4/5 & 4/7: Eight class members completed preliminary presentations of their final projects. These projects serve as a representation of our five senses while in New York while making connections to our course readings.
One behavior I noticed in New York was how no one seemed to make eye contact. In the south, it’s expected that every time you walk past someone, you look them in the eye, smile, and wish them well as you pass. That was a habit I had to break while we were there. I knew, getting on the bus to leave campus, that there would be too many people to do that, and the Duenes article warned me in many different ways against it.
Don’t smile… Don’t break stride…
Don’t say good morning…
Don’t make eye contact….
Don’t pretend this is the country….
-Steve Duenes, “How To Walk in New York”
I realize now, more than I ever thought possible, that Duenes set these rules out of self-preservation. It’s not because that’s “just how New York is”, but it was so jarring to come back to campus after this trip and have someone wish me a good morning on my way to Starbucks. I feel that the behavior that’s been bred into me isn’t going to go away, but I know that if I go back to New York, I’d definitely respond the same way.
