Ethnography
For
my ethnography fieldwork I went to Zuma Beach in Malibu, California. Zuma, to
me, is a place that I am very accustomed to and it has a great significance on
my life. I grew up about three miles away from Zuma just down the coast of Malibu.
I went to Zuma a lot as a kid to hang out with friends, surf, relax, and just
to spend time with my family. To me this beach is a familiar place and part of
my everyday life so I tried to look at the beach through the eyes of a tourist
or someone who rarely visits the beach.
I went down to Zuma with my sister’s friend Tom, who is
from England and has never been to California. Back in England he surfs occasionally
so I know he has been to the beach before but the beaches are very different
over in the United Kingdom. I observed his initial reaction to the sand, water,
weather, and all of the surroundings. He was astonished by the beautiful waves
and golden sand; it seemed as if he were in paradise. We went surfing early in
the morning and saw some dolphins, pelicans, and even a whale in the distance.
This was the first time he had ever been close enough to dolphins to where it
feels like you could ride them. Tom was amazed by their gracefulness and how
the just love people. This experience with Tom allowed me to see the beach from
a different angle than I have seen it all my life. To see someone so
appreciative and stunned by what is around them truly was a treat. I felt that
the beach supports the customary ways we view the world because it is showing
how much a person can appreciate nature. A beautiful landmark such as a beach
can really touch a new person in a way I couldn’t understand but if I were to travel
to an unfamiliar place I could too experience the same feeling. Nature can touch
people in many different ways but I think it should be a universal feeling that
we appreciate the world around us.
Later that day we relaxed on the beach and I was thinking
about how the space was used and how the beach describes Los Angeles. Observing
the families and people around us showed me that the beach has many uses. I use
the beach for surfing, relaxing, hanging out with friends, exercise and many
more ways. I knew all these reasons before I looked at it from a different
view. Most people use it for a place of entertainment and excitement. They also
hang out with friends and family and a place where you can spend time with your
loved ones. People come to the beach because it is their job such as lifeguards
and police. Amazing research has been done out in the oceans and close to the
beach so it is a place to learn. People go to the beach for all sorts of
reasons that range from digging for buried money and possibly to find a girl or
boy that they would like to date. The beach uses its resources to attract all
types of people and excludes no one. I asked Tom what he thought described Los
Angeles and his answer was buildings, famous people, great weather, the beach.
Living in the suburbs of Los Angeles all of my life blocks my view of the city
as a whole because I don’t know how people view my world. But Tom helped me in
seeing how an outsider could view LA. I feel that a stereotype of LA is that
everyone goes to the beach all of the time, even though it may not be true it
is certainly on the minds of the people who don’t live here. The beach definitely
fits in the image of the famous and tan people of LA. The beach is a lot of
movies but I never get a feeling from where they are because that is completely
natural to me. Someone outside of this area may be drawn in by the scenery and
imagine what it would be like to be on a beach in LA. I was really grateful
that Tom was able to help me see the beach from a different view and even Los
Angeles.
The beach to me will forever hold history from my life
ranging from learning how to surf, training for sports in the sand, and playing
pick-up hockey games in the parking lots. But the beach to others holds history
maybe in different ways. They could have been on vacations to beaches that will
stick in their memory forever but even if a person hasn’t traveled to the beach
it still will hold history. The ocean is a huge part of our world and is an amazing
aspect of our lives. We share our earth with animals in the oceans even if we don’t
notice it. I do feel the beaches have a history with everyone alive.
