Would you Like a Can of Coke? Reverse Scavenger Hunt

It was a sweltering, hot, early afternoon without a cloud in the sky. Walking toward the library, I carried the heavy box of Coke in my arms, hoping to give away as many as I could so the box would be lighter.  A student walking up the stairs from Eppley said, “Hi,” and I asked her if she wanted a can of Coke. She looked at me, bewildered but pleased. “Is this just for fun, or…?” she said.

“It’s for a class. I’m supposed to hand out Cokes and observe people’s reactions and write down descriptive details.” I told her. She said, “Fun! Thanks,” as I handed her a can of pop. I told her it was room temperature, but she said she didn’t mind. She went to her class in the science building.

As I kept walking, I noticed a guy riding a bike coming my way. I asked him if he wanted a can, but he said, “No, thanks.” I wasn’t too discouraged, and I went in the library, hoping to bring more hyfructose corn syrup-y joy to my fellow students. I found my friend Amber, who was studying with someone in her education class. The first thing she looked at was the big box of pop cans. “It’s for a class,” I explained. “I’m supposed to have awkward moments giving away pop to people. She said, “Oh, ok.” We both laughed.

I started on the first floor. There were about 10 or 11 people sitting at the tables by the periodicals. I nervously walked up to three guys I didn’t know. When I asked them if any of them wanted a Coke, they looked at me like they thought I was weird. They all declined. I went to the next table. And the next. Apparently, nobody was in the mood for pop that day, because they all said, “No, thanks.” They were polite, so that made it ok. If I did this again, I would not make the mistake of asking people if they want pop after lunchtime. They must have all been full of cafeteria food, I guess.

On my way to the 2nd floor, I ran into my boss. She was glad to see me, but she was not in the mood for Coke. I was getting a little frustrated. Still, I figured that maybe there would be some tutors who would enjoy pop. Stephanie, a writing tutor, decided to take a can. Yay! So did the new chemistry professor, whose witty banter I enjoyed after explaining the assignment. We joked about the fact that it doesn’t make sense that someone in chemistry would be in the library. I don’t know, maybe you had to be there.

I still had a lot of cans left after I went back downstairs. It was interesting to observe people’s reactions-some amused, others curious. Everyone was nice. That was good. Midwesterners are pretty nice people, for the most part.

This disgustingly hot weather has been horrible for me. I have eczema, and the heat is one of the biggest triggers. I sweat, I itch, sometimes I bleed. I know, it’s gross. It makes outdoor assignments hard in this weather.