Flesh Out Characters
Penny (new zealand)
[Writing experiment]
Meeting Ailsa
I was at the bottom of the cup of coffee Ailsa had bought me. Without fault, just like all the other cups of coffee I enjoyed, inside the mug was now marked with rings of coffee stain resembling the layering rocks at the beach showing traces of time and its history. As my practice interviewee Cen said, “Everything has agency. Water, rocks ...” Looking inside the coffee mug, I could trace the number of sips I took, I thought. But that’s not my concern at that moment. I was worrying about some other things, one that’s probably the least important thing a researcher would worry about. I moved my gaze to the rim with the serviette ready in my hand, remembering the etiquette: do not leave lipstick marks on the rim. These all happened in a split of a second, between the chat, and Ailsa caught me.
“Now, tell me”, Alisa said.
Looking toward Ailsa, I thought: Oh dear, what have I done wrong? I thought the conversation went well.
Ailsa continued, “why your lipstick is still there, and mine is gone?”
We looked at each other for a few seconds and burst out laughing.
“Oh, this is called ‘tint’. It’s different from traditional lipstick. It can stay all day,” I replied, pulling out the ‘tint’ from my bag.
Ailsa’s eyes brightened up and asked how much? And if I would help get two for her, “... if I give you the money. The same colour. I like that colour”, she said, “I can’t go to the mall anymore.” Ailsa’s mobility was limited by Parkinson’s disease, but it did not stop her from appreciating her everyday life and looking after people, including a novice researcher. She insisted on buying me coffee. The barista at the rest home supported her and gave me a stern stare, then a smile, “Put your card away. You are taken care of.”
(Reflection)
The words from the barista may seem simple, but they mean so much. It all makes sense and become apparent now as I write. Ailsa looked after people. She took the opportunity to break the ice. I was nervous, and she saw that. That was my first meeting with a potential research participant whom I had never met before and outside the University campus, which I was unfamiliar with. I asked for this ‘initial meeting’ with Ailsa with the aim of breaking the ice. However, as much as I wanted to achieve that, my clumsiness did not help—a novice researcher. So, Ailsa helped. And she made it.
On reflection, I am happy with my edited ethnography notes, which I plan to use for my thesis. Encouraged by the coursework, I am now brave enough to argue for the values of using creative voices (in this work: metaphor, tell the story, dramatic voice, add colours) in my writing.