Ethnography Results, Week 5

Paola Garza 

This week I decided to do one hour of observations like the previous weeks. For the second hour, I decided to go to Sweet Eugene's with the purpose of working in my homework in order to get a feel of what it is like for those students that make Sweet Eugene's their place to study.

First Hour: March 3th, 2011 (Thursday)
6:15 – 7:15 pm

Second Hour: March 5th, 2011 (Saturday)

9:30 - 10:30 am

First Hour Quantitative Information:
· Reading: 1
· Computers: ( M 6 P 3)
· Headphones on: 3
· Studying (with studying materials w/wo computers): 11
· Visiting: 2
· Alone (I could see from where I was sitting, including me): 4
· Two or more (I could see from where I was sitting): 7 groups
· Patrons that seem not be students (if any): 1
- Guys: 7
· Girls: 11

Counting the two middle sections:

6:15pm – 18
6:45pm – 18
7:15pm – 19

Qualitative Information - Both hours, compared and contrast. 

My Location:
First Hour: I was sitting in the middle section of the coffee shop. To my right I could see the section right to the door, and the Living Room space to my left. 

Second Hour: I was sitting in the Living Room space, towards the back corner so I could have a view of the complete room and partial view of the middle room.

The Employees:
First Hour: There was a girl and two guys working. The girl that took my order seemed to be nice. But I still haven’t been able to recognize them. I thought I was good with faces, but apparently not.

Second Hour: On Saturday morning there were more people working there than during the week.

The Customers: 

Having Lunch:  Throughout the time I have spent at Sweet Eugene's, I had seen very few patrons just going there with the means of having lunch. On Thursday I did see a couple of girls having lunch and chatting, sitting in the same right next to door. However, on Saturday the whole environment was really different. Many people who were there went with the purpose of having breakfast. It is important to note that majority of these people were not students, they were families or older couples. Many of the students who were there to study (alone or in groups) would eat some breakfast before they started studying.

Visiting: During the week, you don't really see many people who just go for chatting. On Thursday I was able to observe a couple of people who at first were just having some conversation, but it ended up being a study group that was just waiting for someone else. 

There was a lady sitting alone since I got there, with a computer out, but playing Sudoku. It seemed like she had had some lunch. However, after a while a girl came in and sat with her. She also pulled out a computer and they were just chatting. I couldn't really figure out what was the purpose of their visit (I don't think they were from the Education College).

On Saturday, there were many people who seemed to be there with the purpose of just meeting with people. For example, there was this lady with two kinds, her grand kids. They  were sitting in one of the couches when a the grand pa came in and took the kids to buy them some treats. After a while a family came in, they sat in the couches as well and started talking. It seems like they were waiting for this family to come in. 

Use of technology: Majority of students that are there with the purpose of doing some studying will have their computers out. However, there are some that won't. For example, on Thursday I observed a girl and a guy who seemed to be studying finance or accounting. They didn't have a computer out, only a books, notebooks, and the like. 

And it seems that technology not only appeals to students, but also to older people. The lady mentioned above had her computer out, even though she didn't seem to be using it at all. On Saturday, I observed an older man (sixty or seventy) sitting in one of the couches with a cup of coffee in the table to the side and a computer in his lap.