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Jun. 8th, 2007 05:00 pmWe have been spoiled this week. There were goodies on the table again today - mini Snowballs and some butter biscuits, clearly the last remains of a tin, but never look a gift horse in the mouth.
One of my first respondents was a French-speaking Algerian lady. I asked her some of the questions in French early on, but was crushed when, after I'd tried asking her one question in French twice, she replied "I am sorry, I do not speak English very well." I've always prided myself on my French and, indeed, have always been able to make myself understood in France without resorting to English or sign language, so to find my French was unrecognisable as French to a native speaker was demoralising. (Though, thinking about it now, maybe her first tongue was Arabic and French only her second language.) She did at least complete her interview, both of us speaking English, although the mere mention of whether she worked, or whether she was looking for work, or anything along those lines was enough to distract her, several times, into a long plaint about how no-one would employ her because her English wasn't good enough, and a couple of questions remained utterly beyond her comprehension.
Dan came over a couple of times and kept Kevin the cricket nut, sitting next to me, updated on the Test Match score. I came off one call and heard, about a minute later, Kevin clearly talking to the same lady I'd just been interviewing, and explaining to her that this time it was for her mother and father. It turned out that her parents live in the house's granny annexe - we survey all separate households within the same address, so naturally once I'd come out of doing the main house, the annexe was next out of the mixer. In this case, though, this lady had been answering on behalf of her parents. So no sooner do I say goodbye to her, and she thinks she's finished with our survey, when Kevin phones her and introduces himself as calling in connection with that self-same survey... No wonder she needed an explanation.
Towards the end of the shift Kevin began telling to the ladies around him that he might go to the cinema today. In between doing my calls, I could discern that they were now discussing Pirates Of The Caribbean 3. Rosie said something about someone she knows 'watching it just for Johnny Depp'. Kevin added "A lot of women watch it just for Johnny Depp." He paused, then began "A lot of men watch it..."
"...watch it just for Keira Knightley," I chimed in.
"You and me both," said Kevin, turning to me, then turned back to the girls and continued "A lot of men watch it just for Johnny Depp as well."
4 days of freedom now. The plants need watering...
One of my first respondents was a French-speaking Algerian lady. I asked her some of the questions in French early on, but was crushed when, after I'd tried asking her one question in French twice, she replied "I am sorry, I do not speak English very well." I've always prided myself on my French and, indeed, have always been able to make myself understood in France without resorting to English or sign language, so to find my French was unrecognisable as French to a native speaker was demoralising. (Though, thinking about it now, maybe her first tongue was Arabic and French only her second language.) She did at least complete her interview, both of us speaking English, although the mere mention of whether she worked, or whether she was looking for work, or anything along those lines was enough to distract her, several times, into a long plaint about how no-one would employ her because her English wasn't good enough, and a couple of questions remained utterly beyond her comprehension.
Dan came over a couple of times and kept Kevin the cricket nut, sitting next to me, updated on the Test Match score. I came off one call and heard, about a minute later, Kevin clearly talking to the same lady I'd just been interviewing, and explaining to her that this time it was for her mother and father. It turned out that her parents live in the house's granny annexe - we survey all separate households within the same address, so naturally once I'd come out of doing the main house, the annexe was next out of the mixer. In this case, though, this lady had been answering on behalf of her parents. So no sooner do I say goodbye to her, and she thinks she's finished with our survey, when Kevin phones her and introduces himself as calling in connection with that self-same survey... No wonder she needed an explanation.
Towards the end of the shift Kevin began telling to the ladies around him that he might go to the cinema today. In between doing my calls, I could discern that they were now discussing Pirates Of The Caribbean 3. Rosie said something about someone she knows 'watching it just for Johnny Depp'. Kevin added "A lot of women watch it just for Johnny Depp." He paused, then began "A lot of men watch it..."
"...watch it just for Keira Knightley," I chimed in.
"You and me both," said Kevin, turning to me, then turned back to the girls and continued "A lot of men watch it just for Johnny Depp as well."
4 days of freedom now. The plants need watering...
