For my ethnography assignment, I decided to go and observe in a location not many would consider: Lafallet's Courtside.
To be specific, I observed the area in the back of the room, where everyone contemplates, orders, and waits for sandwiches. Sometimes, one could wait up to fifteen minutes (or longer) for their sandwich. Because of this, I found it a perfect place to see people's reactions to others when their hunger started getting the best of them!
Oberservations:
-my role: customer, waiting on a sandwich
-2 wooden (park style) benches
-1 giant list of sandwiches, placed in front of the kitchen counter
-an invisible parameter (something that seems like the customers created, for non-social and out of the way reasons).
-workers in red shirts/hats
-kitchen (sandwich)counter purposefully placed next to chips and "REFRESHING" coke machines (clever, huh?!).
-two girls sitting next to me on bench (discussing how they have not drank pop in years...and yet, she had two bottles of coca-cola products on her tray). (Story referencing clever placement of coke machines next to sandwich counter!)
-signs hanging above counter: "pick up here," "order here"
-1 worker, very friendly with "Have a nice day" comments, always
-black, ridged, tile shaped rugs forming carpet
-customers shifting weight back and forth while waiting beside chip stand
-1 worker (the guy supposedly taking orders) playing with the notepad (flipping it around)
-1 worker (the guy handing out the sandwiches, yelling names, and saying "Have a nice day") playing with his fingers that are in rubber gloves.
-Customers (students): most dressed in just about every style one could imagine, but with backpacks as well. Some people in pajamas, athletic attire, layers, jeans (tight, lose, baggy, very baggy).
-The entrance doors: both open (inviting and functioning as air conditioners to cool the room)
-Most food racks: empty, massacred from lunch hours (I'm guessing)
-Smells: Chicken and Dumpling and Clam Chowder soup, Sandwiches (all kinds)
-Temp: Stuffy
-Time frame: 6:15-6:32
Reflection:
-Color pattern used in Courtside: black and red. Used because of the school colors, or to entice hunger (red)?
-Since, they were not as busy as I thought they would be, kitchen staff seemed extremely bored (hence, playing with hands and such); however, most food racks were still empty (possibly, becoming a perfect reason during the down time of the store to re-stock).
- Overall, the staff were very cordial and nice, even though business was starting to pick up.
-Intriguing: Body Language: When people are standing alone and waiting, they do not make eye contact with others very often. Instead they stare. If there are two or more people standing together, conversations were always going and things were more laid back for them. I loved watching how people waited for their food though. Some people rocked back and forth, others stared at the chip rack for ten minutes straight acting like they were deep in thought, and still there were others who did the occasional nod and smile when people did catch them looking, etc.
Overall, this was a fun assignment. Also, I managed to get two things accomplished at one time: I did my homework and got something to eat for dinner (otherwise known as, "multi-tasking")!
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Procrastination!!!! AHH!
Well, after receiving grades today, it seems that I have been slacking more than I thought! I'm an awful blogger!
Anyway, to move onto a more productive blog: peer reviews weren't too bad today! It's nice to know that there are others who do not have theirs done. What's funny though is that the paper that I critiqued, the paper that I haven't critiqued yet, and my own paper have all centered around procrastination/procrastinators. There is a definitely a trend here! Because of this I quickly did an investigation to see how many college students procrastinate. From two different cites, I found that researchers estimate around 90% of college students procrastinate. Crazy, huh? Are you a part of this number? Though the number seems somewhat high to me, I can without a doubt relate to those who are in this category. For instance, instead of writing a couple of papers that are due this week, I am writing about procrastination right now!
Also, I understand that when blogging we are to be writing about things relative to English and this blog seems to be getting away from that. However, I beg to differ about the subject of this blog. Perhaps, if more people had some tips to work around this problem, they might manage tasks more efficiently (highly unlikely, seeing as most people are already set in their ways, but nevertheless, some strategies could be helpful). Here we go, if you are a procrastinator keep reading for helpful tips/strategies.
Time management:
Look ahead and use your time wisely and efficiently. To many of us, getting started on homework assignments is the worst. We put it off, until the night or hour before the due date. To avoid this, try making lists of what is due first, what will take the most time, and how much time you have to do it. Once your planner is finished, dive in!
“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” -Martin Luther King, Jr.
Break time:
By using your time wisely, allow yourself breaks now and then. Get an idea of what you want to accomplish and then reward yourself with a break or something different to step away to. For me, cooking or listening to music (or both) can do the trick!
Avoid emailing and phone calls, unless necessary too! This is an awful habit as college students!
Well, I have procrastinated long enough! Now that I have taken my break, I think I'll go back to writing my English 435 paper! :)
Anyway, to move onto a more productive blog: peer reviews weren't too bad today! It's nice to know that there are others who do not have theirs done. What's funny though is that the paper that I critiqued, the paper that I haven't critiqued yet, and my own paper have all centered around procrastination/procrastinators. There is a definitely a trend here! Because of this I quickly did an investigation to see how many college students procrastinate. From two different cites, I found that researchers estimate around 90% of college students procrastinate. Crazy, huh? Are you a part of this number? Though the number seems somewhat high to me, I can without a doubt relate to those who are in this category. For instance, instead of writing a couple of papers that are due this week, I am writing about procrastination right now!
Also, I understand that when blogging we are to be writing about things relative to English and this blog seems to be getting away from that. However, I beg to differ about the subject of this blog. Perhaps, if more people had some tips to work around this problem, they might manage tasks more efficiently (highly unlikely, seeing as most people are already set in their ways, but nevertheless, some strategies could be helpful). Here we go, if you are a procrastinator keep reading for helpful tips/strategies.
Time management:
Look ahead and use your time wisely and efficiently. To many of us, getting started on homework assignments is the worst. We put it off, until the night or hour before the due date. To avoid this, try making lists of what is due first, what will take the most time, and how much time you have to do it. Once your planner is finished, dive in!
“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” -Martin Luther King, Jr.
Break time:
By using your time wisely, allow yourself breaks now and then. Get an idea of what you want to accomplish and then reward yourself with a break or something different to step away to. For me, cooking or listening to music (or both) can do the trick!
Avoid emailing and phone calls, unless necessary too! This is an awful habit as college students!
Well, I have procrastinated long enough! Now that I have taken my break, I think I'll go back to writing my English 435 paper! :)
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