This week, Danny and I had quite an unsuccessful development in relation to the community of Lincoln. We went to a similar number of houses this week but out of the fourty doors we knocked on, thirty-one answered and only two people allowed us to chat with them over a cup of tea. These weren’t terribly interesting experiences, as both participants weren’t very engaged or interactive – either way, this is a result and a representation of a section of Lincoln’s community. After speaking to the group this week, we do feel it can be our gender that is letting us down, or that our reasoning for wanting to enter their houses can seem quite hollow and unbelievable. This speaks a lot about the community that we have brought ourselves into by coming to this university.

Trust. Trust is an essence that is lacking in this city, and pressumably most cities. If two males in their late teens/early twenties approached your grandparents house, or any relatives house for that matter, and asked if we could share a cup of tea with them within their own home, most people of our age would hope they would decline this offer, but why? People seem to always jump to the worst case scenario, that drinking tea isn’t our real intention. This poses a number of questions about the people of Lincoln, which is considered to be one of the tame cities in the country. Why are people so cautious? Have they been given reason to not trust two male, second year Drama students? If they have had a bad experience with strangers, what makes myself and Danny the same as these people?

In a way, not being let in to someone’s home can tell you more about them than a cup of tea and a conversation could. Most of our experiences in relation to this task have been warming and we’re grateful of the voulenteers who allowed us to record them and talk to us. This being so, the fact that sixty-eight percent of people opened their doors to us and only six-and-a-half percent of all doors knocked on were willing to do this ten minute task for us. I just wonder how close we can get to our target, or if we can reach it. It’s been very eye-opening so far. (See the letter in the next post)