“So uncivilized…” ―Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith
Surfing through some bookmarked webpages this morning, doing yet some more planning for the coming “school year” while Padawan Learner slept, I found a wonderful activity about the sounds that we take for granted in the places that we live – our soundscape. Closing my eyes, I hear cars grumbling down the main artery a few streets over, the tinkle of our slightly off-kilter ceiling fan, an airplane cruising past heading away from the airport, and the staccato chatter of friends using the sidewalk outside my house and, of course, the low hum of my computer.
Thinking back to a few other places that I’ve lived, here’s what I “hear”:
childhood home on the rural/suburban edge: the whisper of wind pushing through the windows; revving power-tools coming intermittently from the garage; the squeak of metal as my younger siblings and their friends played on the metal swing-set
university campus: the hum of the generator outside my dormatory window, pushing much-too-hot air through the building; the grunt of my roommate stuck on a calculus problem; the squeal of moped engines racing to class
center of “my” village in The Netherlands: the cling-cling of bicycle bells; unidentifiable chatter leaking from open store doors; the squeal of metal on metal as business gates are opened for the day; the clip-clop of my shoes on the pedestrian area cobblestones; a swish, swish, swishing broom clearing the sidewalk
Pick one place you’ve lived. Close your eyes and listen to your memory. What sounds of civilization do you hear?
