the sound of silence

In the last few days I have been eerily struck with the sound of silence while walking to work. Usually when I take my 15 minute walk to work at about 1pm is when the elementary schools are letting out. Between my apartment and the hogwan I work at, there are two large elementary schools and tons of apartments where I'm sure all of the children live. I usually walk right past the elementary schools and then through one of the large apartment complexes. On the way, there are probably five or so playgrounds that I pass as well as a mini soccer turf. Usually all of these places and everything in between are occupied with loud children. The children run down the street, bike down the street, walk with their mothers down the street, play in the playground until they are soaked with sweat, sit on the sidewalk and eat ice-cream that drips all the way down their arms, they play tag and chase, the boys play soccer on the turf, I usually get many 'hi's!!' or 'how are you?' comments, and for that short time that I am walking to work the neighborhood is filled with childhood chaos.

Public elementary schools have been out for two days now and my walk to work is so oddly quiet. I can now hear myself think. I can also hear the loud cicadas of summer singing their song in the trees around me. The birds chirp, the wind blows and everything is quiet. Now my walk to work is like meditation. It's peaceful and calm. I no longer have to dodge the flying children on bicycles, or say hello to groups of wide eyed Korean children, or get stuck behind mothers slowly walking with groups of children. It is all very nice, but after two days I must admit that I miss the children. Yes, I work with children for most of the day, but this is different somehow. It was sort of my daily tradition to try not to get hit by the kids flying by and I always felt like a celebrity when the children wanted to talk to me. I guess it also gave me an excuse not to think. I just walked and enjoyed the loud happy sounds of the children around me. Now though, I have no distractions and I am brought back to my thoughts and the singing cicadas. I have a month of this and I'm sure that by the time I am able to enjoy it is when school will start up again. It's funny how the things in life that you thought annoyed you, actually turn out to be enjoyable.