I took my mantra from the article about participant observation: "Not only does the participant observer have a heightened sense of awareness, but he or she must also approach social life with a wide-angle lens, taking in a much broader spectrum of information."
For the first half: I particularly enjoyed the heightened sense of awareness bit. Usually I am lost in my own little world when I am walking about or sitting in class or eating lunch. For example, when I am walking to school, the only thing I ever notice are the robins, mallards, and starlings flying around. But once I start paying attention to my surroundings (not just the sky), there is so much to observe and take note. For example, doing my observation, I noticed how many different stances there are when people are socializing. There is the all-out please-ask-me-out, the only-here-for-the-food, and the bored-but-polite stance (consisting of a pillar to lean against, darting glances looking for an escape, and absentminded nodding).
The second half of the mantra is a bit more difficult to implement. Sometimes, I do not even think about noticing something when I am trying to have a wider angle. After all, if I did not notice it before, how would I know to pay attention to it now? This is one thing I would like to improve on before I get to London. Then, when in London (and life after London), I will to be able to hone in on inconsistencies and difference, those little details, so I may immense and disappear in the culture, wherever I may be. It will be helpful to pick up on the social cues in constructing a contact with various students and professors at the University of Southampton, things I might otherwise miss.
For the first half: I particularly enjoyed the heightened sense of awareness bit. Usually I am lost in my own little world when I am walking about or sitting in class or eating lunch. For example, when I am walking to school, the only thing I ever notice are the robins, mallards, and starlings flying around. But once I start paying attention to my surroundings (not just the sky), there is so much to observe and take note. For example, doing my observation, I noticed how many different stances there are when people are socializing. There is the all-out please-ask-me-out, the only-here-for-the-food, and the bored-but-polite stance (consisting of a pillar to lean against, darting glances looking for an escape, and absentminded nodding).
The second half of the mantra is a bit more difficult to implement. Sometimes, I do not even think about noticing something when I am trying to have a wider angle. After all, if I did not notice it before, how would I know to pay attention to it now? This is one thing I would like to improve on before I get to London. Then, when in London (and life after London), I will to be able to hone in on inconsistencies and difference, those little details, so I may immense and disappear in the culture, wherever I may be. It will be helpful to pick up on the social cues in constructing a contact with various students and professors at the University of Southampton, things I might otherwise miss.
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