Special: Eggs and Chorizo

It is breakfast time and walking into the restaurant, the first smell that impacts you is the smell of all the food that is cooked. The first thing that comes to my mind is man I hope I don't smell like food when I get out of here! You’re eyes are immediately drawn to the colorful chairs with many authentic Mexican figures on them, such as las catrinas, mariachis and others. I sit in one of the corners so I can have a better view of everyone that is there. The waitress comes up to me and asks me what I would like to drink so I quickly order an orange juice.

My eyes are first drawn to a group of five people sitting in uniform. One of them is playing a video game on his phone while the other ones are chatting away. The waitress comes back with my orange juice and asks if I am reading to order, not having even looked at the menu yet I told her I needed more time.

Sitting close by is a little old man sitting by himself reading the newspaper with his to go boxes ready in a bag next to him. The look in his eyes seem like he is a very sweet old man and I want to go sit with him so he won’t be alone, but I don't have to nerve to do that. He leaves almost 10 minutes after I get there being entertained only by the article he is reading.

Throughout the restaurant you can hear all the background noise coming from the kitchen, dishes clanking, some music, and every now and then the steam can be seen from whatever they are cooking. The waitress comes back and takes my order of eggs and chorizo, the special they had that day. She looks at me with confusion, because she can see all the scribbles I am writing on my napkin.

There is one older couple sitting side by side, they look to appear around their 50’s, holding hands. A second couple another elderly couple, maybe around their 60’s, sit in front of each other and they are chatting away like there is no tomorrow; smiling and laughing every now and then. It makes me really think about how special it might feel to have that one person you have always loved and over the years, there’s still so much left to talk about.

The group of five people in uniform leave, while a group of three a mother and her two daughters, I assume, because they look very much alike. The hostess greets them with a smile on her face saying “Buenos Dias”, and leads them to their table.

There are five waitresses, each walking around busily attending their customers. Towards the back of the restaurant where the kitchen is, you can see two of them singing together with the song that is playing in the kitchen, which to me is pretty amusing because they remind me of myself. As I watch them, one of the waitresses comes out from the kitchen and appears to be dancing, moving her hips from side to side as one leg goes back and then the other; however, she wasn't dancing, she was rubbing her shoes on the carpet that is right in front kitchen entrance, and I laugh at myself.

When I finish paying, I leave and I soon as I walk out the door, I can smell the stench of food that remains in my hair and clothes, but it’s alright because the food was worth it.

Coffee Shop

As I walk into the coffee shop I notice that the walls are full of different sayings, in different colors. While walking towards a table I notice a saying that my grandpa used to always say when I was little, “mas sabe el Diablo por viejo, que por Diablo.” Meaning that ‘wisdom comes with age,’ (or so I believe). As I’m looking over the menu I notice that the waitress is overwhelmed by the number of people in the room, after a few minutes she comes over introduces herself and asks what I’ll be having. With it being my first time in that coffee shop I asked her what she would recommend, I don’t think I will ever forget the way she expressed herself about the drinks and the food there. She said, “mira mija, tenemos una bebida para cada sentimiento, y una rebanada de pastel para cada pensamiento, solamente dime como te sientes y yo ago el resto.” (Look darling, we have a drink for every feeling and a slice of cake for every thought, just tell me how you’re feeling and I’ll do the rest.) As I laughed due to her response I said, “I’m feeling happy and a bit curious,” then she smiled and simply walked away.

While looking around the room trying to read all of the sayings, I notice an older couple sitting across the room, the lady was laughing with joy. As I watched them I couldn’t help but smile, they looked really happy. The waitress, Linda, comes over with a mango peach tea and a white chocolate raspberry slice of cake, she then says, “ellos son los Velasco, tienen 40 anos de casados y 20 de venir a esta cafeteria, tienen 7 hijos y aun siguen tan enamorados como el primer dia. A mi tambien me dan ternura, imaginate encontrar al amor de tu vida y estar casado con esa persona por tantos anos? Ya quisiera yo encontrar a mi principe.” (Those are the Velasco; they have been married for 40 years, have 20 years of coming to this coffee shop, and have 7 children. They’re still madly in love; imagine finding the love of your life and being married to that person for so many years? I wish I would find my prince.) As she walked away I stared at them, I couldn’t help but wonder what it’s like to find someone and be that happy with them.

