Debrief: Fireworks suck.
I’ve mentioned fireworks. Time for a full debrief.
In adapting to a new culture, judging is messy business. It’s easy to say “be open minded” or “don’t judge” but humans are judgement-making animals so being “open without judgement” is not fully possible. The problem is that judgements are sneaky, disguising themselves in our brains as facts that shape our reality. Am I enjoying Colombia or not? Much of that depends on the tone of my judgements and whether I believe them to be an immutable truth. And the more unfamiliar a situation/person/culture, the more likely it is that my judgements are based on incomplete (or inaccurate!) information.
What’s up with the fireworks?
Our apartment is in a valley where sound rattles around like in an amphitheater. Throughout the entire month of December and still now into January, there have been spurts of fireworks set off in the valley on weekend nights and seemingly random times – 8pm on a Tuesday, 1am on a Thursday, 6am on a Sunday. There have been lulls with firework-free days, but most days have had at least one (if not many) loud firecrackers. I’m told this will wind down in January, and I am seeing that some, but it can’t come soon enough for me. In the US, I’m accustomed to the city paying for one big fireworks display once or twice a year and for individuals to set off smaller fireworks just a few days of the whole year. In more rural areas, I’ve known families and friends to pitch in to create their own large’ish display when gathered together on a single day of the year. Here, it seems that everybody and their brother buys all the fireworks they can and shoots them off whenever they want.
I see you frustration, I get it, you’re tired. When you’re ready, let’s entertain a reality check.
Is this true?
Here, it seems that everybody and their brother buys all the fireworks they can and shoots them off whenever they want.
- “Here” = this particular valley neighborhood, in Medellin, Colombia.
- “Everybody and their brother”? None of the 50+ Colombians I’ve socialized with this month are shooting off fireworks.
- I’ve seen numerous city-sponsored posters and billboards advocating for celebrating without fireworks. Including the event featured in the photo above.
- I don’t even think that all fireworks suck. I enjoy big pretty ones when I am doing the celebrating. (cough cough i.e., I like how I was raised with fireworks.)
Ok, still tired and frustrated, but the judgement lost a little of its punch and tone of voice.
What can I be curious about?
I am genuinely curious what locals think about the fireworks – and I sincerely hope for a different way of seeing things. I have heard a range of views so far. Some of locals are frustrated. Some are resigned to not being able to do anything about it. Some are accustomed to the noise and don’t really notice it. Some are upset due to the affects on animals and/or the sound carrying with it unpleasant reminders of gunfire from decades past. Some are grateful that fireworks are less common in their neighborhood in the city. One person suggested that even a small amount of fireworks can enhance a celebration so that it feels special and joyous, even if there are few presents under the tree. And, and, and…lots of views abound.
Do I have more right over the sounds entering “my space” than people do to make sounds in “their space”?
Sound norms are different in Nicaragua than the US. Even after a year there, I still never fully got used to the idea that I didn’t need to worry about bothering neighbors with sound from our place. But, I can say that if I have a neighbor, even in the US, and they are playing loud music or making loud noises, they *might* not be purposefully trying to bother me. And the primary construction material in many countries is cement or brick, which means that it can be weird to adapt to how well sound travels in wooden/dry wall homes.
Nonetheless, in the US, I still had a conversation with an upstairs neighbor who sounded like an elephant vacuuming at 3am, just the tone of that convo was more open. And our next-door apartment dweller was able to talk to us about out TV volume until we figured out the problem and found a solution. Thankfully she happen to be a Crucial Accountability instructor, so the conversations were easy and we provided a new example for her classes.😁
What’s my takeaway?
The judgements I’m left with at this point are that I really like Medellin: I like our friendly neighbors, the style of Spanish, the areapas & quesito (food), the fruit, our weekly farm box, the weather, the metro/tram system, the mountain views, access to activities…and next year I’ll probably avoid December in the valley.
-
Written Jan 11, 2023; edited & posted March 1, 2023.
Member discussion