Around the middle of our dinner preparations each day, the music is drowned out and deafened by the daily ritual of the siamese september sky, to open up and unleash upon the streets of Bangna a torrent of polluted water. Twice now I've been caught in the pouring rain running a last errand for dinner, and although I should really shower and change, there isn't enough time and too much to do to finish dinner preparations. The real heart of the storm lasts about an hour, and its' pounding on our kitchen's tin roof drowns out our voices and sends a constant breeze of strong wind that sometimes blows hard enough to wipe the flame from the burners heating our wok.
The base seems to always be in a flurry of motion and a constant state of change. People from all countries on earth are in and out in days or weeks, and even the walls seem to rise and fall with the passing weeks. This week two walls were installed, with each crack of the hammer sending echoes throughout the halls. They also installed a door one day where there was previously a cement wall. The building did a lot of shaking that day.
Another change that we're all very excited for is a new internet service provider and system of routers. However, since we've been in between ISPs, we've been without internet for a few days. I've been mildly inconvenienced, but in a room that consistently glows with the hue of several computers long after lights out, many of my roommates have been greatly annoyed. I've slipped off to the nearest internet cafe, which is delightfully orange. There are two dogs, each about 5 inches tall, who basically own the place. they run circles around the room and hop up on your leg looking for attention or at least reminding you that you're just a guest in their domain. Everyone in here who isn't with us is well-stocked with refreshments and snacks and is playing some game. the room smells faintly of incense and echoes with repetitive J-Pop music, which I'm drowning out with Ben Sollee using my headphones. the computer is filled with hundreds of applications and when I logged in it actually had someone else's torrents running. I have to be careful where I put my hands because the computer tower is definitely not grounded and if I touch the side of it my fingers tingle with electricity.
It doesn't feel like I've been here four weeks. I don't understand why life seems to work like a train. Some seasons just seem to drag and crawl, and then others seem to bolt like a bullet in the night. There's a part of me that thinks it has something to do with being closer to the equator. The metaphysics of that are dubious, though.
Reminder to self: A life shared with others is ALWAYS more beautiful than a life serving one's self. even if it's less convenient.
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