Apr
21
Most of the pain in my life over the past year and a half has been from culture shock, not digestive problems. It comes and goes, manifesting itself in all different ways and different strengths. In the past couple of months, I have been acutely sensitive about sound. We live in a world of concrete, and every noise made echoes through the streets like a cannon shot. Add to that the very close proximity of the houses (they're all connected), the total absence of anything green to absorb the sound, the lack of insulation in the construction, and the difference in the way people view privacy and "noise violations" (no such thing here).... It's a nightmare in the making.
- The last three days I've woken up to music I would have expected to come from a vitrola, very nice but not when I'm sleeping.
- I generally go to sleep to babies crying or exceptionally loud music (which at least drowns out the babies).
- Everyone in town loves to sit on the stoop outside our living room (6 feet from our couch) and carry on in loud voices. It's getting to the point that I can't sit in my own living room, and I'm pretty sure it would be culturally inappropriate to ask them to leave.
- There's the banging of construction, my neighbors yelling all day in the street, vendors hawking their brooms and bread, the volleyball game in front of my house, my housekeeper baby-talking and oogling my dogs all day.
Tim thinks the music (which can come very loudly at any hour of the day or night) can't possibly be that people enjoy it that loud. Inside their houses, it's got to be at least as loud as you would hear at a club. He thinks it's related to showing that you can afford enormous speakers.
I know this sounds silly and fairly trite. Let me just say that you most likely don't have the imagination to picture how noisy it is around here!
This is a new problem. Why? Was I less sensitive before? Did people stay inside more when it was colder (and not sit on my stoop)? Did people hang out at the beach more when it was warmer? Do they feel more comfortable around us now and less careful not to bother us?
I don't know. What I know is that a few times this blasted noise has reduced me to tears and nearly daily it has me whining to some degree. I miss peace and quiet. Pray that God would give me wisdom, peace, and love.
PS- The phone bill is now paid (without the hour bus ride!) and we have a phone line again. Still waiting on the internet.
I feel your pain. Here - where I live - is pretty quiet except for the airplanes taking off and landing at the airport a couple of kilometers away. Fortunately it is not the busiest airport in Istanbul. Dad
While living in China, I remember yelling back at the vendors who started hollering outside our window at the break of dawn. I remember feeling like I had no privacy, even in my own home. I know how you feel and will be praying you can find some small amount of quiet this week.
I "enjoyed" reading your post, because yesterday I was just about to go crazy if one more bus blasted its horn right next to me while trying to get a taxi!!! It puts me so on edge sometimes, especially when Sim is with me:) I am jealous of the people who are use to it.