While taking a sip of my tea I notice a guy sitting in the table across from me, he saw me staring and smiled, I smiled back. I noticed that he kept looking at his watch and then up at the clock that was hanging on the wall; he would pick up the menu stare at it for a few seconds and then put it down on the table. Linda goes over and asks how he’s doing, the guy, quickly responds, “oh no, I’m waiting for someone, I won’t be ordering anything yet.” Linda smiles and walks away. A few minutes pass by and his behavior is the same, stares at his watch, the clock, and then takes a quick look at the menu. I hear a loud laughter coming from across the room and I notice it’s the Velasco couple, as I smile and turn back to take a piece of my cake I notice that the guy sitting across from me is gone. I quickly look over the room, trying to search for him and nothing, he was gone. The fact that he kept anxiously staring at his watch and the clock made me wonder, had he been stood up? Or just afraid of meeting up with the person he was waiting for?

Coffee Crazed

As I opened the door and walked into the Coffee Shop the eyes of the woman working behind the counter shot towards me, and with a smile she welcomed me. After I ordered a drink I sat at a table and noticed the distinct aroma of coffee beans traveled through the store.

           

Two middle aged women, Martha and Jan sit near me, drinking their large coffees and are discussing many things including work related problems, giving each other advice and gossiping about what I assume are their husbands.

            

Soon a group of four middle eastern men came in speaking what I am guessing is Farsi, very loudly, laughing at the top of their lungs and once they order they all sit down and continue their conversation while all using their laptops.

            

The employees behind the counter are all rushing back and forth trying to complete all of the orders being made due to the influx of customers and one of them, I’m guessing she’s the manager is commanding them to complete their tasks.

I can hear many conversations, a couple of middle-schoolers look to be on a first date and awkwardly sit next to each other on a couch against the wall, the boy slowly moved his hand onto the girls and they sat there in silence holding hands and drinking their coffee awkwardly. The lovebirds finally began talking and soon broke the awkward silence and I can see them laughing.

            

One man sits by himself in the corner on his laptop with his ear buds on as he types away on what looks to be homework. He looks like he has been here for hours, because he has three empty coffee cups on his table and he has a distraught look on his face, but he still slaves away at his homework, ignoring every thing around him.

            

The Lovebirds finished their drinks and walk outside to tell each other goodbye, they stopped holding hands and the girl gets in her moms car and leaves. The boy walks back into the shop and sits, looking at his phone.

            

An elderly woman, pan, walks in and orders a sandwich, as she waits she reads a newspaper, and when her order is complete she goes to get it but drops it on the floor, she shouts a vulgar word and everyone in the shop seemed to stop what they were doing and looked at her in shock. She seemed no to notice and just picked up the sandwich and went back to her seat where she ate it anyways. Everyone went back to their conversations and Martha and Jan finally got up and left the shop. The group of foreigners seemed to disappear, as I couldn’t find them anymore.

As the shop begins to prepare to close, the employees seem to have calmed down and are laughing with each other, even the uptight manager cracks a joke as they all clean up and dance along to the music playing in the background. They seem not to care what the few remaining costumers think since they are about to be off work. At this time everyone began to gather their items and leave.

I am left alone in the shop with the employees and before I leave they give me a free drink and tell me to come again soon.

The Red Sofa

I enter the building and the smell of exotic coffee flavors washes over me. Immediately I am greeted by the employees that are behind the counter. One of them has an indie alternative type of style look and smiles. I will call him Josh. The other employee doesn’t say one word to me but just has a placid look plastered on his face besides the slight smile lingering there. He looks like a Nick so I will call him that. He waits while I look at what I want to order. I tell him that I’m going to need a minute and from a glance I just see him make a hand gesture as if to say “I got you.” I place my order and realize that I don’t have my wallet which is in my car. I leave and come back to see my coffee waiting there for me. Still the cashier doesn’t say one word to me. I find a table for me to sit at and immediately beginning typing. The vibe I get from this place is really rustic and has an informational side to it considering the political news station playing on the radio.

