During the first week of field notes I had wondered if the two friends sitting across from me met at that spot frequently. This week I got my answer. Sitting in a chair against the wall to be able to get a better look around the second floor of Corbett, I look around and see those two friends sitting in the same exact spot from the first day of observation. This time they aren't just looking at their phones. From what I can see, they are working on class work, or at least they are trying to. I know from personal experience that it's too hard to actually get work done when you are with a friend or friends. It's too much of a distraction because you want to be talk about things other than school. So, you end up turning your attention to talking rather than getting your work done. Of the two friends, one seems more focused on his school work than the other one. The other friend has his work out but his attention is directed to either his friend or his cellphone.
As I look around, I find that it is more common to see a group or a pair of people than to see someone sitting by themselves. For the most part everyone seems to be doing school work or looking at some sort of electronic device. There is a group or two that are just socializing or eating or a combination of both. Some of the people that are working on something are eating as well, just as I would appear to be doing to anyone that looks my way. As I listen to what's going on around me, I realize that the classical piano music isn't playing. I also hear a lady's voice that stands out the most to me because I can hear her over everyone else. She has a very loud voice but she's just far enough for me to not be able to make out exactly what it is that she's saying. I wonder if she realizes how loud she is being… Doesn't she realize that there are people around her that are trying to study? Then again, maybe she just has a loud voice and can't help it. Anyways, I listen some more and I hear some coughs and some sneezing which makes me think that it's that time of the year when a lot of people start getting sick. This makes my mind wander off and think of all the people I know right now who are sick: my mom, my aunt, and a couple people from work. I can't help but to think how lucky I am that I have not gotten sick… yet.
I look around some more. Everywhere I look, someone is holding some sort of electronic device. I wonder how different a place like the second floor of Corbett would be back when there weren't all these devices. I wonder how different the mood would feel. Maybe a lot more livelier? More people would be sleeping between classes? Not too different at all? Being that cellphones and laptops are so common today, it's weird to think that there was a time when we wouldn't have seen them everywhere we looked.
Before I start to pack my things up to leave, I realize that the classical piano music starts to play. There must be a room with a piano so people can practice. I look around one more time and think that this floor was designed in a great way to allow students to come study, socialize, meet with people, eat and to feel comfortable while doing so.
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