Hello Darkness my old friend...

***This is an old journal entry I though I would share with everyone since I haven't been writing anything on my blog. I have a couple of old posts I will add.*** Hello Darkness my old friend… The idea of boredom differs from cases to case, culture to culture. The calm of village life is really hitting me today. I’m desperate to learn the language so I can do the only thing available to do for entertainment. Talk. Since I can’t talk I don’t have anything to do. I have tried to help but I am still being treated like a guest since I has only been 4 days since I arrived. I appreciate their kindness and generosity but I need to do something. In the western world we are bombarded with constant entertainment because god forbid someone be bored or actually have time to think. It brings me to the conclusion that we are over saturating our brains with mindless (most of the time) entertainment in order to avoid looking at the bigger picture or the actual problems we face on a day-to-day basis. If I were back in the United States right now I would be laying in bed watching TV with my computer on my lap watching another show on my computer in order to pass the time in between commercials because god forbid I was not entertainment for those 5 min. We have even made our commercials a small form of entertainment, becoming a vital part of the super bowl every year. I would also have my phone within arm distance planning the afternoon outing, which at the time I was in Houston was Royal Oaks (I’m not sure if that’s the place to go anymore) for Sunday-Funday drinks and music. If that was “boring” we had endless possibilities to choose from. Fast forward nearly 3 months and I am sitting on a purple, orange and green flowered mattress on the floor of my hut (My bed frame, table and chair are currently under construction) in a village in West Africa sweating profusely although this is far from being as hot as it gets I am told. I have no electricity and my only sources of semi-entertainment, my phone, my iPhone, my computer and my iPod are ALL running low on battery. Which brings me back to my initial question, at what point in society did we forget how to appreciate silence. Or unaltered fun (No electricity, drugs or alcohol included) Although, I am fairly confident in my ability to socialize and hold a conversation with just about anyone/anything (depending on my state of mind); I have started questioning my ability to do so since arriving to this village. It has only been 4 days and I keep on telling myself to suck it up, and my rational self knows it will get better. The language will get better and I will get used to the silence (The Sound of Silence, just started playing on my iPod- the universe is mocking me) And so I begin speaking to my only friend at the moment… “Hello Darkness my old friend… I’ve come to talk with you again” which is then interrupted by the sound of donkeys whaling in the background.