There are two gentlemen sitting next to me. Both of them look to be in their later forties or early fifties. To the right of me sit two younger girls who seem to be in a study group for one of their classes. Across the room from me is a lone girl who seems to be studying or doing homework. From now on I will call the two older men Robert and George. Robert and George seem to be professors, businessmen but maybe even students. Both of them have notepads in front of them. Both scrawling across the page and constantly looking back and forth on their tablets. I’m slightly confused on what to make of these gentlemen because they haven’t said much to each other but seem to be doing something related.

The two younger girls I will call Samantha and Ashley. They are both still at it going away at homework, Samantha hunching over the table trying to figure something out and Ashley sitting her legs crossed facing her friend with her back against the arm rest. All was calm until Samantha gets a phone call. By the way that Samantha is speaking all excited it seems that the person on the other line is a friend because her voice keeps getting louder and louder! Then Ashley joins in the conversation and they both start getting excited. I can’t make out what they are saying but it seems like they are packing it up getting ready to go.

Meanwhile the lone girl who I will call Megan is still studying away. Robert just got up to refill his coffee or put more sugar and George keeps on working. The first employee Josh just came from the back without his apron on and comes up behind the lone girl, Megan. Megan immediately turns around with a smile on her face. This is surprising… it seems like they know each other. They start in happy conversation though I cannot make out what it is. I glance up from my keyboard and Megan looks up at me. I look back down trying to look nonchalant but then Josh looks back at me too! They look at each other and say something to one another but I don’t look up again. My first thought is that I have been found out, but they both go back to talking like nothing happened but I’m going to be more wary next time.

Josh goes to the back of the store and doesn't make an appearance for a while. Samantha and Ashley have left by now. Robert is walking back from refilling his coffee and I expect him to sit down at the table but he doesn't. He comes and sits on the red sofa that is practically right behind me. I’m thinking, “Oh great now he can see what I’m typing!” Luckily he gets up to look at the newspaper options that are laying on the table right in front of me. I think this is my chance since his back is to me! Since the table is at an angle with one of the corners touching the wall I push as hard as I can so the table I will be sitting in a slightly different direction and I can squeeze myself more between the wall and the table. I’m being successful for nobody is noticing… then the table got caught on one of the grooves of the tile. I make one last ditch effort and push and finally the table gives and I am able to scoot to hide my writing. Robert comes back and plop himself into the sofa. So now George is sitting by himself continuously doing his work, ever so often mumbling to himself and looking up in grave thought.

Another girl walks in and has an employee shirt on. The silent employee, Nick, keeps the placid smile on his face. She waves and greets him but to no avail. He still has said nothing. He does wave at her though so that’s a plus. Josh calls Megan over to ask her a question which she immediately gets up and goes to him. I am not completely sure if these two are couple or just friends. George continues to do his work, still mumbling to himself. Robert has gotten up from the red sofa and has gone to another table across the room in search of more newspaper articles there. Nick comes in from the back carrying his backpack and looks like he is about to leave considering all the other employees yelling good byes… even Robert reaching up to wave and say good bye when Nick sits down. I can hear Robert mumbling, “Oh I guess not then.” Does Robert know Nick? Nick didn't even acknowledge Robert. Nick still says nothing and goes on his phone.

All is calm for a while and nothing eventful is happening until Josh drops one of the oranges he is stacking in a bowl. The orange rolls across the counter, lands on the floor and rolls for a bit only to stop in the middle of the room. Only me, Josh and Nick see what happens. Josh starts laughing slightly at himself and Nick smiles but Nick doesn’t help him and pick it up… strange. After this moment 3 other customers come into the store so the orange is just left there. Waiting. All is busy while the employees start working to help the customers. George is starting to mumble rather loudly. The second customer is standing there waiting for his order to finish when Megan says hello to him. My god does she know everybody? His order is ready so he collects it and sits one chair away from Megan and they get into conversation. Josh has enough time to come to the front and pick up his orange. Nick is still sitting there on his phone. The boy talking to Megan gets up from his chair and makes a few more comments, says goodbye and then leaves. Megan then gets up to have a long conversation with Josh at the counter.

