Salma Patel |This post was originally published January 15, 2013
Despite having planned to transcribe all my research interviews as I was going along, it didn’t quite work out that way. This was mainly due to the limited availability of participants and then the lack of them, which meant I re-located mid-way (very happily I must say) to my parent’s home for over two weeks so that I could conduct interviews one after the other. There’s nothing more I need or would want for motivation and energy than the fresh chappatis and curries my mother churns out every evening! Bless her 🙂
So moving on, having spent the last month trying to complete transcribing over 20 hours of spoken word (imagine – I have typed over 100,000 words only if that could be included in my thesis!), and having finally completed it today, I feel alive again! Yes, it was such a bore. I’m not saying my research is not interesting, of course it is very very interesting, and I can’t wait to start analysing the juicy data, but sitting for 7 to 8 hours per day, just typing away, is not only boring and tedious, but can be frustrating too especially when it feels like it’s never going to end. But it will end – if you are in the transcription phase, just hang in there, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Hence, to celebrate the end of the transcription phase (finally over!) and the start of the analysis stage (woohoo, can’t wait to get going!), despite the snow, I am taking my other half out to Pizza Express this evening (check out their 40% off offer yeah I know that’s cheeky but hey I am still technically a student).
Photo Credits: UBC Learning Commons Photo Stream
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