Monsoon Season in the Modern Jungle

Week 3 Observations

My observations this week are much different from before because there has been a drastic change in weather and road conditions which seems to have affected how many people, specifically older people which I have been consistently observing, are coming to the modern jungle this Thursday afternoon. Upon entering the feeding whole, I immediately notice that there is only about a third of the amount of people normally socializing here. Most, if not all, people here are young couples in their twenties or teenagers, ignoring the weather conditions in order to pass time and socialize with friends. It is beginning to rain harder every second and the clouds have covered up the sun, causing any natural lights from windows in the jungle to be muggy creating a dreary mood. The feeding whole is already nearly empty; there is only one group of teenage girls (18 or 19 years old) sitting here, two tables down from me. Each of them is dressed in the latest style of crop tops and high wasted shorts resembling the modern and ever-changing culture in this city. Their interactions- laughing and being extremely loud despite others walking by- illustrates their carelessness of those around them. It seems as if they feel they need to attract attention from those around them in order to feel confident in their interactions. I have observed this from many other groups of teenagers who have come to the jungle in the past three weeks.

As I make my way out of the feeding hole towards the long walkway, an employee at a cosmetics booth in the middle of the hall stops me by saying, “You dropped something back there”. So, out of curiosity, I look back on the ground, puzzled as I do not see anything but the bare floor. I looked back at him and he laughed, “You dropped your smile!” Although it was an obvious attempt to pull in his customers, I laughed and began to continue walking. However, he was insistent on me checking out his products and tried his best to make them seem as desirable for me as possible. Out of respect, I listened to what he had to say and quickly dismissed myself by promising to check out the products another time. One thing which really struck my attention is when he was explaining the products to me and he said “It comes from my country, where we make it out of all natural products”. The way he worded this proposition made me think about culture and how he views his culture in comparison to my own. He made it clear to distinguish that we are different in our ways of life by commenting on my personal appearance and how I should not paint my nails or wear so much make up because natural beauty is supposedly the most acceptable according to him. Of course he was respectful in the ways in which he worded this idea of beauty and its link to culture, but he was trying to promote a better way of life in which to live in terms of beauty.

While walking towards the exit, I still don’t notice any older people which I have made a point to focus on. I have come to the conclusion that weather effects their decisions in coming to modern jungle. On a day like today when it is raining and stormy and driving conditions are unsafe and chaotic, less people, specifically those of which are at least 40 and older, do not come to the mall to socialize or shop as I had noticed they had been doing on days when the weather was more desirable.