While that is happening George gets up and goes up to Robert on the sofa to show him something. George has his back to me but my god he is so close to me I can smell his cologne. I hear Megan say that she is going to head home and she heads back to her table. George then asks Robert if he wants to go someplace and Robert says yes. Megan is about to walk out the door while saying goodbye to all the employees but then looks straight at me, smiles and walks out. Maybe I have her for a class? George and Robert are leaving too but before they walk out the door Robert says goodbye to Nick for which I finally hear him talk. I guess these two really do know each other? They both say, “Have a good weekend!” All of my “friends” are leaving so I think I’m going to leave as well. We shall see what happens next time.

The Modern Jungle

Week 1 Observations
As I walk into the Modern Jungle from one of multiple entrances, I enter the Honey Bear book store and walk toward the exit which leads to a walkway that ends on the other side of the jungle. A Stargaze coffee shop is positioned on the right side of the store in which the smell of coffee and sweetness fill the air. I exit the book store and walk to the other side of the jungle, observing people as I do so. The air seems thinner here and smells of dust and different spices and foods from the feeding hole. It is a Thursday afternoon and I am interested in observing what type of people come to the jungle during this time, what type of social interactions occur, and what age groups are present.

Once exiting the store, I search the surroundings and approach a sitting area in which a woman, probably in her 40s, is sitting alone and playing on her phone. She is wearing large sunglasses which don’t allow me to read her expressions very well. She is holding a few full bags from different stores. As I sit down, she does not seem to acknowledge my presence and continues to play on her phone so I continue to observe other interactions occurring. The sun is shining directly on us from two large windows up towards the ceiling, creating an emphasis of light and warmth. However, as I begin to walk onward, I notice there are other spaces in the ceiling which have similar windows allowing light to shine directly to a specific spot. Dim lights illuminate the rest of the areas creating a darker and calmer mood.

It seems that, within the crowd, there are multiple age groups from toddlers to 75 years of age or older. It is hard to determine a person’s age, so therefore I will simply assume a general age group in which they can be in. In addition to age, there are vast differences in body type, race, gender, style, and overall presentation of oneself. Small children and toddlers purposely try to attract attention from many of those around them. As I continue walking, a 3-year-old is ahead of me between a man and a woman, most likely in their mid-20s, who are presumably his parents. He stares at me from behind, smiles, waves, and embarrassingly turns his head when I smile back. Generally, I have noticed other teenagers around my age (17-19) seem to be anti-social and unaware of their surroundings. For example, a couple of teenage girls pass by me and stare for a brief moment, so I smile, but they react back to me by simply turning their heads and returning to their conversation… “I’m getting better about spending my money”.

Due to these differences in characters, they each act differently, especially since they do not know they are being observed. A lively older woman of about 70 briskly walks by me and smiles. She has a glowing aura as she waves and says, “Hi Pretty girl! It’s so good to be young and pretty!” My cheeks begin to blush from such a kind complement and my immediate reaction is to simply thank her as she waves goodbye. While she seems to be much more experienced, friendly, and consistent in her actions, others, such as many of the teenagers I have been observing, are wandering around with no clear direction as to where they want or need to go and for no identifiable amount of time.

While walking back towards the other end through which I came in, I notice many of the similar people, which I had passed, acting and performing similarly as observed before. Overall, what struck me the most was the large amount of older people (60s-80s) which were present. It made me realize they must have experienced an unexpected change in life from working or going about their life in a different manner to sitting at The Jungle for the afternoon. These people seem to be very aware of their surroundings as they ponder and observe those around them. Later on, I hope to focus on this specific age group in comparison to others.

Duck Duck Goose!

Driving to a local school for an observation learning I needed for one of my classes on the university I am having different thought processes and what I will be seeing in the next few hours that I haven't before. I am calm, excited, and curious as to what I will be observing and how I will do as a viewer of the classroom. As I drive it brings back memories when I was a young adolescent in school and they type of things I would learn and what different personalities I would be around. At that point in time in my own life I had a lot of fun. So I wondered how things would be now that I am on the other side of the "fence" being a observation learner for my future job. As I began to walk into the school office with my other classmates from the university we had small talk as we walked and were pretty much wondering the same type of things that were lying ahead of us. How will they react to us? Will they like me? Is this what I really want to do? With all of that thought process in our minds we get ready to walk in the building and as we begin to check in the main office we all encounter Mr. Head Hancho and Mrs. Superwoman.

