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In my auto ethnography, I decided to base my interviews on Carolyn Ellis’ interactive interviewing. Since I decided to dedicate my auto ethnography to a personal experience, I thought creating an environment of comfort and in a conversational way between the interviewee and me (the interviewer) was key to achieving my goal. Through an interactive interview, I was able to share my experience on the topic while learning about the interviewees’ experiences. Choosing two sports, soccer and tennis, also made me realize the differences in preferences and expectations each of my interviewees had about freshman year. I personally was able to relate best with the interviewee that played soccer in high school, but through the interviewee that played tennis, I was able to understand her perspective and compare it with mine. Soccer, being a team sport, creates more of an extroverted individual and therefore being surrounded by other people is of great importance, as the interviewee demonstrated, when talking about a college experience. Tennis on the other hand, being an individual sport, creates more of an introverted individual. This leads the person to greatly appreciate his or her alone time and therefore, as the interviewee mentions, when faced with a situation in which one is constantly surrounded by people, one always looks for some sort of escape to oneself, even if it means eating lunch alone. If it would not have been for the approach I took to create this auto ethnography, I would have not been able to relate my perspective and ideas with those I interviewed and I would not have probably gotten as much feedback from them either.
I also decided to take a narrative ethnographic approach, which is based on one of the many approaches Carolyn Ellis mentions in her book The Ethnographic I. I thought this approach would work best with my auto ethnography because through this approach, I would be able to contribute to the interview and relate my experiences and opinions on the subject with those of the interviewee. As Carolyn Ellis mentions in her book, this approach is one in which “the ethnographer’s experiences are incorporated into the ethnography description and analysis of others, and the emphasis is on the ethnographic dialogue or encounter between the narrator and members of the group being studied”. (Ellis 48). Because I knew that the best way to incorporate my personal situation in college with those I interviewed was by including my experience with sports, I decided to include a small portion of my background regarding soccer and what it has done for me.
Throughout my life, the soccer field has always been my stress-free location. I never really learned how to fully appreciate it though cause in a way I took it for granted. After going off to college and leaving this huge part of my life behind, I slowly came to realize how important this sport was to me. Stepping into a soccer field was basically my weekly therapy from all the schoolwork and stress. Right now in college I would have to say that I greatly miss being able to know that as soon as I was done with school I would get to experience the freedom a field portrays while being able to practice my passion.
I am sure that anybody who plays a sport would understand the joy one gets when finally being able to step into an open space like this one to enjoy, not only fresh air, but also a sense of accomplishment, satisfaction, relieve, and belonging. These are all features of what one gains from playing a sport. The field is basically what symbolizes all these components coming together. For this reason, a soccer field is responsible for much more than just taking the role of the location to go pass and kick a ball around, it is responsible for all the memories and attributes that have contributed either a big part or a small piece of what those who play the sport develop to become.
While in high school almost everybody joins a club, be it academic, social, athletic, etc. In my case, my most important and cherished group was my soccer team. It feels so good to have a place where everybody feels the same way about something, in this case the sport. My teammates were not only there with me on the field during practice and games, but many of them were also my best friends. During senior year, I greatly considered whether I should play soccer in college or not. I decided not to do so because I believed it would have been too much of a commitment, since in this stage of my life, my main commitment would be my classes. I do in a way feel empty sometimes, not having anything to look forward to, but I also greatly appreciate what this sport has done for me. Some of the key characteristics this sport has given me include, responsibility, commitment, time-management, and ambitiousness.
I think that out of all these characteristics, time management is probably one of the most crucial for succeeding in college; it is also many times one of the most scarce characteristics, especially during freshman year. Scheduling time is already hard as it is; as I mentioned before, being a freshman in college plus trying to schedule time is as hard as it can get. For this reason, I decided to think of ways in which my life could be made easier so I can take advantage and do more with my days here in college. First of all, I make a list the day before of all the things, as realistic as possible, I would like to achieve the next day. I give myself time spans to complete the tasks in the list while making sure that I give myself breaks; be it to exercise, hang out with friends, eat a snack, or even take a nap. It's easy to make a list; the hard part is to actually complete it. For this reason, the list should be made as realistic as possible. I personally find it much easier to make a list because since I have a set time to do everything, I know that if I complete the task in the time I set myself to do so, I will be able to get the amount of break time I set for myself. This system has helped me a lot because of the way it helps me see what I am actually capable of completing in a day and make plans to work progressively and not have to cram all the material for an exam the day before.
Although one may think that all those years of practice and dedication to a sport that one eventually just stops playing may be a waste, I sincerely think that it was the best decision of my life. Soccer has made me who I am today. I think that one of the main reasons college went so well for me from the start, in all aspects, was because of all the virtues that soccer has implanted in me. Participating in a sport is a key aspect to growth; it forms the base of who you will become and if you take advantage of what it gives you, chances are you will succeed in later stages of life. Being an athlete, be it in high school or in college, takes time and dedication. For this reason, people who play or have played sports, especially when they start at a young age, have a greater tendency to succeed at aspects of life that may include managing time, taking responsibility, making friends and being open to others' perspectives.
