AUTOTOMY

It’s a noisy country. There are trikes, jeepneys and motorcycles making an incessant loud level of noise. Motorcycles drive by around the clock. There’s always construction work going on, some guy sawing or hammering. The children living next door scream and cry and stir up whirlwinds of laughter as they play. But not only that, there are dogs, roosters, big stereo speakers, videoke and video games. Even when I was staying at a hotel, I couldn’t escape the sounds of amateurs butchering pop songs at the outdoor videoke stall across the street. The volume is always turned up to about 115 on a system that goes only to 10. All that sound gets in my head and it’s difficult to keep it out, even with earplugs. I stare at the computer screen and focus on the writing at hand, and then the noise grates and I find my eyes full of static.