ABSTRACT
Like many research proposals, mine looked good on paper, but proved to be utterly unworkable once I got to the field. In one of my first meetings with the Director of International relations at the University of the Oriente (my official sponsor) I was informed that I would not be allowed to use any questionnaires or survey instruments, and that each phase of my project had to be approved and supervised by at least two members of the faculty. Any requests for information had to be mediated by my supervisors at the university. They would also require me to pay them a substantial research fee in American dollars. Given my meager resources, and (in my opinion) the outra-geousness of the monetary request I became somewhat resentful. As a compromise I offered to pay them month-by-month. It put a serious dent in my finances, but I was in no position to argue.
