Spending time in cemeteries

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A few weeks ago my group and I went to Ross Bay Cemetery to collect data for the monument assignment we were required to do for class. I’ve never really spent much time in cemeteries as all of my family members that have passed are buried in England and I’ve never been to a funeral. But as my group and I were walking through Ross Bay reading the monuments and looking at the different styles and locations I couldn’t help but wonder, what was the proper etiquette for cemeteries? Were we allowed to be standing on top of the burial sites so that we could read the headstones? I tried to walk around plots as much as possible but sometimes we had to stand on top to be able to read the monument  to record the information on it, but tried to kept it to a minimum even though it felt wrong. You feel bad standing on the plots that are marked off and yet forget you’re standing on top of a burial with those plots that are unmarked and it's so hard to know exactly where the grave actually is. Walking across Potter’s Field where there are many unmarked graves I began to wonder who I was walking across and silently apologizing to them in my head. We saw many people walking through the cemetery, some walking their dogs, others taking a stroll in the sunlight and younger kids taking the shortcut through the cemetery. We got some odd looks as the three of us were bent down in front of the monuments franticly writing as it was so cold and taking quick breaks by standing in the sun (when it decided to come out). But is it so wrong that we want to record these monuments that are slowly disintegrating and will soon be lost over time without restoration. Recording them allows them to last longer, so it felt good to be doing this assignment despite feeling awkward when people were staring as they walked by. I found looking at the different monuments used and what was written on them very fascinating, especially if they provided information about why the monument was raised or how the person died. However the information provided on gravestones could be frustrating as they are all so diverse and personalized, as it should be, but made it harder for us to record. Ross Bay is a beautiful place to be when the sun comes out and I can see why it is used for a walking park; it is full of trees, next to the coast and when the sun sparkles on the water it becomes a very pleasant and peaceful place to be. Overall I found this to be a very rewarding and fascinating learning experience and feel that we should all take a stroll through a cemetery every once in a while and pay attention to those who are buried there.