Ethnography

Ethnography

October 30, 2014

Srcbalbe

Thursday October 30, 2014

5:10 pm I walk into the café and am taken aback by how many people are in here at this time. There is a fairly long line at the register and another crowd of people waiting at the bar for their drinks. Almost every seat or table is taken with people studying of having conversations.

5:11 as I sit down and take a look around one group of people captures my attention. Three women, a toddler, and an elderly man. They don’t catch my eye because they are making a lot of noise, in reality it is the opposite. They are communicating through sign language. All four adults are look as though they are from three different ethnicities. One Asian (with an Asian toddler), one Mexican, and the last woman and the elderly man are Caucasian. My knowledge of sign language is, well, I don’t have any. But despite that fact I’m still amazed by this language, like I am by any other language. I watch them for a while as they sit as a table and converse. After about ten minutes the group gathers their things, signs their goodbyes, and parts ways. Quickly the table they left vacant is filled up by a new group entering the café.

5:25 At the large conference table there seem to be two different groups inhabiting it. One group of four at the far end, and a group of three closer to me. The group of three consists of all girls. Two sit with their back to me while the third sits facing the two. Two of the girls sit and talk away their time at the café while the third studies viciously from a textbook and notes. The two women don’t seem to be talking about anything of serious importance, just gossip of everyday events in their lives. They pass their iphones back and forth showing evidence of whatever they seem to be talking about.

5:30 At the other end of the table the four men sis and talk over coffee and snacks. The four of them seems to be arguing back and forth why a mac is better than windows pc. What is better about the screen and space and what one can do more than the other. Suddenly two of the gentlemen leave and now at the far side of the conference table only two of the men are left, sitting across from each other. After the first two leave the conversation between the two left is dead. They get back to whatever they were working on before. Both these two guys are kinda hipster looking, but then again I can’t really tell forsure as they are a bit far and one has his back turned towards me.

5:36 I finally see what the men at the far end of the conference table were doing. Playing a game of scrabble! I’m sad I missed the details of the game but from the snippet of the conversation I heard before I’m sure it was an intense game. I’m glad I see another activity done here in this café other than studying.


 5:39 MALE: 11
FEMALE: 18

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