Mr. Head Hancho greets all of us and welcomes us to his school, he gave a really quick introduction and stormed out of the building because he had a meeting to go to. Mrs. Superwomen better known as the vice principle of the school also welcomes us and takes us into a conference room. We all briefly talk about what might happen and she talked about how excited she was for us and how things ran at her school. In all honest we were all eager to go outside and into our designated classrooms at this point.

We all took a brief tour of the school and noticed how different classes were. I immediately thought that this was not how it used to be when I was in school. Things were much different, such as the clothing the technology and how school spirited they all were.

I was assigned two partners for the first day so each of us could be together and introduce ourselves to the classroom and greet the students. We all walk to the classroom and are each excited to see what we are all going to be seeing and learning with our time needed to be spent here at the school.

I knock on the door and Mrs. Teacher opens the door and greets all of us. She was extremely enthusiastic to see us. She made it seem as if she had known us for quite sometime, and not as if we were complete strangers. The first class was about to be let out and they all were happy to see us, but sort of bummed because their class period was ending and they had to leave to another class. We did some quick introductions to them and told them why we were there. They immediately began to ask us questions. ShaggyHair asked me "Do you like football?" I quickly responded "Yes". The bell rang and the kids stormed out of the class, each of them yelling BYE!!!

We takled with Mrs. Teacher and she discussed what she would be doing this next class. We patiently waited and before we knew it the next bunch of kids began to come in and greet us as well.

I looked around the room and immediately noticed the different personalities the kids had and how they acted amongst one another. I saw some kids talk to us fairly quickly, and some students avoided us because they seemed really shy.

I walked around the class introducing myself to the students as they were doing a quick warm up for this Social Studies class. The classroom was "alive" noise was surrounding the room by these kids. I liked the environment. Mrs. Teacher began to take roll for her class.

Quickly after that she walked around her class and put her hand over some students saying Duck, Duck, Duck... Goose! Seahawk(wearing a Russell Wilson jersey) was called upon. Mrs. Teacher said "Seahawk, what is the state capital of NM? "SANTA FE!" he said loudly. "Good job Seahawk" said Mrs. Teacher.

She kept walking around. Duck....Duck......Duck....Goose!! "Okay Cheerleader, what standard time zone are we in?" Cheerleader said "Mountain Standard Time" The class was extremely alive. I was immediately impressed with how engaged the students were and believe it or not they were eager to be the "Goose" and get called. That simple game of Duck Duck Goose had the students eager and energetic.

Unfortunately our time came to an end for the day, and we had to head back to the university. The classroom continued to do their work and we said bye quick and left the room and said "we'll see you soon".

A Touch of Thai

We enter the restaurant only barely expecting it to be open.

It is nearly nine o' clock and the lights--cylindrical frosted-glass hanging affairs--have been dimmed considerably. The webpage for the restaurant states that the place closes at ten, but everything seems ready to close now. Rows of glossy tables, looking recently polished, have sauces and napkins neatly stacked on their left sides. All of the chairs are pushed in. There are no people in sight. Fauna, however--of both the living and plastic variety--seems to be everywhere, along with colorful  paintings and posters with advertisements for Thai snacks.

Two prominently placed, carefully hedged spiraling plants attend either side of the cash register, which rests on a green marble desk decorated with a large golden vase in the shape of a Buddha. The Buddha has his head thrown back, appearing to swallow the bouquet of pink blossoms he holds in his mouth. Over the register is a large flat-screen TV playing the "Big Bang Theory" with the sound muted.

We seat ourselves, chatting. Our voices sound very loud in the otherwise quiet place.

An olive-skinned man who appears to be in his mid-thirties emerges from the kitchen. His eyes flash with surprise and irritation when he notices us, but he quickly hides it. He comes to our table unsmiling.

He speaks very quietly, his English slightly clipped. A couple of times, he stops and asks us to repeat ourselves, watching the lips of whomever is speaking carefully. The terms for the various Thai dishes we are ordering roll easily off of his tongue, but his English is strained and his expression while speaking it, uncertain.