Through my interviews I was able to compare how people who have grown up playing a more individual sport, like tennis, compare to people who have been playing a team sport, like soccer. I came to the conclusion that although both of these sports give people similar foundations, tennis provides a more individual aspect, while soccer provides a more group-oriented perspective towards life. I was able to relate best with the interviewee that talked about his life here in college after having played soccer for all his life rather than with the interviewee that talked about how tennis has shaped her way of being. Although some people may find more benefits from playing a certain sport rather than another, I strongly believe that playing any sport helps improve one's quality of life enormously and gives one an advantage when starting a new stage of life due to the open mindedness one has already gained by learning how to work with others inside and outside the field or court.
I also decided to take a narrative ethnographic approach, which is based on one of the many approaches Carolyn Ellis mentions in her book The Ethnographic I. I thought this approach would work best with my auto ethnography because through this approach, I would be able to contribute to the interview and relate my experiences and opinions on the subject with those of the interviewee. As Carolyn Ellis mentions in her book, this approach is one in which “the ethnographer’s experiences are incorporated into the ethnography description and analysis of others, and the emphasis is on the ethnographic dialogue or encounter between the narrator and members of the group being studied”. (Ellis 48). Because I knew that the best way to incorporate my personal situation in college with those I interviewed was by including my experience with sports, I decided to include a small portion of my background regarding soccer and what it has done for me.
Throughout my life, the soccer field has always been my stress-free location. I never really learned how to fully appreciate it though cause in a way I took it for granted. After going off to college and leaving this huge part of my life behind, I slowly came to realize how important this sport was to me. Stepping into a soccer field was basically my weekly therapy from all the schoolwork and stress. Right now in college I would have to say that I greatly miss being able to know that as soon as I was done with school I would get to experience the freedom a field portrays while being able to practice my passion.
I am sure that anybody who plays a sport would understand the joy one gets when finally being able to step into an open space like this one to enjoy, not only fresh air, but also a sense of accomplishment, satisfaction, relieve, and belonging. These are all features of what one gains from playing a sport. The field is basically what symbolizes all these components coming together. For this reason, a soccer field is responsible for much more than just taking the role of the location to go pass and kick a ball around, it is responsible for all the memories and attributes that have contributed either a big part or a small piece of what those who play the sport develop to become.
While in high school almost everybody joins a club, be it academic, social, athletic, etc. In my case, my most important and cherished group was my soccer team. It feels so good to have a place where everybody feels the same way about something, in this case the sport. My teammates were not only there with me on the field during practice and games, but many of them were also my best friends. During senior year, I greatly considered whether I should play soccer in college or not. I decided not to do so because I believed it would have been too much of a commitment, since in this stage of my life, my main commitment would be my classes. I do in a way feel empty sometimes, not having anything to look forward to, but I also greatly appreciate what this sport has done for me. Some of the key characteristics this sport has given me include, responsibility, commitment, time-management, and ambitiousness.
I think that out of all these characteristics, time management is probably one of the most crucial for succeeding in college; it is also many times one of the most scarce characteristics, especially during freshman year. Scheduling time is already hard as it is; as I mentioned before, being a freshman in college plus trying to schedule time is as hard as it can get. For this reason, I decided to think of ways in which my life could be made easier so I can take advantage and do more with my days here in college. First of all, I make a list the day before of all the things, as realistic as possible, I would like to achieve the next day. I give myself time spans to complete the tasks in the list while making sure that I give myself breaks; be it to exercise, hang out with friends, eat a snack, or even take a nap. It's easy to make a list; the hard part is to actually complete it. For this reason, the list should be made as realistic as possible. I personally find it much easier to make a list because since I have a set time to do everything, I know that if I complete the task in the time I set myself to do so, I will be able to get the amount of break time I set for myself. This system has helped me a lot because of the way it helps me see what I am actually capable of completing in a day and make plans to work progressively and not have to cram all the material for an exam the day before.
Although one may think that all those years of practice and dedication to a sport that one eventually just stops playing may be a waste, I sincerely think that it was the best decision of my life. Soccer has made me who I am today. I think that one of the main reasons college went so well for me from the start, in all aspects, was because of all the virtues that soccer has implanted in me. Participating in a sport is a key aspect to growth; it forms the base of who you will become and if you take advantage of what it gives you, chances are you will succeed in later stages of life. Being an athlete, be it in high school or in college, takes time and dedication. For this reason, people who play or have played sports, especially when they start at a young age, have a greater tendency to succeed at aspects of life that may include managing time, taking responsibility, making friends and being open to others' perspectives.
Through my interviews I was able to compare how people who have grown up playing a more individual sport, like tennis, compare to people who have been playing a team sport, like soccer. I came to the conclusion that although both of these sports give people similar foundations, tennis provides a more individual aspect, while soccer provides a more group-oriented perspective towards life. I was able to relate best with the interviewee that talked about his life here in college after having played soccer for all his life rather than with the interviewee that talked about how tennis has shaped her way of being. Although some people may find more benefits from playing a certain sport rather than another, I strongly believe that playing any sport helps improve one's quality of life enormously and gives one an advantage when starting a new stage of life due to the open mindedness one has already gained by learning how to work with others inside and outside the field or court.