Ethnography

Ethnography

September 21, 2014

The Warrior Sanctuary

week three....


My visit today was spent outside watching people as they arrive.  I see many people coming and going.  I notice the people have a common ground; they seem to be very personable with each other.  I start off sitting right across from the bus stop. I sit near a planter where they have a wide range of desert plants i.e. cacti, and yucca tree. It appears they have some zero landscaping in this one section of rocks, very fitting for the desert scene. 
It is a very beautiful set up with what looked like some sort of desert lavender with a very earthy fragrance. The wall is about 3 feet high which is very comfortable and shaded from a mesquite tree. This mesquite tree provides lush leaves and a very nice canopy.  I know have a birds eye view of the bus stop, smoking area, front entrance to the building and a car drop off lane for patients requiring assistance for drop off.  The bus stop gives shade and benches for patrons to sit in comfort.  The open waiting area is with several blue pole and angle iron providing support and a screen roof that is also used for shade. The smoke area is about nine to ten feet away from the bus stop. Seems like the front entrance strategically place under shade trees for comfort. It does not smell of waste or trash. The area is well maintained.

As I sit and watch several people walk up seems to be these people are in a rush.  They are shuffling through papers that I assume are appointment slips.  The first person I observe is middle aged woman dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. She was a part of 325 BSB Cold Steel Medics out of Schofield barracks Hawaii.   Her shirt clearly a navy blue and bright yellow letters looks exactly like one would see civilian paramedics wear on duty when working on an ambulance.  She walks up and asks a gentle man where Kravin Clinic is.  The gentleman points her inside and tells her the volunteers actually can show her where to go.  She thanks him. She takes off, rushed inside, with a bit of urgency. 
As fast as people walk in people walk out with less urgency. When they walk out they are taking time to converse outside and shake hands with other patrons, etc

There are two gentlemen who are sitting across on another they seem to be caught up in a heavy discussion. Both men are intensively staring at each other’s faces. They smile which leads me to believe it’s not a bad conversation.
They are different ages of men that sit on this particular bench. The range of age I have seen so far is about 30 years to 70 years old. A man in his 30’s who is dressed in khaki cargo shorts and nike shoes with a lot of wear and tear. He has a polo shirt on that is burnt orange in color that is snug around his mid- section. He also has a pair of Oakley sunglasses that are hanging from the front of his polo shirt.  The older man has a pair of denim blue jeans that looked pretty new as new denim blue jeans would look.  He has on a pearl snap long sleeve shirt with his glasses case hanging out of the front left pocket. His shirt is tucked in and he was wearing an older brown belt with a belt buckle, which has two rifles crossing each other. 

My friend explains that the belt buckle with two rifles is the emblem used for men who were infantry units in the army. He has on a gray and brown fedora that looks like one you might see in an old gangster movie that is slightly tipped down with a bit of style.  He has on a pair of brown loafers that look comfortable and easy to put on and take off. The young man makes a comment that the old man chuckled in response.  He tells the old man that he looks as if he has a bit of swagger. They sit and talk until a new Cadillac pulls up and the old man says He must go his wife has arrived. The young man stand up and help the older man stand up. They escort him to his car where a younger lady in her 40’s greeted them by opening the door for him. He shakes the old man’s hand and then lady thanks him for his help.  The car pulls away and the young man place his sunglasses on his face and walks to the parking lot where I eventually lost sight of him.

This place has a huge amount of happiness, caring and patriotism. The people that come here fought hard for what they believed in. They come here to get help and I come here to be amazed. These people are patient, kind, understanding, witty, comical and just over all have a good outlook on life.




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