes.

Summary: I really enjoyed this field-notes practicum overall. By the scheduled time of our interview, my original research subject was unable to participate. In response, I called up my closest friend from UChicago and she eagerly agreed to participate (with such short notice). She showed me her simple evening routine of taking her allergy medicine. What unfolded from this field note-taking practice was an interesting cross-cultural observation of routine/seemingly-mundane activities. However, If one was to read and extract information from my field-notes, it would be imperative to provide greater context of Isha’s background (in which she has given me consent to do so). Isha was born in the United States and spent her first ten years in the States. She then moved to Uganda for middle school and spent her high school years at an international school in Delhi, India. She is a rising third-year and is spending her quarantine at her home in Uganda with her parents and brother. As a result of our close friendship, I recognized that I had approached this practicum with a biased-understanding of how she lives. Throughout the observational process, I found it was natural to ask her a few questions about her life in Uganda. These questions ranged from asking her to describe her daily-household tasks and the types of super-markets where her family shops. I think conducting field-work via Zoom has the potential to provide a more intimate and open setting between the researcher and their research participants. Throughout the Zoom call, I developed greater insight into Isha’s lifestyle at home. The insight I gained during the call revealed her individual versus familial responsibilities and some perspective on her relationship to the community around her. I also believe conducting field-work via Zoom provides increased limitations in comparison to in-person field work. I left the positioning of the camera to the discretion of Isha. She would often position the camera on her hands and not her face. Therefore, I could not observe or comment on her facial expressions during a few different instances of the call (which limited some of the observations I could make).