My balcony has a screen door that is very effective at keeping the bugs out, however, it has failed miserably when it comes to dampening noise. The screams of schoolchildren and the laughs of my neighbors float freely through the screen along with the breeze. There is one sound that I don't mind much, though. I first heard it the evening I moved in - a small high-pitched ding! that resonated quietly every once and while. I immediately associated it with the small bell my host mother would ring when presenting rice to the ancestors before dinner. I was very glad that so many people were still honoring the old traditions even in small apartments where a butsudan would take up valuable space. The sound of that small bell made the cement buildings seem a little more homey-like.
It wasn't until a few days later that I realized the bell I heard from my balcony and the bell of the elevator were one and the same. I am such an idealist.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment