How Do We Deal with Noise Pollution?

You hear about air pollution in China, and yes, it is pretty awful. However, those of us living in certain overseas country feel the noise pollution more acutely.  I am lying on my couch on a Sunday morning at 8 a.m. Rick is still asleep. Suddenly from the apartment next to me a Jack  Hammer kind of noise erupts. It has to be immediately on the other side of our living room/bedroom wall. It sounds like it is in the same room with me. Now there are hammering and sawing noises. VERY LOUD.  This is not at all the first time that this apartment has been victimized by these sounds. Two different team mates have lived in the apartment for the past year and these noises have disrupted countless team meetings here. (They also attest to the fact that it goes on early morning and late nights as well.) This is a year's worth of noise. What takes a year to renovate? These apartments are only one bedroom and very small. The building is not being torn down and rebuilt. It is just a tiny apartment. I do not have enough Chinese to go ask these questions politely, so we will just endure it. Truthfully, my sleep mechanisms are such that yesterday I napped through most of the jack hammering. But still?

Of course, any of you who live overseas know that noise pollution is an ongoing problem. There does not seem to be any thought at all that others might be bothered by the loud sounds. I remember in Senegal seeing huge, and I mean huge (10-15 feet tall or bigger) speakers being set up. From the sound at 3 a.m. one felt like it must be the neighbors having a party, but it would be a block party a mile or so away that still seemed like they were dancing on my bed. And of course the call to prayer in the early morning. One could tell what time it was (5 or 5:30 a.m.) by the direction of the call. One always tried not to rent apartments too close to the mosque, for that reason alone.

I think of the early morning hawkers in Taiwan yelling, loudly, "Doh jang! Doh jang!", sweet hot soy milk, and my kids getting dressed to go get their share. We also woke one morning in Taiwan to the apartment next to us being completely demolished down to just the remaining wall between our row of town houses. That was an experience. Or the incessant fire crackers in Taiwan and Taian, celebrating early morning and late night activities.

I also remember making things close down on campus in Dakar so we did not bother the neighbors. But I always had the suspicion the neighbors were just thinking, "Boy, are they having a good time." And not being bothered at all.

This is just another example of cultural differences. One that is incessant and inexplicable at times.