For this assignment, I decided to walk the botanical garden from my home. That was a rainy day. I left my I-pod and cell phone at home and started my one-hour sound walk.
Because it was rainy, I could hear the sound of raindrops very clearly. I heard the rain dropping onto the ground. I heard the rain dropping onto my umbrella. I heard my shoes stepping on the water on the ground. I heard the water splashing when cars passed by. I heard wind blowing past my ears, slightly and softly. I heard the grinding sound between my bag and my plastic bottle in the bag. There was a car parked in the street. The driver sat in the car and read a newspaper. It was so quite around me that I could even hear the sound when he was flipping the newspaper. I thought he was waiting for somebody. I heard the engine sound from the car.
When I was waiting for the traffic light, there was a man passing away very quickly. I heard his footsteps and he was talking to someone on the phone. His voice sounded very angry and upset.
I found out it was very quite in the botanical garden after I arrived there. There were only few people walking in the botanical garden with their umbrella. I heard an old couple talking and passing away. Their voices sounded very happy. I heard my shoes stepping on the fallen leaves. This sound was different than the sound I stepped on the normal ground. It made me feel peaceful and a little bit sad. I heard the squirrel running through the grass. I heard the rain dropping on the flowers. I heard the botanical garden’s cart’s wheels rolling on the ground. I heard the airplane flying over on my head. I also met a person who tries to take the plant’s pictures in the rain. I heard the shutter’s sound from his camera.
In the last ten minutes of my sound walk, I found a really quiet place in the botanical garden and closed my eyes. I wanted to know what I could really hear after I closed my eyes. I heard the wind blowing again, more softly and slightly. I heard birds tweeting on my head. I heard the raindrops more clearly. Lastly, I heard the sound of my breaths.
This sound walk gave me a total different feeling about sound. In the past, I brought my I-pod and cell phone anytime and anywhere I go. I always listened to the music and checked my cell phone when I was on the way. Because of this, I think I missed a lot of good sounds around me. After this experience, I think I would prefer to listen the sounds and voices around me, because every sound is unique in this world, whether it is nature or artificial.
