I interviewed my Dad for this project. Choosing a person to interview, was not that difficult because I knew my dad was a good story teller. However there were several other people that I considered. His story stood out the most because it related to things I was interested in. For example my dad talked about how his father saved animals, through the Fish and Game outfit he had set up. I, being very interested in animals found this story intriguing. Learning about my grandfather saving people really made me realize how much this story was worth hearing. Ultimately my interest in the work my grandfather did is what made me choose my dad to interview.
When listening to a story it is always nice to have some background information. My grandfather had three kids and they did not have a lot of money. However he always had a love for wildlife and helping people. He decided to set up a Fish and Game outfit, and a marine outfit. In doing this on his own free time, he saved many animals and people’s lives. Growing up my dad had raccoons and other creatures around the house. My grandfather would find them without mother’s and take them into his home and care for them. He also would go out on the boat into the river, in order to help save people. After he passed away a boat launching dock was dedicated to him for all the times he helped people out.
Before conducting this interview, I had a few concerns. I was worried that my father would have difficulty answering the questions because he may not have remembered very well. However, in the end he answered all the questions thoroughly and thoughtfully. My dad was concerned about the same thing. I had not given him the questions in advance. He was worried that he would not be able to come up with answers right away. When I interviewed my dad, I thought that he would mostly be talking about the Fish and Game part of the story. He ended up speaking more about the marine section of the story. Although I was a little disappointed about not hearing about the animals, I learned a lot of interesting things.
The interview process went fairly well. I learned many things that I had not known. For example, my dad told me about how my grandfather went and saved three people’s lives. I also did not know that he had set it up with no pay, on his own time. When interviewing my dad I felt very at ease which translates into the recording. The fact that we know each other very well made the process much more relaxed. If I had interviewed someone else I think that the answers would have shorter and not as through. However my dad had somewhat of a joking manner making it difficult to get serious answers. Overall the interview process went smoothly.
Difficulties that I experienced during the interview was that my father had a little difficulty coming up with answers. In the beginning of the interview he was unsure how to answer the questions. I stopped the recording several times in order to give him time to think. Due to this, I realized I should have given him the questions in advance. My dad’s joking personality also created some difficulties. It was hard to get him to give serious remarks. Eventually I was able to get him to give good answers. After this there were no troubles and the interview went very easy. My dad translated the stories very well.
The most surprising thing that I learned was about the boat dedication to my grandfather. I found this very interesting because it showed that people had recognized all the hard work he had done. I also found it neat that he had done this on his own free time with no money. It showed that my grandfather really cared about the community and the animals. However the most exciting story was learning about how my grandfather saved so many lives of people who could have drowned in the river. This showed me that you have to recognize a problem then create something to fix it. This is what my grandfather did in his community. I enjoyed learning about all the amazing things my grandfather did to help people and animals.
From this experience I learned that it is important to be aware of my surrounding and be an active member of my community. My grandfather’s stories told me this because it shows that it is important to be a part of your community like he was. Through his hard work and dedication he was able to achieve something that would benefit his town. He did this on his own time without being paid. This also tells me that it is important to not always expect something in return because the true reward is in the knowledge that you are helping someone out. The animal stories taught me something as well. It is important to be aware of our environment and be conscious of the other animals that live there.
My dad’s stories taught me a lot about my grandfather that I didn’t know. He looked up to him because of all the work he put into helping the community. I enjoyed talking to my dad because he made the stories entertaining and interesting. However if I was to do this project again I would give him the questions in advance. Overall the interview process went well and I thought that I learned a lot. The stories also taught me some important lessons. I’m glad that I know more about my grandfather and the work he did.