Music

My both kids, daughter and nephew, are sensitive to sounds, and specifically to music. Their favourite music is an important part of their life. They can listen one song endlessly. They would not go out without a player with selected playlist loaded into its memory. And vice versa: when they hear music they don’t like, they suffer (truly, physically).

Because I perceive it differently, I often don’t understand their feelings. It can be really strange. For instance, a musical channel on our TV has kind of retro time when it plays something from 90s etc. Today there was that old song, “I’m blue, da-ba-dee da-ba-dye” – for me it’s fun, but my daughter said: “It’s disgusting! It’s the worst song ever, that could be used to torture me!” And I really don’t understand why? What does she hear in it? For me the sound is absolutely normal. Then, she hates songs playing in McDonalds, most of other cafes and shopping centers, though these are quite neutral.

My nephew is similar, but in his own manner. He likes listening to music while driving, but each time it becomes a problem. He cannot just relax and leave it to the player. He is zapping endlessly, like TV channels, unable to stop on something (even though it’s his own player and his selected list of songs). We get irritated and ask him to stop: Hey, this one is good enough! Just stop! We even tried to bet how long he could stay without switching songs… it was short! Partly it’s because he is shy about his musical tastes, thinking that we will judge him.

The most strange case was one of these days in a shopping center. Me and both kids were buying some shoes. We just left shoe department, my nephew carrying bags. And all of a sudden he dropped the bags at my feet and rushed away, running on a high speed, without explanation! I did not know what to think. I supposed he may have spotted some guy he did not want to talk to… something like that. My and my daughter moved on, and soon the boy called me on the phone, found us and joined us again. When I asked what had happened, the answer was: “It was that song! When it started, I had to run away somewhere I could not hear it.” As for me, I did not even notice what it was – some usual background music, nothing special. Maybe it’s a luck that I am not so sensitive, but it makes harder to understand the kids.

Travel-lover

Instead of people, I fall in love with countries and cities. Japan, Istanbul, Cyprus, now it’s also Budapest – and who knows how many more wait for me in future. While new ones add to the list, my love to previous ones never fades. The unique charm of each place is alive in my heart.

It’s both different and similar with normal human romance.  The same anticipation before meeting – I am thrilled when I board a plane! It’s also a sensual pleasure, when a country surrounds me with its air, when I walk along its streets, taking in its sights, its smells, I can even taste a country…

And then there are memories, little things. I like to buy in my travels somehing I can wear – clothes, shoes, accessories. A skirt from Yokohama. Summer shoes from Hiratsuka (they don’t already exist, such a pity). A warm, soft baggy tunic that I found on Cyprus. A copper ring  from Istanbul, from those numerous stalls with handmade accessories. Rings and earrings are my favourite. As if I am engaged to each country with a ring…

And then it’s parting and separation. It can be also painful, it can hurt even to see photographs of the places where I’ve been. Especially with Japan, because I can’t return there so easily. How long I haven’t been there?…  Random things remind me about it, like some special color of the sky, or a smell on a car parking. I see dreams about Japan and other countries, even unknown countries, and I feel happy in these dreams. Is it bad? Is it addiction? I don’t think so. I prefer to call it love.

Bad luck with jeans

Me and my daughter went to a shopping center today because she wanted to buy new jeans. She found one black pair (black is her preferred colour) and went to the trying room. I was waiting somewhere near… and it seemed to me strangely long. At last she went out, threw the jeans on a hanger rail and headed out of the shop with fast steps, saying “I can’t try on anything”.

“Why? Is something wrong with them?” I asked.

“It’s noise. I cannot stand this noise. Too many people in the trying rooms. And there was a child next to me, her toy was singing so loudly. I can’t!”

As a result, we didn’t make more attempts in other clothing shops. Moving to the entrance, she saw a shop of art and craft supplies and dived there with a relief. Paper, paints and incense sticks  had a good effect on her. She bought some, and we returned home.

 

Such things happen quite often when my daughter tries to do shopping. Her reaction for noise and crowd is so strong that she is unable to continue the process, let alone enjoy it. She hates music playing in shops – why is it always so loud and rhythmic? I wonder if it’s a feature of Russian shopping centers only. She can say suddenly that she feels bad, or has a headache, or not in the mood to choose anyting.  In such cases, we both go back in a bad mood.

Yes, I can be angry and tired and irritated, having to follow my child everywhere. But of course things are harder for her. We healthy people can’t imagine how it feels to live like that.

