Key:  Normal script denotes what actually was observed.  Italics denote reflection/speculation on what was happening.
Choosing the setting:  We looked for an area with a lot of movement and settled on the 2nd floor of the Johnson Center.  At first we went to the 2nd floor in order to look over the railing and record what was happening in the food court.  But, when we got upstairs, there was a group of students at a table and we decided to observe them and the area around them.

Describing the setting:  The area serves as a library, with carrels for computers and stacks for books.  I am sitting against the railing which overlooks the food court, looking towards the open stairway (white stairs with green metalwork) which goes down to the food court and up to the 3rd floor.  Behind me are more round tables and plush chairs pushed against the railing.  No one is sitting in the chairs in either direction. To my left is the long rectangular table that we are going to focus on.  More in my direct line of vision are three computer carrels in a circular formation around a power source pillar and four rows of book stacks.  Julio is directly in my line of vision, seated about 15 feet from me, along the railing.  He is facing the group at the table.

Map:
 
 

     (hand drawn map of the library setting was inserted here)
 
 

General description of activity:  At the carrels I can see a man and a woman at separate computers. The other computers in view are not being used because there are no chairs by them.  The chairs have been moved to accommodate a large group at a nearby table.  The man at the computer is wearing a red shirt (almost orange-red) and beige shorts.  He is overweight and balding.  He has a green book bag slung over his shoulder.  He is writing intensely.  The girl is young, 20ish, long, straight brown hair, thin and she doesn’t move except her hands. 
To my left nine students are around a rectangular table. Six are sitting and three are standing but their positions keep changing.  The group at the table seems to be doing something that they are all involved in but I can’t figure out what they are doing.  There are no books around so they are not studying.  Two guys get up and others sit down in their seats.  Nancy later said that they were playing cards but I never saw the cards.  It seems like a social group rather than a study group.  They do not seem to be aware of the other people (like us) around them.   The group at the table all have something blue on.  Blue predominates—blue jeans, blue sweatpants, blue jerseys.  Three of the 6 men have head coverings like jersey ski caps.  Two caps are black and the other is gray.  The girls have long hair pulled back.  All the girls are thin and dressed in tight jeans and fitted tops. 
As I am reflecting on my notes from that time, I realize that I didn’t note or mention the age of the men/women around the table.  As I think back, they could have been all about the same age—college age, or not.  I cannot honestly say. 

The group is breaking up.  All are standing.  One man from the table is moving over to me.  He is bringing his chair and puts it at my table.  I think the group is breaking up but they seem to be changing positions rather than leaving.  Another guy from the group is coming over to my table.  He picks up the backpack from a chair at my left.  Neither man made eye contact with me.  Everyone is standing at or near the table.  They are slapping each other’s hand and/or patting each other on the back.  Two men are exchanging backpacks, punching each other on the arm.  There is a lot of physical expression of ___?  Friendship? A guy has his arm around a girl but it seems very friendly, not sexual. .  The girl is a native English speaker.  Her clear speech is very cultured, educated.  She is with ‘blue jersey guy’ (short, stocky with very baggy gym shorts). Four of them (3 guys and a girl) are hanging over the railing in front of me.  They are hissing over the side to someone below.  I can hear them talk and I wonder whether all of them are native English speakers.  One guy speaks with the soft cadence of Caribbean English.  I can’t hear what they are saying but I hear the intonation.  Another guy is speaking to the Caribbean sounding man.  I can’t hear if it is English.  It bothers me that I can’t pick out the language.  I am usually good at that.  I can’t even offer a guess.  I wish I could hear them more clearly.
Girl and jersey guy just left after signally to someone on the first floor.  They are heading to the stairs to go to the food court.
Six of them are still hanging around.
Red-shirt just got up from the computer.  He walked around the circle of computer carrels and stopped at another one.  He started to sit down but got right up and left by the stairway.  He looked so benign when he was sitting.  Standing, he is huge.  Not only is he extremely overweight, but he is tall and big all over. 
Black cap guy came back for his backpack which was left on the table.  He sat down across from Nancy.  Took out some papers and starts to read.  He is medium height, jean shorts and white running shoes.
New guy is in Red-shirt’s place at the computer.  He’s young, 20-ish, bad posture—needs to stand up straight.  Too much time hunched over a computer? 
Back at the table, Black-cap is still there and now is joined by a very flirtatious girl.  Thin, long, dark straight hair which she flings back as a habit.  She sits down in a chair in front of him.  He is turned away from the table with his papers on his lap.  She is knee-to-knee facing him.  She is trying to get his attention but even though she is practically on top of him, he is not giving her any attention.  Did they fight?  Does she have a reputation?  He is not giving her the attention she wants. 
Muscle guy and tall guy just passed me.  Muscle guy has very broad shoulders and trim waist.  Other guy is tall, thin, not particularly in good shape even though he is thin.  Both are gesturing a lot as they pass and walk down the stairs.

