Bronte Sone
People Watching Activity
Kara McLuckie
February 7, 2013
A Quiet Hour in the Student Center
I was sitting on the second floor of the student center around one o’clock pm. The student center is a casual place where people go to hang out and study. I was sitting to the left of the main entrance that faces the bookstore. It was a cool but chilly day, inside was warm but there was a slight draft, especially when people walked through the doors. By the windows there was lots of natural light with overhead florescent lighting. I could smell the food being prepared in the pub and every so often the blender being used. No clear voices of the other people could be picked out from where I was sitting, but there was a background hum from various conversations. There was also the sound of shuffling boots and clanks as the doors were opened and shut. From where I was sitting I could see tables with chairs at them, placed around the second and third floors. I was comfortable in the leather lounge chair, but it felt strange being back on campus sitting in the student center. I used to sit in that exact spot and talk to people on the phone when it was too coldto talk outside.
In my line of vision I could clearly see six other people. All but one was female, and none appeared to be in romantic relationships. To the left of the stairs going up to the third floor were three tables. At the table closest to me was a guy who sat studying. He was slightly chubby, but average build. His tee shirt said something about playing music on the back so I assumed he played some sort of instrument. He sat a little hunched over with various text-books and a laptop on the table in front of him. Within a few minutes a girl showed up who was dressed similarly in jeans and a tee shirt and also a little over weight. They began talking of Mathematicaand moved into one of the conference rooms.
At the third table, which was farthest from me, sat a girl by herself. She was slouched in her chair with her legs over the arms. She had on an over sized sweatshirt and yoga pants with a pink band at the waist. I couldn’t see what she was reading, but she had the book held close, mostly covering her face from my view. On the third floor there was a girl sitting by herself who continued to look up from her laptop at every motion she caught out of the corner of her eye. I assumed she was waiting for someone, and sure enough a couple minutes later another girl showed up to join her. At that point she no longer looked up at people who were walking around.
I focused in on the table on the second floor, in front of me, that was between the Mathematica guy and the girl with the yoga pants. There were two young women at the table. Both had their teal north face backpacks and brown paper bag lunches from the Dana pick-up and go. The one facing me had long brown hair that she wore in a braid. She had on a purple flannel shirt, American Eagle jeans and brown Ugg boots. The ring she wore on her right ring finger and her earrings were all silver. She had bright red nails that clashed with her purple/fuchsia flannel. They were also very visible from across the room as she put food into her mouth. She was a dainty eater, only touching her food with her right hand thumb and index finger. She also inspected her sandwich before taking every bite, and did the same later as she ate her chips. Although her friend seemed to be doing a lot of chatting, she rarely took a break from eating and seemed rather emotionless for most of the time. Once in a while she would frown or make a face of either irritation or disgust, but I couldn’t tell which one. Finally after about 30 minutes she carefully folded the half empty chip back shut and stuck it in the brown paper bag, which she preceded to also fold very carefully. Putting the bag in her back pack she stood up and put on her navy blue pea coat that cinched at the waist and flared out, coming down to her mid thigh. As she was walking away she was playing with the end of her braid and checking her phone.
While watching the guy at the first table I made the assumption he was a nerd and probably not very popular. I assumed that because of his conversation about computer programs and also because of the way he carried himself. He ducked his head a little as he walked and didn’t dress in clothing that fit particularly well. Of course I could be completely wrong about all of those things, but his looks fit certain stereotypes so that is what I assumed about his person. I also assumed that the girl with the purple flannel had a small case of OCD. I came to this conclusion from the way she ate her food, to the manner in which she folded the bags shut, to the way her hair and nails were perfectly done. Again, I could be wrong about all that as well. I have a few friends that I made incorrect assumptions about when I first met them. All of my assumptions were based on looks and the way they carried themselves. Later on I realized that although part of my assumptions were right, it didn’t translate to who they are as a whole. Some things you can assume correctly about people just by looking at them, but when it comes to personality and different traits, it isn’t that simple.