Topic > Anthropology: Observing real-life interactions…

For my subgroup project, I decided to observe a group of teenagers. Located at the intersection of Fullerton and downtown. The location looked like any other McDonald's, except the seating arrangement. They have a wide range of chairs and furniture located in the entrance side while the front was large. My subgroup was at the side of the McDonald's, near the restrooms. The methods I used were participant observation, informal interview and formal interview. While I conducted my observations on Tuesday and Thursday. On 8 October 2013 from 3.00pm to 4.30pm, on 15 October 2013 from 3.00pm to 4.30pm, on 17 October 2013 from 3.00pm to 6.00pm and on 22 October 2013 from 3.00pm to 6.00pm :00. The data collections used included participant observation, informal interviews, formal interviews, key consultants and mapping. During my interactions with my subgroup I noticed several patterns that set them apart from everyone else in McDonald's. For example, the subgroup consists of only male participants. There were no women participating in the practice. When I asked my counselor why this was the case, he said "the girls make too much noise and have a different part, it's like they go for the elders and we go for the kids. We all get together later. It's more or less the same…but there on the other side of the building” as I observe and they get into the topic an informal interview took place where one of the members stated that “girls now see more competition in boys and not they can"not handle them when they bring the jam" all they agreed and laughed. Later it happened that the members had several sets of labeled cards. At first glance it looked like a normal note-taking, however up close a rather interesting method emerges. It contained... half of the paper.. . about me and why I was there and I didn't accept it as a school project. Once I started observing them they created a negative view, they saw me more as an outcast who didn't fit in. They believe he belongs to a rival group who just wanted to see their new major work. They were hostile and sometimes avoided me. As if I were their enemy. I felt uncomfortable and lonely because they didn't present the information I needed and they didn't want to build a company. At first I didn't know how to address their lack of corporateness until I participated in a practice where I entered their comfort zone and pointed out ideas where they needed help. This was my first step, but they still didn't have faith in me. Therefore, I played for a long time and sometimes read their plays and gave them a live tone to have a longer conversation. I later approached them and was allowed to sit at their table.