Student Central

As I grab my usual order of coffee and take my usual seat in the center of the long table running through the middle of the shop, I observe that today there is much more activity than I had ever seen at shop. The crowd consisted mainly of students, one couple and one family with a small infant along with them. The people who make up the student population of the crowd are dressed very causally. T-shirts, gym shorts, tennis shoes, and flip flops and some sweat shirts are being worn, however, the couple seem to be dressed a little more formal with the guy wearing khakis, Sperry’s shoes, and a button down shirt and the girl is wearing black skinny jeans with a pair of long boots and a knit sweater. The weather is now permitting the wear of other items of clothing besides shorts and tank tops.

There are two girls sharing a laptop and working on an assignment for a child development class. Rory is trying to finish the assignment with Trisha’s help, however, she is having a hard time trying to stay on topic. The conversation jumps around from the weather, to the upcoming sorority event that is taking place this weekend, to the way their different teachers run each of their classes. They realize what they are doing and buckle down on their assignments. The conversation grew quieter and less frequent as they tried to figure out what their professor wanted them to do. Trisha seems to know what she is doing and Rory is having some trouble but they seem to work very well with each other. I notice they finish with one assignment and begin on another. The tables seem to have turned as Rory is taking the initiative with the calculus assignment at hand. The two now work vigorously with their heads together contemplating a difficult problem.

To my right, there is a girl in her mid-twenties with a hair full of dreads with thick beads embedded in every other tangled mass of hair talking casually with another male. The dreaded lady seemed very into the conversation and at times, began to raise her voice at points in her story. The two were very lively and seemed to be enjoying themselves greatly. They each had smiles on their faces as they listened intently to one another. From the bits and pieces of the conversation that I am picking up, they are telling stories of their travels taken over the summer and the different cultures that they had experienced throughout the places.

The weather outside today is very over cast and is setting a calmer mood in the shop. The heavy down pour of rain has reduced to a light sprinkle and through the many windows along the side of the coffee shop I see that there are multiple puddles that have formed on the concrete surrounding the building. White mugs of coffee and other warm beverages sit in front of the customers or are nestled safely in their palms.

This particular coffee shop is in a newer apartment complex in the city of Hell Paso and right down the road there is a university. The location explains the students that are occupying the shop and the families most likely live in the apartments.