Field Respone 09/17

Field Response 09/17

It is Monday afternoon and I return home from school around 6:00. As I am leaving the 4 train station on 176 street, I see a young man being handcuffed by the police. I assume he jumped over the turnstiles. I continue walking out the station and start walking home. I decided to walk in a slow pace to really see all the things that I normally walk past on a daily basis. The whole sidewalk is filled with small businesses. The check cashing place followed by a small discount store, Jerome pharmacy, a Chinese store, an African market, a hardware store, and on the corner there is a big 99 cent store. I have been living in this neighborhood all my life and developed friendly relationships with some of the store owners and workers. I am constantly in the African market and the 99 cent store and I know where everything is at. A group of Spanish men set up a table right under the train station where they sell fruits and vegetables to the community. They are always busy and work at a fast pace. Perhaps their low prices attract a lot of customers including my mom.

When I reach the end of the block, I start walking up to 175 street. The side of the 99 cent store has been painted by students from the community center. I love to look at it when I’m passing by. I notice a lot of trash on the sidewalks as I am walking home and I can’t help but wonder why people litter when there are garbage cans on the corners of the sidewalks. The Bx32 bus stopped to let a wheelchair passenger on and all I can hear is the loud mechanical energy coming from the engine. All the cars behind the bus also had to stop and wait for the bus to move because it is a two-way street. The Laundromat that is always packed was very empty today. Possibly the cold weather kept everyone inside. Two little kids coming from school running down the sidewalk while their mom call out their names “Ashley” and “Justin.” Of course, they pay no mind to her and continue running. I crossed the street that have no street lights and have not had any for as long as I can remember. I pass by three young Spanish boys who play ball everyday on the street corner. They stop playing for a quick second so I can walk by. Once I reach my building, the quietness did not surprise me because it is always like that. I realized that a lot of things go on in my neighborhood that I normally would not pay mind to. When I pay close attention to the actions and the little things that are around, I begin to understand why things are the way they are.