Ethnography

Ethnography

November 17, 2015

Cold Weather, Hot Coffee, Coughs, and New Friends

It is one blustery day and everyone is packed into the corner café like sardines. It is about six o’clock at night and there is a lot of people seeking shelter from the crazy cold wind. No one is sitting outside because of how cold it is, so everyone and their mothers are inside. There is maybe two or three seats open out of all the seating. Even the bar area is full. There is no one coming in, but there is also no one leaving, so traffic is slow.
There is some upbeat music playing inside and the lights are low because all the light is coming through the windows. There are a lot of people studying at the tables, this could be because there are “pre-break” exams this week. There are no couples this week, thank goodness! But there are a couple of study groups. The sign language group aren’t here today, which is probably a good thing because those poor people would have nowhere to sit! Aside from the two groups of students, the rest of the people are just here to relax and drink coffee. Surprisingly, there are very few people here that are on laptops and on their phones today… WEIRD!
I had to sit at one of the comfy chairs today and the person to my left is reading a newspaper and the person to my right is just sitting there thinking about life, so it seems. The man to my left is right next to the door so every time someone comes in he looks at the door slightly irritated and sinks a little more into his jacket and chair to warm himself up. The people across from me at the other comfy chairs are also not on their phones or computers. One person is listening to music and enjoying her coffee, the other two are just talking to each other.
Since there is no traffic of people, it is pretty quiet inside because the coffee machine isn’t running. You can hear the baristas talking to the people at the bar. I am almost positive that the people sitting at the bar also work here but they are just not on the clock. The baristas are always talking and laughing and having such a good time, they must really enjoy the fact that they have fun at work! One of the workers is putting out all of the Christmas mugs and there is at least three people looking at them. Mugs with designs on them are the best, and I think people tend to buy them, not only because they are ‘limited edition’ or for Christmas presents, but because they allow them to make hot drinks! Everyone inside the café has a hot drink right now with the exception of two crazy people who got frapps.
There is also a lot of sniffling and coughing going on, including myself. This weather has definitely been affecting us poor southern New Mexicans. And when people start feeling bad or get sick, where do they go? Coffee shops. Whether its to get tea, hot coffee, or to get the cozy feeling and vibe of a coffee shop. That’s why I’m here, I want some hot tea! There are two girls sitting at the table in front of me and they are both in hoodies and sweatpants, such as myself, and drinking tea also! We actually just joked about how we were triplets because we were all dressed the same, drinking tea with honey, and working on homework. This is another example of how people are so nice and how people can get bond over the silliest things. Now, I’m sitting at the table with them and doing homework. Pretty sure they just felt bad that I was trying to write on paper on my leg. But hey! New friends!
Well, that about wraps up my night here at the corner café!


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