This week was spent refining my research design. I've tried to visit as many University of Toronto libraries as possible to do my work and its been nice – they are wonderfully air-conned and most importantly, empty!
I've also been drafting my interview questions and getting feedback from my supervisor and the other interns. It's hard to balance the pressure of knowing that once I have the questions locked, I can't change them. Part of me is scared that they won't be optimal and the damage will be irreversible. However, I know that I just have to commit and that I will have to learn from my mistakes if they don't yield the results that I want them to.
This Sunday, I also attended my first AITP event - Samba in the Park! It was a lovely experience. I was there trying to recruit interviewees but I found myself talking to lots of people about the community and their lives. It was also the furthest I've been away from the core of downtown and it's nice to see a new side of Toronto that isn't just big glass skyscrapers. I was extremely intimidated trying to get people to sign up. But, I was able to refine what I said with each new approach based on what had been received positively before, and adapt to the things that would hold the most attention.
Outside of work, I went to the Royal Ontario Museum. A lot of dead dinosaurs.