The Pond

Week 8

The setting is NMSU duck pond, at 9pm on a Saturday night. The weather has been unusually warm in late October, even for sunny Las Cruces. There were quite a number of people out by the pond. This might be due to the unusual warmth of the night air or because there was a large competition going on at the football field across the way. It was the high school tournament of the bands. There were hundreds of people from all over the area gathered to hear high school marching bands compete. At one point a band was crossing the pond and there were probably about sixty people or so, who walked carrying trumpets, drums, clarinets, and so on. All these people looked happy and excited for the night’s festivities. There was a sense of nervous anticipation and exhilaration. There definitely was a sense of community amongst the band members. The way they carried themselves, and interacted with each showed there were friendship and love in the band. Many band members were joking around with each other, laughing, and causing somewhat of a scene. They carried themselves with an air of being better than those around them, because there are always power in numbers. They weren’t annoying or anything, in fact, it was enjoyable to watch them. They seemed happy and excited. This shows that people tend to happier when they are in a large group of friends, and when they are doing an activity that they love.

The other noticeable group worth mentioning was a crowd of college students sitting at a table. Well, a few of them were at a table, and another small group of girls that I assumed was with those sitting at the table were laying by the water’s edge in a heap of people. Everyone was laughing and enjoying the night air. It was unclear if they were attending the football field’s festivities, or if they were just out for a stroll and decided to take a moment to what the pond had to offer. Two girls in particular were enjoying each other. They were both on their phones, but they were talking and comparing photos, or taking pictures with each other. It was interesting to see this interaction, because it demonstrated a modern way friendship has come about. Instead of talking over homework, or reading a magazine, they communicated, and bonded over cellphones. There is nothing wrong with this, it is just what the future is coming to. The other group members were not so involved with their phones, but they didn’t seem to be having half as much fun as the girls.

Last night was a success at the pond. I witnessed the bands gathering together, and that was enjoyable to see, as well as informative about how people out while in their element. I also witnessed the college students and how they interacted with each other, and that translates to what modern communication is coming to.