The Smell! The Noise!

I thought I was used to the smell and the noise, living in a village with animals kept very close to home—although none are kept at the temple.

However, nothing prepared me for living onboard a ship with so many animals packed alongside so many humans. The heat of the bodies make the smell worse and the noise is unceasing. It goes night and day. The stench permeates everything—what we eat, what we drink, and of course, the air we breath. You can taste it on the back of your tongue like a fur. No matter how often you swallow, how often you drink, or where you go onboard the ship…it stays with you. Not even the ocean breezes and winds can wipe it away. It lingers like the most unpleasant spirit.

Add that to the noise of the animals…their calls, their shifting feet…and the noise of the humans…the sooner I am off this ship and with my daughter, the sooner we make the return trip home…the better. I never want to be on a ship again! The minute I am home again, my feet will never again leave dry soil.

Never.

~Shashanna