On Thursday, we went to the market place of the common man, San Lorenzo, to survey Italians about their healthcare; while there, we needed to interview ten women and ten men about the healthcare in Italy. I found women more willing to participate, after some explanation, in the survey than men. Young people were also more willing to participate in the survey. They seemed to feel threatened.
I related this observation with soemthing that Luigi Barzini says in The Italians: "The problem the people faced under Fascism was as old as Italy; how to survive and possibly prosper in the midst of corruption, civil wars, revolutions and foreign invasions, under bloody tyrants and their greedy courties, without the protection of the law." (157) One could see the look in their eyes when they listened to our request for participation.
Overall, the experience of asking for participation in an unfamiliar language went better than expected, but the people were helpful in helping students with communication; and when all else failed, sign language became useful.
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Pamela, well done. Great job incorporating the reading.
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