We were first transported to the Makeni National Petroleum gas station, ready to set out on our first survey collection day (see video of some of our drive). IMG_0915 We split up into two groups: Dr. Bocchini, Nate, and Sulaiman and  Anna, Lindsay, Dr. Buceta, and SalifuT. As the day continued, each team gained valuable insights about interviewing in Sierra Leone. We learned that several questions were not easily understood by interviewees and need to be edited for clarity. Some of the questions we thought were the simplest were actually the hardest for Sierra Leoneans to understand because of differences in language and cultural norms. Many concepts that are extremely normalized in the United States such as household income, even on a daily basis, are not really quantifiable in Sierra Leone. We learned that asking about other quantities, for example, the number and type of meals a respondent eats in a day is a better way to judge income. Another insight is that World Hope is very well known in the area and mentioning them gives us instant credibility in the eyes of our respondents, which is very valuable in gaining their trust. Anna found out the hard way that a rain jacket is always essential in Makeni because it rains at least once a day and the weather can change from being extremely sunny to pouring rain in a matter of minutes.
We completed a total of 22 surveys and had a very eventful day. Nate met a woman who seemed interested in marrying him, but he declined politely. The team also saw a group of baby kittens laying on the ground of a house they interviewed, which were very cute and not uncommon to see in the villages. Dr. Buceta held an adorable baby at one house; who he entertained while we interviewed the mother.
The team worked from 8pm until past midnight to revamp the survey and fix some questions to prevent future misunderstandings. For example, we clarified that we wanted to learn how long it takes respondents to get water during the dry season, not the wet season, since those times vary greatly. We also changed the order of some questions to not mention disease at all until later in the survey because we think it may have been leading and could change the respondent’s answers later on in the questionnaire. We struggled with the internet at the resort at times, so we took a break with a dinosaur game on the computer that appears when there is no internet connection. Dr. Bocchini was a fast learner and got a high score soon after we began playing. After the internet rebooted, we submitted a revised IRB proposal with our new additions to the survey, prepared for another day of surveying, and Dr. Bocchini retired to his room to continue playing the internet game. Overall the day was very valuable to perfecting the questionnaire and getting accurate and useful data.
