Day 1

Today, I learnt a lot.

Today, I'm sitting at my friends dining table behind the smallest laptop at the table (my 14" iBook is literally surrounded by 17" Toshiba's).

They're all playing World of Warcraft. I really want to play to, but have comitted myself not to as I really can't afford the time. So evey weekend when they play, I set up too with the intent of getting some schoolwork done. Readings and the like.

Today, I just can't concentrate - maybe it's because my week at work has been training session after training session after training session. So I've been sitting here - everynow and then glancing down at my readers, the tension mounting as I I know I have work due sooner rather than later.

For some reason I can't quite remeber now I agreed to hand in my autoethnography presentation a block earlier than the majority of the class. I guess at the time I thought it would help lighten the load of things due in block 3.

Anyway, I had read the readings throughout the week, but I still had absolutely no idea what the hell I'm supposed to be doing.

I could just power through the readings, but i don't think that'd get me very far.

About an hour ago, the wife of one of the World of Warcraft players came over too, and not being a player asked what I was doing. I think my words were "trying to get my head around this autoethnography thingy".

It turns out that ethnography is almost her Forte, having split most of her time between Australia and South East Asia as an aid worker. Ethnography is something she has a had a fair amount of experience with.

Within 30 minutes I'm tapping away at this keyboard, idea's for my presentation overflowing, and still she is questioning and challeneging me to go deeper. It's almost as if a light has been switched on for me, a sensation I last felt when I finally understood how ADSL works (something I now instruct others in at work).

This was a good learning experience - and at a good time as I still have another two weeks with which to create my presentation. I'm finally hopeful that I will actually do well in this subject.