The sounds of silence

Some days, when the power is off, I notice how peaceful and still it is. There is no refrigerator whirring, no washing machine draining, and somehow less traffic outside. There are no power tools drilling into my brain, and no air conditioners running. It is a really strange sound that you really never hear at home.

There are other days when the sounds of silence include banging on metal and groups of children shrieking as they run around. The sound of lots of street noise like huge truck engines and honking combined with roosters crowing and dogs barking make me wonder what happened to the peacefulness. Somehow, right when Joshua goes to sleep at night, the babies start to cry and women chatter excitedly outside his window.

Here, they don't like the sun at all. I really think the noise level adjusts with the height of the sun. If I walk with Joshua between the hours of 8 and 6, I am scolded. "The sun is too strong," they say. Everyone stays inside if at all possible until sunset, and then the community comes alive.