First day in the field

So, if all they say in the books about feeling extremely uncomfortable, quite lost and drained on your first day in the field is true, I think I am on the right path. It is one of the most exhausting things I have ever done. Because it is not like going to a press conference, where the "thing" you want to know is there in front of you, or interviewing someone looking for a lead that is news. It is more subtle than that.

Today I just let myself get acquainted with the place: who is who, who seats where, where is the bathroom, how does it all feels together. I think I did a good job on that.

It is a funny game to be an ethnographer: you want to be as discrete as possible, to "merge with the background", but you also need to be interesting enough for people want to talk to you. And I tested it today: it all depends on your attitude and your body language. I am sure that some people thought I am a complete weirdo, others got interested in what I do, others couldn't care less. But in all cases it really depended on my attitude.

The other thing is that it is quite difficult not to confuse it with "the first day in your new job". I don't work there, and I won't work there. These people are not my colleagues, they are my subjects, I am interested in what they do -- trivial that it sounds when I explain it to anybody outside my own little usability/ethnography world -- and how they do what they do. So that might be kept in mind.

Tomorrow is the second day. And I don't have the "admin+getting to know the place" excuse. I need to bring home some solid results.