On my third day in Skopje, I was asked to explore the city and focus on the sounds I hear. I’ve come to a point when I realized that sounds can have a big influence on our life and personal growth. Let me give an example of the influence.                                                                                                               

Before crossing the road, you should always look left and right, but that’s not always enough. That’s where the part about hearing comes in – you will find yourself in a situation where you look left and right but suddenly 2 seconds later, there comes a car from a side street, which you haven’t seen at first. But, because of the noise made by the car, you will be able to find a way to get out of the situation safely, if it’s not too late, of course. What I mean by this is that your hearing ability is a gift that can influence your life in many ways. I must say that while I was exploring the city, I didn’t really expect to hear much more different sounds than those that I’m already familiar with. 

Then later in the day, there it was – the sound that I didn’t hear before. It was the sound of traditional Macedonian music playing on a square. The next thing I noticed was that the audience was clapping in a certain rhythm along with the music. The beauty of sounds is that they can make you feel a certain way and so that’s what happened that day. I felt a warm feeling not because of the weather, but because of how strong the love and connection between people was. Sounds are not just things you hear – it’s way more.                                             

Another example, is a person yelling at you can make you feel scared or even angry. But when you’re listening to one of your favorite songs or the stillness of nature, the things you will feel are happiness, relief, positive energy, love…          

And that’s what I felt when I was standing there watching those people dance, come together, and listen to music. If you’re not used to reflecting on things, then I recommend you start with it. Or if you’re already doing it then you can try to reflect on smaller details and situations that happen in your life. Reflecting on certain sounds can help you understand yourself more, and by understanding yourself, the more you will grow. Because when you know exactly what makes you feel good, you will strive after to have that feeling again. And so that also means that you will try to avoid the things that make you feel bad. By doing that you will see that life will feel like life more. So, notice and follow the sounds that have a positive impact on you and others, from there your journey will begin. 

Eniola Aertgeerts