#2: After arriving at Stamp, we realized it might be closed. I saw someone near the bus stops so, using that topic as a conversation starter for this activity, I went up to her and asked her if it was closed. She at first didn’t hear me as she had headphones in, but once she heard my questions she merely answered “Eleven”, meaning the building opened at 11am, and walked away across the street before I could even try to say anything else. I felt awkward because she was so obviously not in the mood to talk. We could not find anyone else to strike up a conversation with because again there was practically no one else but us near Stamp. 

#3: We used Hornbake Library in the question for directions because we figured more people would know where it was. We asked a woman walking on the sidewalk where Hornbake was and she briefly stopped and pointed in the right directions. When asked for clarification she answered “Just down the street” and kept walking, putting her headphones back in so we couldn’t ask her more questions. Even though we only were able to ask for directions and not for a map or anything else, she was relatively friendly, smiling at us when we asked. I didn’t feel guilt for lying because we never said that we were lost and we didn’t make up a story to talk to her, we just asked for directions. 

#4: For this part of the assignment, there were only one or two people walking around and we couldn’t stop them for long enough to ask them anything so we were unable to even get an interview. They were focused on getting to where they were going or listening to headphones so we couldn’t get their attention. 

For this assignment, I was located in Washington D.C. near the Dupont Circle metro station. I said “Hello” to about 10 people. When greeting people they mostly responded with a slight smile and a head nod. Some people also responded by saying “Hello” back which meant they were more receptive to my greeting. The people who did not say anything back were likely uneasy from my greeting. As I greeted more people, it became easier and more robotic. Initially I was concerned with whom I was greeting individually but by the end I was simply just saying “Hello” for the sake of the assignment. 

Expedition 2:

The “third thing” I chose was a Krispy Kreme donut shop nearby. I stood outside the Krispy Kreme shop and commented on the donuts that were being made to a person that was watching them on the conveyor belt in the window. The other person responded with some conversation noting how the donuts looked really good. This interaction was much more in-depth than Expedition 1. Since there was something to reference that we had in common, I felt that the stranger was more receptive to what I was saying compared to the “Hello”s.

Expedition 3:

For Expedition 3, I walked a couple of blocks away from the metro station and chose to ask someone if they could give directions back to the metro. In regards to how I chose a person to ask, I simply picked the first person not wearing headphones or in a rush that passed me by. For the directions, the person was able to draw the directions out, starting from the street we were currently standing on. He did not think it was necessary to take his phone number in case I got lost. The expedition required the most interaction out of the three so far and I felt that the stranger was willing and ready to help. I did not feel uncomfortable lying during this expedition because it was guided from the audio track. Had it been necessary to lie without guidelines I may have felt uncomfortable.

Expedition 4:

For Expedition 4, I framed the question as if I was taking a survey about airport experiences, particularly with the effectiveness of the TSA. To approach the stranger, I simply asked if I could survey him with a few questions that I was collecting information on. I felt that framing the question with a purpose received a much more welcomed response than simply saying “Hello” or the triangular approach.

Expedition #1

I said, “Hello” or “Hi, how are you?” to about a dozen people as I walked from A. Clark Hall to the Student union. I aimed to talk to people who were alone rather than in a group because I believed I was more likely to get a response. I was also more likely to get a response from people I made eye contact with first before speaking. Most people acknowledged me and spoke back.  The closer I got to Stamp the less people spoke back and the weirder it expedition became.

Expedition #2

I chose to ask people about the superbowl this coming weekend. I asked people who are they most excited to see win this year’s Super Bowl. Some responded, Eagles, or said they didn’t really care. I started asking people who were in line at the Chick-fil-a while I was waiting on my meal, I asked people who I sat close to while I ate my meal, and I asked people in the bookstore as I returned a book. 

Expedition #3

A. James Clark Hall is a new building that recently opened. I wanted to see if anyone heard of it so I asked for direction from Stamp to Clark Hall. Most people gave me directions to A. James Clark School of Engineering which is in Glenn Martin Hall. Most people have never heard of the building and did not know where it was. 

Expedition #4

This one was tricky so I thought the best way to handle it was by simply telling the truth. I found a friendly face, man, and asked him if I could briefly interview him about his experience with air travel.  He told me a story about his trip coming from the Philippines. He had a long layover and fell asleep waiting for his plane. What made the experience worst was that there was a lady he  was talking to who was waiting for the same plane as he, watched him fall asleep and didn’t wake him up when the plane arrived. He had to wait another day inside the airport for the next plane.