This semester I am taking an "introduction to ethnography" class, and one of the things we were taught to think about is making the familiar unfamiliar. That is, if you are studying life and cultures in a fairway place, you are likely to notice everything, because everything (almost) will be different from that which you are used to. Noticing what is around you at home or somewhere you know well, however, is often much harder. For example, do you tend to analyze the behaviors of those walking, driving, or biking to work alongside you? Most people wouldn't, simply because it is not remarkable. It is mundane and everyday. One of the challenges of ethnography is making the mundane remarkable.
I walk past this church nearly everyday
This challenge has resonated with me living here in the UK. I am getting used to seeing certain things which I would once have thought of as remarkable, such as British churches. The average church in America, at least the ones near me, is a regular building. The average church here is a gothic masterpiece. When I first moved here, I marveled at the turrets, stone walls, towers, stained glass windows, and sprawling massiveness of the churches. I remarked to all my friends, "look at how cool that church is!" My British friends would look at me like I was crazy, saying, "that's just a church..." I was dumbfounded that they couldn't see the churches as I saw them, as unique, rare, and marvelous constructions. Now, I, too, pass by them as though they were common. My ethnography course has made me recognize that I no long see these things as amazing, and they are amazing. Now, I try to see them for what they are and to truly appreciate being able to walk past a towering gothic church every day.
An old ruin I passed on a walk. Ruins, too, are becoming commonplace. When would I ever have passed by an old crumbling monastery or castle in California? Never. But here? I pass by them with surprising frequency, and the result is that my reaction is now "oh, that one's a nice ruin," rather than, "pull out the camera! A crumbling stone something! Amazing!"