Noise Pollution

There is an ongoing debate with many of my urban-loving friends about life in cities. They say cities are full of action: culture, restaurants, people, events! I say cities are full of negatives: concentrated pollution, crowds, noise! Plus, you get the benefits of a city with a simple visit and return home. Anyhow, it is a never-ending debate because, really, we're both right.

That aside, my time in Lilongwe and Malawi in general has highlighted two things: crowds and noise pollution. Malawi is one of the most densely populated countries in Africa and it shows: there are people everywhere. Walk down the street: people. Go to the market: people. Climb a mountain: people! Today while taking Bay for a walk through corn and soy fields: people, people, people! 

To what does this lead? Noise pollution. Cars on the road with horns honking. Music from stereos. People chatting on phones and haggling on prices. Construction workers constructing. Generators generating. I rarely find myself without some combination of human noises. Finally, today, while wandering about the aforementioned corn and soy fields I found something: quiet. It was beautiful. Birds chirping and breeze through the grass was all that filled my ears. My city-dwelling friends should try it some time.