Sometimes everything goes fine though. She even manages to go to a shopping center alone and buy things she needs to. What does it depend on? I don’t know. But it’s preferable for her to go on weekdays when it’s not too crowded. And it should be a shop that she knows very well, so needn’t spend much energy for orienting. She analyzes her own sensations very carefully and learns all the time. Yes, our own efforts are not enough but I want to have a hope…

 

Japan: Story of my love. Part 4 – Beach, cakes and other things

One of the days I had no appointments with my friends and decided to go to a beach. I was staying in Hiratsuka city, Kanagawa Prefecture, and knew that there was a good beach in Chigasaki which is the next station by railway. So I took a train to Chigasaki. 

I really have a passion to explore various places by my own, but there was just a little problem. I knew how to ask a question like “Sorry, where is something?” in Japanese, but absolutely couldn’t understand the answer. When I approached a young girl in the street to ask where was the sea, I had a hope she would just point the direction. But she started explaining it in many words among which I could only understand “station”. So I returned to the station and started my search once more. After I asked a group of guys about the beach, they quite reasonably didn’t even try to explain the way but advised me to take a taxi instead. There really was a taxi stand nearby. While thinking what to do next, I discovered there a map of surroundings, very good and detailed. So lucky! The sea could be seen Southwards. Now I knew the right direction and began walking.

The part of Chigasaki lying between the station and the sea was all small streets and houses with tiny gardens. I could see people watering their gardens on that hot summer day. The walk took about half an hour. Houses ended and I saw a highway. By direction signs and some surfers making their way to the sea by cars and bicycles, it was clear: the beach is somewhere there!

Oh yes, it was there. A wast sandy beach and the great Pacific ocean. By the time I already had a short glance of it in Kamakura when we went down to the seaside together with Chie, already in twilight. I was impressed by strong waves and their roaring sound. Here it was the same: tall roaring waves. That beach was absolutely different from those I had known in Russia, for example at the Black sea. Sea is not an ocean, you know. Waves rarely become tall, and a lot of people are swimming. Even more people are lying under the sun, covering the whole place all over like seals. We have quite a little part of sea coast for such a big country, so every summer it is really packed with vacationists.

Japanese beach was totally different. Not crowded at all, which really surprised me. People were coming with families and putting tents to protect themselves from the sun. Children played in shallow water, and fathers were teaching them to surf. Are Japanese all surfers? Anyway, it must be a really hard job to swim in such waves. But I wanted to feel them, I wanted to enter this wonderful ocean.

Here one more problem came up. There were no changing cabins or any other facilities in sight, nothing at all! The beach seemed absolutely wild. (Later I discovered another beach equipped with all necessary things just next to that place). Where could I change into the swimwear? Why am I so stupid? I should have done it beforehand! Oh no… Looking around desperately, I found a sort of a low fence enclosing some empty space. It was deserted, far from the water and could shield me from strangers’ eyes quite well. So I went and climbed over that bamboo fence and quickly changed there. Still don’t know its purpose, but that time it really saved me!

Now I could enter the water! I put my clothes and handbag on the sand, not far from someone’s tent. In Russia such carelessness about personal belongings is simply impossible. When a family or a group of people goes to swim, one of them always stays to watch the things. But here I could leave it without fear. The ocean at last! Yes, I couldn’t swim there but I could play with the waves letting them roll over me and sway me and knock me down. Fantastic feeling! The water was very warm and very salty. The sand had unusual dark colour, looking almost black when wet. I enjoyed the ocean as long as I could and left the beach reluctantly, trying to hold in memory the powerful sound of waves. 

What else I wanted to tell about? There were so many fascinating things I discovered during that trip. Cakes in a cake shop at my station – I wanted to taste them all! Sometimes I bought one when returned from sightseeing in the evening and took it to my hotel room. Other kinds of shops – oh yes, I love shopping in Japan! I bought some clothes and shoes, and presents for my daughter and others. I even had to buy an extra bag to pack all the presents. Among them there were pretty soft toys from a theme shop with goods from Hayao Miyazaki animation. Everybody will be so glad! 

The trip was going to an end. I didn’t want to leave but was eager to share my impressions with family and friends and give them presents. Bye, Japan!  I did return there again several times, but that first encounter was really unforgettable. I still keep some souvenirs from that time. Don’t know when will be the next, but I will sure see you again. It’s a promise!