I just finished transcribing a 15
minute long interview I had recorded with my sister for English class about her
experience being 200 feet away from the bombs that went off at the Boston
Marathon last year. I was worried it would take hours on end to write down
everything we said. Once I found a system, it flowed and only took about an
hour. I slowed down the recording to half the speed, so I could type along,
word-for-word, the interview. It ended up being 8 pages long.
That is the most recent homework I
have had in English here at UNCC, but I can say that it was some of the most
enjoyable homework I’ve ever done. I discussed the interview on a couple of different
blog posts here before, but I didn’t go into detail about it, and I hadn’t interviewed
her yet.
I had such an amazing time doing
the interview with her. I actually learned so much about it and about her
feelings and what happened. As I stated in another blog post, I hadn’t ever
really talked to her about it because at the time of the bombings, I had some
really huge changes going on in my life so once I knew she was okay and safe
and that everything was going to be alright- we didn’t really discuss it again.
But after the interview, I learned about what happened at that time, what it felt
like being in that situation, and even a little more about who my sister is as
a person. I never knew that she tried to go in to help the people close to the
bomb. I was thrilled to learn how she felt about whether or not it changed her,
“I mean- I think it was a really
traumatic experience, but I also think that letting it affect my perception of
going into group events, and not going to sporting events, and not doing this
or that, would be essentially letting them win. And I definitely wouldn’t do
that. I mean, I would volunteer at the same place. I’d run it. I’d do anything.”
That is something that makes me so proud to call her my sister.
I went into the interview project with low expectations and
thinking it would be very boring, but I am so happy that I think it
semi-changed my life. Who knew a project for class could have that big of an
impact on you? I sure didn’t.
This makes me really interested to read your interview. Talking to people about these types of things is hard because you don't want to traumatize them further if the event was very psychologically painful for them. I think this is a perfect example of what we were supposed to do for this assignment, while my interview was really, really not. When I did my interview, I expected it to be boring too, but I was pleasantly surprised that I actually kind of enjoyed it, so we have that in common. It sounds like this interview brought you two closer together. It's strange how your perception of someone you know really well, like a sister, can be changed so significantly when you learn about a different facet of them or something you didn't know about them.
ReplyDeleteInterviewing about Boston bombs that happened last year, is good, especially interview somebody closer who lives few miles from the site where that tragedy happened. It is natural to be aware after a tragedy happened in a public place, this could even change your mind in going out, because anything could happened anytime. But we can’t give up minding our life, we can’t give up doing what we feel like want to do, and I think also anything happens anywhere. You have a love for you friend or sister and I am glad she was safe and you did have the interview about Boston tragedy.
ReplyDelete