Why I want the electricity to go off...

Our neighbors are building a second story to their house (almost every house here is built with a flat roof for future expansion). And as they work, they like to listen to music. Grrrrr. I don't really mind it so much except that it is terrible rap music. I can't understand most of the words - which is probably a good thing. What's worse is that I keep catching myself tapping a foot to the beat...even breaking into dance. Am I weird or what?! I can't help it, the constant beat just causes this white girl to dance and its making me crazy. It is just impossible to get away from the music - even with all the windows closed and my own music blaring, all I can hear is that "music" blaring across the street.

I know music is nice to listen to when you are working and I don't really have the guts to go over there myself to tell them to turn it down. Besides, it's one of those cultural things I don't really understand but am trying to be sensitive to. The idea that your music might be too loud for the neighbors' comfort - well, its a foreign idea here and, generally, nobody ever complains about a neighbors' annoying habits. (Which probably works in our favor more than we know!)

So I am praying that the electricity will just go off! I'm getting an annoying tic that I fear won't ever go away, even once the music stops. They only have one CD but I have all the different rhythms memorized and I know what song is next in the line-up. Bad.

This went on all afternoon yesterday until I finally had to just leave the house. I took Brooklyn over to the swings at the school and as I pushed her on the swing, can you guess what I was humming? Bad.

Then last night, there was a big party going on somewhere around our house. It wasn't across the street, thank goodness - they're too tired from all the work they've been doing. Anyway, I could never figure out where it was coming from...but it was that same awful CD. Somebody must have come to Shell and given a free CD of the most annoying music they could find to every teenage boy. BAD!

Sean took Brooklyn with him to do some flying, so I have - or should have had - a nice, relaxing morning. Maddie has been sweet and is down for her morning nap. I even could have slept in, since Maddie slept later than usual. But the neighbors, bless their hearts, were up early to get a jump-start on their house addition. My whole morning has been characterized by some bad-boy South American rap band. BAD!!!

So, as you can see I'm in a bit of a BAD mood this morning. What should have been a nice, relaxing Saturday morning has turned into cultural clash of the worst kind for me. What's really crazy? I still love it here! I don't want to move! And, crazy me, I'm still fond of those teenage boys across the street who have a bad-boy attitude but are still just lost little boys with big, hurting hearts they are trying to hide. I have a choice this morning. I can sit and steam while I unwittingly tap my foot to their music - or I can get on my knees and let the music blasting in my ears remind me to pray for those neighbors who still need Jesus.


Thanks, God, for a very valuable object lesson. And one that will take a while to forget when put to a beat like this one. But, really - couldn't you make the electricity go off for just a little bit?!