When Lisette and I returned from Los Angeles we experienced something we never had before: a slight buzzing in the ears. It was the same buzz you experience after a night at a nightclub or loud concert. It’s more annoying then anything else. After a couple of days it faded away.
We concluded it had to do with noise. Especially the last three weeks we had always lived and worked in noise. At home we had an old air conditioning unit that was on night and day because otherwise it was uncomfortably warm in our studio apartment. Unfortunately Besides cold air it also produced a lot of noise. At work we worked in the office building next to the production hall. We not only heard some noise from the air conditioner, but also from the air compressor in the back constantly turning-on. Finally LA is noisy. There are always choppers overhead (police, traffic report, VIP’s) and there is always traffic with honking horns, sirens (close and distant), and loud stereos (especially lots of bass). Not matter where you went there was always noise.
Now we are back in Zeeland and enjoy the silence. Besides some birds and sometimes the clocks from City Hall, there aren’t many loud noises here. I think the buzzing was a sign of our ears readjusting. Tinnitus as ringing in the ears is medically called is reportedly more annoying then it is harmful. However, I can’t stop but think that constant exposure to the noises that cause tinnitus could lead to damage to the hearing sense.
Anyway, we are glad to be back.
