Learning Journal 26

So I have been thinking about the assignment Dallin gave us last class. He told us to go and talk to a random stranger and then write about it. So I did it. Today I went to Seven Peaks Ice Arena to skate with the little girl I mentor. A couple classes were there as well as hers and we were all able to get on the ice and skate. I observed a lot of things about the kids as they were skating. For some of them I couldn't help but make assumptions about. I am still working on the whole just strictly observations. I was skating around and this little girl needed help skating so I grabbed her hand and we skated. I must say for not being such a hot skater my self I did a really good job of keeping both of us on our feet! After awhile this someone else's mother came and grabbed her other hand. We just glided around and we're having a grand ole time. I wasn't really talking to the mom too much cause i was mostly concentrating on staying on my feet. Well the mom must have either wanted to practice entering my community or try to connect with me somehow by asking me about the girl I was helping, "oh is this your daughter?". It completely took me off guard. This little girl was almost 9 years old! Do I really look like I could have a 9 year old daughter? I was so shocked I just said,"oh um.... no we actually just met this morning". I think the mom was kind of embarrassed cause she didn't ask me any more questions after that. Looking back on this experience reminds me of when I tried to enter someone else's community. I asked her if she was preparing for easter and she didn't answer and then thought I wasn't talking to her. So im sure me and the mom that talked to me felt a little bit the same. These two experiences have made me think about the right and wrong ways to enter a community. There are definitely better ways of doing it as Allyson so easily illustrated to me in the bookstore. I have also thought about different ways to enter a community in a different culture. Some ideas might be paying attention to what they are talking about, what interests they might have, and other things like what is important to them. In the next couple of weeks I am going to keep thinking about different ways I can enter a community and maybe practice doing so.... maybe....