After taking our order and forwarding our requests to the kitchen, he moves behind the counter and opens the register, counting money with quick movements, glancing up at us surreptitiously from time to time.

As we eat, a white man with a thick brown beard comes from the kitchen carrying a pen and clipboard. He, like the first man we met, is wearing jeans and a new-looking t-shirt. Unlike our host, the front of the bearded man's shirt is greasy. He seems to have come from washing dishes in the kitchen.

One of my friends makes a silly joke and the others laugh uproariously. The bearded man eyes us with thinly veiled exasperation before disappearing into the office next to the cash register.

One of my companions remarks quietly that it is only 9:30, and the restaurant closes at ten. He doesn't understand the overwhelming sense of unwelcome radiating from our host and the bearded man. I continue writing as my friends talk loudly to one another and laugh.

Our host begins to give us more pointed signs that it is time to go--the lights in the next room turn off, the Coca-Cola machines filled with beer next to the kitchen click off one by one. A third employee, an Asian man in a worn, oil-stained baseball cap, comes out of the kitchen with a plastic bag containing a take-out box. He doesn't bother to look at us, instead plopping down wearily in a seat and taking out his smartphone.

The host takes our cards for the split check and hurriedly rings up our food, returning within moments. It is now 9:45. We begin shoveling food into take-out boxes, tacitly arranging a handsome tip as an apology for showing up at what is apparently an inconveniently late time.

From behind his cash register our host stares at us without shame, waiting for us to go. When we leave, he does not return our "Good night" or "Thank you."

"Why would they be upset about earning an extra $40 tonight?" one of my friends muses once we are outside.

Thinking about the quietness of our waiter's voice, I begin to wonder if it was our boisterousness, rather than our arrival time, which irritated our hosts.

Le Livre Café

As I enter the café I order an Iced Mocha and a Panini sandwich. While I wait for my food I pick out a booth to sit at which gives me a great vantage point to examine the environment. After my name is called I go pick up my food, sit down at the booth, I ready my pen and paper and begin to transcribe all that I see.

It is a peaceful Monday afternoon and the little café is fairly busy. The item that seems most popular among the customers is an iced tea. Over the intercom you can hear pop music playing in the background. The majority of the people in the café appear to be college students who are immersed in their technological world.  They have their laptops up and running, and alternate between their computer and their IPhone. A few of the students are busy working on assignments while others are checking the latest feeds on Facebook and Instagram.

One person who was an exception to the majority of student customers was Professor X. He was a slender, tall, bald man who wore glasses and seemed to be in his 50’s. He sat alone, busily typing on his computer and would occasionally take a sip of his coffee. He was very focused on his work and hardly ever looked up from his computer screen.

The style of clothing worn in the café is casual. For the males, ball caps, sneakers and graphic t-shirts seem to be popular to wear on a Monday afternoon. Except for Professor X, who wore a plaid, long sleeve shirt and a pair of jeans. As for the females, many chose to wear their long hair down, with simple t-shirts, shorts, and a cute pair of flats.

As you look out from the café area you can see the remainder of the book store bustling with people who are getting their textbooks for the new school year. Once the student’s entered the store’s domain they appeared focused on their mission to get books and were not in a friendly mood. The customer service counter to the left of me was very busy with a long line of students waiting to purchase their books. The employees seemed overwhelmed and tried to make out a smile as each new customer piled their books one by one on the counter. However, the customer service counter to my right was not very busy.  The majority of people who enter the store come through the left side and as they walk in notice that everyone who is purchasing books goes to that counter. So the majority of the students would go upstairs, grab their textbooks, come back downstairs and purchase their books at the left service counter. Only three students, who entered, noticed the counter to the right side of the building and purchased their books there.

It was interesting to see the interaction among the customers. Whenever they made eye contact with another customer both would look away or down at their phones. Sadly, no one would smile to the other and say “Hi.” Everyone in the store was quiet and kept to themselves. Even in the café area, the majority of people sat by themselves and listened to their own music. There was only one pair of girls who sat together in comfy chairs and were busy whispering about the local gossip and their personal boy drama, while searching the web for the latest fashion trends and Hollywood scoop. Occasionally, they would take breaks from their complex conversation by laughing or taking a sip of their iced teas. 

