I've got my laptop, my books, a chocolate milkshake, and procrastination via conversation. Apparently, so does everyone else, give or take food choice. The table in front of me that was just hidden by waving arms, indulged in gossip about the weekend, and smothered with books sits empty now, as if desperately waiting for the next group of people. These tables and chairs have become accustomed to this specific type of interaction: homework that is almost always delayed by chat; two students have just sat down actually, and their lack of books implies that this is just a friendly social gathering.
I'm not really a part of this 'social arena', I'm just enjoying the ride. Yes, I do enjoy being incorporated in a lively situation with new people excited about meeting others--but this place, well, it's often divided. Though it is a public sphere; anyone is allowed to grab a table, nibble on something sweet, and converse with friends, it seems as though this isn't the place to say hey to the cute girl (you know who you are) in the corner, wink at the good looking guy in that booth over there (you know who you are too), or introduce yourself to a crowd of suspicious eyes. We all sit collectively; yet, we're all involved in our own worlds.
Perhaps it's the food that keeps us from talking with one another. Eh, perhaps not--food never keeps me from speaking, though my mom disapproves of it. So what is it? The school work? I'm not sure--I've been doing work for the past four hours--and I've been talking with my friend for the past six. And I don't see any signs anywhere that say, "you can't sit with us" (I really hope you got that reference). There's just this feeling in my gut that I'm not 'allowed' to go up to anyone new. I feel as though if I do, I'll be interrupting them somehow.
And yet, taking this all into consideration, I know that I fall victim to giving off the same sort of 'unwelcoming-vibe'. I'm lost in my own discussion my own drama, my own thing-----. So, I guess I've been asking the wrong question the entire time. I automatically assumed that the people and their social circles were off limits, for the sole reason being 'we dont want you here; we don't know you.' When, really, it all just comes down to respect. I know that people are caught in their personal business, because I am too, so this isn't a setting in which we are divided. It is simply a place of public discourse: we all know that everyone else is busy with their own things, so we don't care to censor ourselves; our individual conversations add to a unified buzz-- the college dining buzz, that is.
I'm not really a part of this 'social arena', I'm just enjoying the ride. Yes, I do enjoy being incorporated in a lively situation with new people excited about meeting others--but this place, well, it's often divided. Though it is a public sphere; anyone is allowed to grab a table, nibble on something sweet, and converse with friends, it seems as though this isn't the place to say hey to the cute girl (you know who you are) in the corner, wink at the good looking guy in that booth over there (you know who you are too), or introduce yourself to a crowd of suspicious eyes. We all sit collectively; yet, we're all involved in our own worlds.
Perhaps it's the food that keeps us from talking with one another. Eh, perhaps not--food never keeps me from speaking, though my mom disapproves of it. So what is it? The school work? I'm not sure--I've been doing work for the past four hours--and I've been talking with my friend for the past six. And I don't see any signs anywhere that say, "you can't sit with us" (I really hope you got that reference). There's just this feeling in my gut that I'm not 'allowed' to go up to anyone new. I feel as though if I do, I'll be interrupting them somehow.
And yet, taking this all into consideration, I know that I fall victim to giving off the same sort of 'unwelcoming-vibe'. I'm lost in my own discussion my own drama, my own thing-----. So, I guess I've been asking the wrong question the entire time. I automatically assumed that the people and their social circles were off limits, for the sole reason being 'we dont want you here; we don't know you.' When, really, it all just comes down to respect. I know that people are caught in their personal business, because I am too, so this isn't a setting in which we are divided. It is simply a place of public discourse: we all know that everyone else is busy with their own things, so we don't care to censor ourselves; our individual conversations add to a unified buzz-- the college dining buzz, that is.