The sound of silence

The other morning in bed feeling a wee bit hungover I thought to myself that Vietnam was really growing on me. Yes, I know it might not be the most obivious thought a Saturday morning feeling a bit sick, but the thought came to me 'cause I wasn't annoyed by the salesmen and women shouting in the alley outside or house even though the woke me up a good few hours too early for me to sleep my high alchohol level away. It sort of felt homey that they were shouting whatever it is they shout.

Last week a noise guy came to the embassy to measure the noise level. As the embassy is located right next to a big street with lots of motos and cars it wasn't surprising that the noise level in the front offices hit the same level as in a factory hall!

But I don't notice it anymore. The colleague I share office with has 3 phones and they're ringing most of the day. She'll be on one with the two others ringing. I don't even think about it anymore! Vietnamese have a more relaxed relationship with their mobile phones. They'll gladly keep them ringing when in a meeting or on the other line. Sometimes it's like they're enjoying their ringtones before answering. Back home it's almost embarrasing how much noise a ringing phone can make in a class room or at a meeting. In my previous workplaces there have been rules phones are to be switched off during work hours. Here it seems the rule is almost opposite. Noise is a natural part of my Vietnamese world.

I remember the first weekend I went back to my parents when I was at boarding school. Suddenly all the sounds I grew up with was infamiliar to me and I couldn't sleep. My boarding school was in the country side and silence was the only thing you could hear at night. Back home with my parents the city sounds souded louder than ever...

It's funny how you can adjust your perception of what is normal to whatever environment you're living in...