-SM

McDouble Birdie

The restaurant I work at is divided into two restaurant, The Double Birdie and Papitas Cafe. I was busing for the Double Birdie on a Thursday night. When I asked the Head Cook if Thursdays are usually busy, he replied "Ya, it's because it's prime rib night, but its football is on so everybody is gonna watch the game." The head cook has been there for 15 years.

We open at 5:00, but we didn't get a table until 6:04. The first table we received was an anniversary dinner of an elderly couple. They were both were dressed formal. The man pulled out the chair for his wife and than sat down. I offered them a choice between our filtered tap water or bottled water. The decided on filtered tap water. The woman was smiling and the man seemed like he was in a really good mood. When I went back to the kitchen the server had me bring them lemons. I brought sliced lemon to the table. The woman said thank you, the man didn't say anything. The both ordered salads for a first course. When they were done I cleared the dirty plates and was thanked by the couple. As the night went on they remained relatively quiet but they were talking. They had wine for an alcoholic beverage. Before they left they had me take a photo of them. They were thankful and very polite. Every time I asked them if i can do anything for them they said "No thanks."

At round the same time the elderly couple came into the Double Birdie, a young group of for people that had 3 males and just one female came into Papitas Cafe. Observing them from a distance I noticed that they ordered Margaritas and were talking loud, laughing, and joking around. They weren't being obnoxious,but they were loud enough for me to hear them. They ordered wings for a first course. They were dressed very casual. They would joke with the server and continue to enjoy there food. When the server would ask them if they needed anything, They would reply "No thanks Ma'am we're all good."

Time to get pampered

Instead of a quiet, relaxing environment, the sounds of a crying toddler come through, not just one but two. The place smells of nail polish and nail polish remover, some of the workers have to wear masks from having to deal with the smells of the chemicals all day. The woman with the two crying toddlers quiets one down by letting her get her toenails painted, red with some white polka dots; the other cries because he's "ready to go bye-bye".

The room is filled with women and one man getting themselves pampered, and of course the people who make it possible, the employees. After the woman with the crying toddlers leaves, all is quiet and peaceful again, but her presence is expected again since in the chair that she sat in are her keys waiting for her to come back.

The employees are so focused on the jobs, watching them work is quite remarkable, how they move so quickly yet be so gentle on their clients hands and feet, the work of art they create with tiny brushes and how they can change the look of a simple nail with all their gadgets and tools.

 Occasionally, they question their clients how they are doing or trying to make small talk that doesn't last long. Some clients having to ask for them to repeat their questions or answers because they are hard to understand. Yet, the employees talk amongst themselves in their native language, making me wonder what they are saying, or who they are talking about, since they look up at everyone every now and then trying to be discrete.

The one lady that is there with her husband seems quite content to have him there with her getting a pedicure too. The look on his face seems like he’s enjoying it as well. The ages of the women in this place vary greatly, with the oldest looking to be around 62 and the youngest, accompanied by her mother I assume, seems to be around 15.

When a new customer walks in, they search for any employee and ask how long the wait is; however, they all get sent to one man in a navy blue shirt, while the employees where a baby blue shirt. I assume he is the manager since he asks the clients what they want and he sends them to an employee.

While they work on the clients, they ask certain questions, for example if they want gel nail polish, if they want a little design, or what kind of treatment they want to use. If the customer says yes, the employee begins to yell something to the man in the navy blue shirt and he writes it down; maybe adding the additional costs to the clients receipt. Since there are no prices listed on the walls or pictures, they must all know it by memory, the only exception being the $15 over the gel nail polish.

Around 13 new clients have arrived since my time here, walking in with fingernails and toenails that need pampering and walking out with a smile on their face. Isn’t it amazing how something so simple can make someone feel so beautiful? Whether if it’s just some polish on your nails, or a simple black line that goes on the eyelids. Ladies, you know what I’m talking about. Hopefully, the woman with the crying toddlers soon realizes she left her keys behind. Now, it is my turn to get a pedicure for the first time. Let’s see how that goes!