I must have a warped mind. The first thing I thought of when I read your memory was the description of the shadows of victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That in turn led to this memory:On the door of the basement bathroom in my family home hung a small, unadorned metal plaque with Japanese characters on it. Every time we kids would ask what it said, my dad would make up a new translation, such as "No boogie men allowed." It was only as an adult that I discovered that the plaque came from a destroyed factory in the ruins of Nagasaki, where my dad had been posted as part of the occupying force after WWII.
Not so warped, I don't think. When I first learned about the flash after a nuclear explosion, this was what I thought of.
As for your memory: haunting and amusing, and disturbing for being amusing. It's sweet that your dad made a game out of an object that could have traumatized you at that age if he'd told you its origins, but it's also creepy to think about making jokes about something like that. Nice and thought-provoking, similar to some of the issues you confront in studying reactions to tragedies such as Nagasaki or the Holocaust, the ways in which people deal with what happened.
As for your memory: haunting and amusing, and disturbing for being amusing.
Yep. Much later, he explained to me that he kept the plaque as a reminder of the devastation and of what human beings were capable of doing to other people. Then he showed me the pictures he had taken of Nagasaki. *Shudder* (Hopefully, the plaque wasn't radioactive! I've often wondered...)
Since the plaque was from a factory, he figured no one had a personal connection to it or would miss it. As a naval officer, he was issued a (genuine) samurai sword during the occupation. About 20 years or so ago, he managed to track down the descendants of the original owner and sent the sword back to Japan to them. I always thought that was so cool of him.
Oh, wow. That is very cool -- first to have it, and then to be conscientious enough to try to return it.
I wonder what it was like for him to make up those silly translations of the plaque for you. Did he feel good that he could protect you from the true story, guilty for belittling it, grateful that you didn't have to experience what the children in Nagasaki did...?
There's a similar place around here called the Experimentarium where I've been in a similar room. It was very interesting. I used to love that place because it was so scientific and science was my favourite subject. But that isn't actually the memory - consider it a bonus ;-)
In 9th grad I was in London for the first time. It was a school trip to both Wales and London. What I remember clearest from London itself is not seeing a musical (STarlight Express). No, it's The Imperial War Museum with the display of a V2 rocket. It's huge. Even to a 14-year old.
Even after spending a semester and four vacations in London, I still haven't made it to the Imperial War Museum! Sacrilege. But I do know what you mean about the sheer size of those rockets, and being doubly awed when you're not adult-sized yet; our family went to quite a few space museums/exhibits when my sister and I were kids, including the Kennedy Center in Florida where the rockets are twice your height lying on their sides. Really cool stuff, right? :)
WHen I was little (I don't remember how young- younger then fourth grade, I think, maybe even pre-school aged. . .) I was visiting my Aunt Lisa in NYC. That in and of it self isn't a big deal, as we still do that about twice a year, but the time in particular is the first time I remember ever going to the Met
( ... )
(How sad is it that when you mentioned your Aunt Lisa, the first thing that came to mind was fanfic about Cuddy's nieces and nephews?)
Despite living close to NYC and taking numerous trips into the city to visit museums, especially the Museum of Natural History, for some reason we didn't go to the Met until I was older. It was impressive then, so it must have been really intimidating/exciting for a child. You were very brave for wandering off into the medieval section!
Oh, and the 'little building' in the center of the main Egyptian room is the Temple of Dendur. It was very exciting for us to see that on our first visit because it had been in the Sesame Street movie, "Please Don't Eat the Pictures." *g*
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As for your memory: haunting and amusing, and disturbing for being amusing. It's sweet that your dad made a game out of an object that could have traumatized you at that age if he'd told you its origins, but it's also creepy to think about making jokes about something like that. Nice and thought-provoking, similar to some of the issues you confront in studying reactions to tragedies such as Nagasaki or the Holocaust, the ways in which people deal with what happened.
(Also, I hope the thing wasn't radioactive.)
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Yep. Much later, he explained to me that he kept the plaque as a reminder of the devastation and of what human beings were capable of doing to other people. Then he showed me the pictures he had taken of Nagasaki. *Shudder* (Hopefully, the plaque wasn't radioactive! I've often wondered...)
Since the plaque was from a factory, he figured no one had a personal connection to it or would miss it. As a naval officer, he was issued a (genuine) samurai sword during the occupation. About 20 years or so ago, he managed to track down the descendants of the original owner and sent the sword back to Japan to them. I always thought that was so cool of him.
Reposted to fix error.
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I wonder what it was like for him to make up those silly translations of the plaque for you. Did he feel good that he could protect you from the true story, guilty for belittling it, grateful that you didn't have to experience what the children in Nagasaki did...?
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But that isn't actually the memory - consider it a bonus ;-)
In 9th grad I was in London for the first time. It was a school trip to both Wales and London. What I remember clearest from London itself is not seeing a musical (STarlight Express). No, it's The Imperial War Museum with the display of a V2 rocket. It's huge. Even to a 14-year old.
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Despite living close to NYC and taking numerous trips into the city to visit museums, especially the Museum of Natural History, for some reason we didn't go to the Met until I was older. It was impressive then, so it must have been really intimidating/exciting for a child. You were very brave for wandering off into the medieval section!
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