Ethnography

Ethnography

October 5, 2014

Surrounded by Older People




I enter the coffee shop and as usual I go and order my beverage. A Chai Tea. This time when I enter the shop it is rather warm. I was hoping to get out of the heat. I am greeted by the usually indifferent employee who seems to be happy once again this time. I seat myself in my usual spot and am waiting. There are two girls sitting on the sofa next to me. One of the girls goes to the bathroom and the other sits and waits. While she is waiting and man comes in and looks straight at me and I look away hastily. Then I hear a girl a couple of tables away from me say, “You found it!” and the man goes to greet her. He probably just looked at me because he was looking for her. The girl who went to the bathroom came back and is asking her friend if her hair is okay. The friend just compliments her on how pretty she is. Then they get up to leave. Across the room from me is a man who seems to be diligently working on his computer and doesn’t seem to be very happy. An older couple enters the shop, orders and sits down next to the computer boy. When the indifferent employee come around the corner you can see the concentration in trying not to spill. She gets to her destination and gives the couple their drinks. As that is happening a girl enters the shop and immediately goes to use the restroom. She comes out but doesn’t seem to order anything and sits on the sofa. I just noticed that the employee, Nick from my first trip here is working. He hasn’t come out from behind the counter though. Another older couple comes in the shop and sits on the table next to me. The man seems alright but the wife looks to be really bitter. She leaves the table to get napkins and complains out how dirty the table is and makes her husband get up to see what the wifi code is. The girl who didn’t order anything takes out her laptop and starts to work. I feel like that would be rather uncomfortable. I just noticed that the shop bought new flowers for the tables. This time there is white daises. A new girl just entered the shop and says to the laptop girl, “Sorry to keep you waiting!” and laptop girl says, “No it’s fine!” The new girl who I will call blondie puts down her stuff to order a drink. An older man with a heavy looking bag put down his stuff as well but had walked in before her and is ordering something as well. The older man I will call bag man. So bag man retrieved his drink and walked to the back to sit in a different area from where he put his bag. He realizes he forgot and comes back to pick it up. He looks annoyed at himself. Blondie returns to her friend and it seem like they are talking about school. Blondie asks the girl, “So why do you want to major in Biology?” I don’t catch laptop girl’s response. I think the girls are still in high school though. The man who was sitting across from me working on his laptop seems to have become friendly with the woman of the  first older couple near the window. Nick is messing around with the indifferent employee and is smacking her with a cloth. I can’t see her response but it seems like she is playing around as well. The bitter older woman just got up to use the restroom. Nick is now unloading all of these oranges in the juice maker. There is a whole tub worth he is taking out. The bitter woman just came out of the bathroom and is doing more complaining. She goes to refill her drink. Nick now lifts the whole top of the juice maker out. Seems to be a pretty fancy juice maker because it’s really big. Eww the first older woman just took off her shoes and is putting her feet all over the chair. Oh my goodness George and Robert form a couple times ago just walked in the shop! The two guys I thought were professors? They just ordered a drink. Another older man with a motorcycle helmet just walked in. He seems to have a younger persona. While he is waiting to order he looks around the room and when we make eye contact he smiles. Another group of older people walked and order. One of the ladies comes up to me to ask if she can take one of my chairs. Dang that the only thing anybody has asked me since I started this.  She seems to have a thick German accent. The rest of her party sits down with her and they are speaking English but they all seems to be from the same place. George and Robert sat too far away from me so can’t see what they are doing. Well it’s time for me to go until next time!

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