It was a dull day outside in Red Square. The slight drizzle seemed to deter the usual masses that crowd the area. Those that were outside seemed to be in a rush, wanting to avoid the rain. All but a few brave souls seemed to fear even the slightest rain — an unfortunate thing to fear while living in Washington. As I leaned against the wall under the overhanging roof of Bond hall, I made some interesting observations, the most unusual of which was a student sitting in the middle of Red Square on the fountain on his computer. It was raining outside. This student seemed to not fear for his computer. He must not have had the revolutionary idea, like I did, to sit under cover and be on your computer. I assumed this student to be a risk taker.
Red Square is a very cool looking place. The bricks that covered this huge area were — you guessed it — red. There is a fountain in the middle that on a sunny day would be a very nice touch. There are 5 red brick buildings covering the perimeter of the square. There are benches in between a few trees in front of Haggard Hall.
Students passed each other by with hardly a glance up, probably trying to keep their heads from getting wet. Some of those who had kept their heads up ran into friends, to which they greeted with a smile and talked for a few minutes. I had observed a boy and a girl look up to see each other, and then kiss. PSA on PDA: Don’t do it. This discouraged me from completing this task, but I toughed it out.
Another observation I noticed was a lack of students riding bikes, scooters, and skateboards. I had observed a hoverboard, oddly enough, but those that rode regular methods of transportation had probably been discouraged by the moisture that coated the red brick pathway. A reasonable thought process, given the safety hazard that was losing grip on the slick surface.
The students that I had observed making the slightly damp trek through red square were mostly wearing rainproof jackets. There were also a large amount of flannels. I’d seen a student barefoot, in shorts and a flannel presumably walking to class. I kid you not. That’s a recipe for some cut up feet and foot infections. But to each his own, I guess. It was very Western.
A group of four guys whipped out a hacky sack and starting playing. I assumed they were passing time until their next class. They were wearing jeans and a rainproof jacket. One of them mishit the ball, which was greeted with strong laughter. It was an awesome contrast to such a dull day.
This is when I was greeted by my friend Jason, who had just come out of class. Jason was wearing his usual outfit — black pants, black sweatshirt, and white converse. I had gone to high school with Jason, so we came into Western good friends. We made small talk and he talked about how tough his math class was. Poor Jason. With this conversation getting all too real, I hastily changed subject, asking him about another one of my friends, Eryk, with whom Jason is rooming with. He seemed to be very happy with him as a roommate, which is not surprising because they are both very similar. Finally, he left me to do my work.
My experience in Red Square was extremely eventful, I felt as though much had happened in the 40 minutes that I had sat there recording my observations. It was a very interesting way to spend my time after class.
