Here is the most amazing detail about the generally lovely arts compound where I stay in Guangzhou. Every morning, the upstairs neighbors drop some heavy, heavy things on the ceiling above my bedroom. This is alarming for several reasons:1. I've developed a paranoia about shoddy Chinese high-rise construction.
2. These sounds are loud. The kind of sounds you feel. To be fair, the reverb coming off my "mattress" probably worsens the effect.
3. My room is on the 28th floor.
4. That's the top floor. Who is up there, and what are they doing?
But that's not the amazing detail I promised, just a momentary lapse into negativity. Here's what I really wanted to say:
I am saddened by these noises less for the momentary panic they cause than because they prevent me from being awakened (awoken?) by the COMMUNITY ALARM! Yes! Every morning, around 8, the bells of a grandfather clock sound through a PA system. And there is a snooze feature! They come back twice more, several minutes apart.
I love this. As much as it's an obvious intrusion of a bureaucratic structure into one's personal life (a reflection of so much else), there's also something really natural about being awoken to a sound coming from outdoors, rather than right next to your head. It comes from the distance and seems gentle and benevolent, probably because everyone seems to ignore it.
This is the view from my window.
2 comments:
I used to put my alarm clock on the other side of the room. And tape the off switch so I couldn't move it while half asleep.
I think you need to go on the roof and see who lives up there! Also, show us pictures!
that is so surreal.
they're testing the new emergency sirens at brown tomorrow. if i sleep til noon i can pretend it's my alarm clock..........
ps word verification is in cursive - tough! cursive v u looks a lot like cursive v r.
pps oh man i got it wrong the first time!
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