This week we were tasked with two tasks of observation: an interview and a reflective activity, both of which were intended to prepare us for data collection while studying abroad. For the interview portion, myself and Natalie Hillerson strolled through the Quad on a sunny Saturday afternoon and talked to a girl lying in the grass and reading a book. It was a great way to ease into an interviewing process--we used the buddy system, and she was sitting alone and easily approachable. We prompted her with a question: if you were abroad in Germany, and a local asked you about minority issues in the United States, what would you speak about? She talked about the historical and institutional roots of racism in our country, from slavery to legal codes. The most pressing issue, she felt, immigration policy. When asked about the path forward, or how we, as students, could affect change, she stressed education and investment in communities. What was most important is that an unburdened dialogue be opened up, so that these issues may be discussed clearly. She was very well-spoken for being put on the spot like that, and answered our follow up questions clearly and thoroughly. I was surprised at the ease of the interview process once the ball got rolling. Either we got lucky, or I'm just expecting the worst.
For my own observation, I sat on the balcony outside my work lab in the Health Sciences Building. It was a sunny afternoon, although I felt a chill in the air while sitting in the shade. I was facing Pacific Street, looking over the construction of some out buildings in front of Magnusson. I heard the bark of orders from the worksite, the clanking of power tools, and the rumble of construction machinery, both from in front of me and down the street, where Foege is also undergoing a revamp. The chattering of students crossing the overpass to the biology labs in Hitchcock and the wheezing of old metro busses stopping in front of Health Sciences broke up the sounds of work. The air smelled like gasoline, and bits of poplar fluff were blowing through the wind. My peaceful reflection on the balcony was interrupted by an enterprising spider trying to make a home on my coworkers bike.
As for the pieces on gentrification this week, I feel as though this is a narrative that we have heard many times before. From the news to TV shows, the topic of "moneyed takeover" is often broached. In my own experience, I have already lived in heavily gentrified areas for most of my life and thus have not seen the forces really in action. However, for the last 10 years, I have lived in Shoreline, WA, which is bisected by Route 99, or Aurora Avenue. In the last few years, a major clean up effort has been underway, as more high rises pop up along the Ave while motels get torn down. It has seen the opening of both a Whole Foods and a PCC in areas that were previously the domain of Jack-in-the-Box alone. Aurora and it's businesses are attempting to cater to a different set of people entirely, and in doing so, harms it's current occupants. While I'm sure Route 99 won't lose it's reputation, I think that In the years to come, it will be a very different experience and garner a very different reaction to live by Aurora Avenue.
For my own observation, I sat on the balcony outside my work lab in the Health Sciences Building. It was a sunny afternoon, although I felt a chill in the air while sitting in the shade. I was facing Pacific Street, looking over the construction of some out buildings in front of Magnusson. I heard the bark of orders from the worksite, the clanking of power tools, and the rumble of construction machinery, both from in front of me and down the street, where Foege is also undergoing a revamp. The chattering of students crossing the overpass to the biology labs in Hitchcock and the wheezing of old metro busses stopping in front of Health Sciences broke up the sounds of work. The air smelled like gasoline, and bits of poplar fluff were blowing through the wind. My peaceful reflection on the balcony was interrupted by an enterprising spider trying to make a home on my coworkers bike.
As for the pieces on gentrification this week, I feel as though this is a narrative that we have heard many times before. From the news to TV shows, the topic of "moneyed takeover" is often broached. In my own experience, I have already lived in heavily gentrified areas for most of my life and thus have not seen the forces really in action. However, for the last 10 years, I have lived in Shoreline, WA, which is bisected by Route 99, or Aurora Avenue. In the last few years, a major clean up effort has been underway, as more high rises pop up along the Ave while motels get torn down. It has seen the opening of both a Whole Foods and a PCC in areas that were previously the domain of Jack-in-the-Box alone. Aurora and it's businesses are attempting to cater to a different set of people entirely, and in doing so, harms it's current occupants. While I'm sure Route 99 won't lose it's reputation, I think that In the years to come, it will be a very different experience and garner a very different reaction to live by Aurora Avenue.