Long haired girl at the computer next to Red-shirt is still there and hasn’t moved.
Black shirt/shoulder bag guy leaving, heading to the stairs.
All the kids seem to have the same kind of school bag: canvas, not too big and with a long shoulder strap.
How can they study in this atmosphere?  There is constant noise from downstairs, water noise—fountain?  The smells are distracting.  There is constant movement.  This is a library and yet it is not conducive to studying—for me.  I struggle to concentrate.
Observation ended at 7:35.

Discussion at end of observation: Julio and I were sitting about 20 feet away from each other looking at the table, the center of focus, from different angles.  He commented on what the group was doing at the table and that he was very aware that they knew they were being watched.  I was not aware of that.  He talked about numbers in his description.  He was aware of exactly how many were seated at specific times.  His description was full of quantities and exactitudes.
Nancy noted movement and more details about what was going on at the table.  She saw that some of them were playing cards when we first arrived.  I had not seen that.  She also noted comings/goings of group members which were slightly beyond my range of vision.
When there was just the one man left at the table and he was joined by the young lady with the long hair, Nancy noted much more about their interaction since she was at the same table as they.
Xiou noted the physicality of the group and used words which were stronger than the ones I would have used.  She used punched when I used slapped.  She may have seen more aggression in the physicality than I did.  She also noted the clothing and the hairstyles more than the rest of us, I think.
As I reflect on the discussion after the observation, I realize that we didn’t look at each others’ notes.  I don’t know how the other members of our group recorded their notes. 

What I learned about observations: 
1. I should have read the instructions about the observation exercise again before the actual observation.  My observation remained in #3 and didn’t progress to #4 which was to focus on one thing in the general area.  I felt rushed to record everything that was happening everywhere.

2. The area that I chose was too big.  I should have concentrated on a smaller physical area and recorded more details.  I focused on large movement and took the group as a whole rather than concentrating on individuals and smaller movement.
3. I needed a focus ? something specific to be looking at.  It would be easier to look at behavior or movement or people but not all of that together.  So much was happening around the table and at the carrels that I found myself fragmented.  My eyes were focusing on the whole area but I was writing about what was going on at the table and not getting it all down because I was registering other movements.  I also found that I realized that I could have focused on language (my main interest) as well as movement. 
4. I feel that I should have asked permission of the group to observe them.  Once I sat down and started to record their movements, I felt that I couldn’t look at them directly because they would have noticed that they were being observed.  If I had been up-front with them, I would have felt more comfortable recording their movements.
5. I felt that I needed a form to fill out in order to be more organized with my note taking.  I am still thinking about what kind of form would have been helpful and haven’t come up with anything but there must be an easier way to record observations.
6. A way to make this exercise more useful is to request another observation (singular, not in a group) to practice what was learned the first time.  I feel that I didn’t do a good job recording and will probably have to do it many times before I get my own system.