Mask and Earplugs

All my life I have been a very light sleeper. The smallest noise or light would wake me up instantly. I usually sleep with a fan on and that helps drown out the smaller noises that would usually wake me. Last year one of the girls on our team teaching here in China- Janella, would bring her eye mask and ear plugs on every trip we went on. I honestly thought it was silly but still marvelled at how well she slept amidst the bright lights on the train and the people talking rather loudly, no matter what hour. She would wake up and feel so refreshed while I sat there frustrated that the joint between the cars kept me awake ALL night. The first time I saw her use them I seriously doubted they could be so helpful in drowning out the noise, and I thought it would be very annoying to sleep with something strapped to my head. But after endless nights and trips of watching her wake up so rested, I had to try it. So last summer while were were back in the states I stopped by good 'ol Wal-Mart and got me a "sleep pretty in pink" mask and ear plugs. I may look silly when I sleep but I have sleep on more trips and more nights than I ever would had I not given in to my suspicions and tried those silly things. Planes, trains, hostels and even in some hotel rooms I put the mask on, shove those little things in my ears and I almost sleep as well as Curtis does each night.

During the Lunar New Year here in China, fire crackers go off from 6 in the morning (when the sun comes up) till a couple hours after mid-night on the days surrounding the festival. The majority of these fire crackers are strictly for the noise. There is lights or colored fire that shoots up into the air, no - just loud continuous bangs, one right after another. I wish everyone could see and experience this, annoying as it is sometimes, it truly is amazing. The things they set off are sometimes so huge it scares me to walk by them. They really know how to bring in the new year here in China. And even though my ear plugs can block out all of the bangs, at least they make them softer so I eventually drift off to sleep...