I boarded the bus with a book-bag that was filled with some snacks, Hawaiian Punch juice, and a peanut butter & jelly sandwich in a paperbag. The bus ride was ripe with anticipation. Kids were munching on snacks and sharing with each other. Teachers and chaperones were hollering instructions to stay seated and to keep the noise down (talk about unenviable tasks). I was seated in the middle of the bus with my good friend and the buzz from all the kids’ chatter was electric. Everyone was so enthusiastic (sugar from the snacks probably helped). I had $10.00 tucked away in my wallet which my mom gave me to spend in the gift shop! My dad reminded me to get something for my mom. I got each of us a dinosaur pen! The excitement compounded with each pothole the cheese-bus rolled over with a gasps of oohs and ahhs. As we pulled up to the museum, there was a roar from all the kids. What isn’t thrilling about seeing larger than life creatures the size of apartment buildings we lived in? I was in awe that I was about to see a T-Rex in attack mode, with its teeth set to rip into its lunch. I was ready to see the Native Americans.
We entered the Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda and checked our bags and coats. As I turned around, I was greeted by a magnificently large creature with every bone visible. So this is how humongous a dinosaur was? It wasn’t the T-Rex, but rather the Brontosaurus. I instantly grew fond of this gentle giant because it was a vegetarian like me. From the start, the group was told to stay together, but my buddy and I had to be told more than once to not go too far ahead. We just wanted to see it all and couldn’t be bothered to wait. I had to be told more than once not to go over the ropes to touch the fossils. Looking back, I am shocked I didn’t bring down one of those beasts. The eagerness within me was alive and harnessing it was just not easy. I would go on to witness an amazing array of exhibitions portraying dinosaur after dinosaur as well as ancient Native American tribes as they lived long before the U.S. was colonized. All the while I was under the watchful eye of chaperones. Though I wasn’t going to cause any trouble (most likely), or break anything (somewhat lucky I didn’t), I just wanted to get as close to the history that was within my reach. I wanted to touch what lived on Earth more than 240 million years ago! I wanted to talk to the tribesman who hunted bison and lived in America before it was America. I was 10 years old and my imagination had a large appetite. I ate the history up and it has stayed with me since. The notion of something being historic threw my imagination into hyper-drive.
My love affair with history was cemented at that point and I’ve never been the same; for the better. My appreciation for natural and scientific history has continued to escalate into different realms. I value learning about different eras and important people who have influenced the world in subtle and profound ways. Through museums, as different artifacts have been put on exhibition over the years, I’ve been able to bridge the education to my still vivid imagination. I’ve continued to develop my knowledge of history by educating myself by reading books and studying it. The study of history opens a great many doors, it all depends on your imagination’s hunger.
It’s with great passion I look forward to the grand opening of the Swaminarayan Museum in March, 2011. Though I am no longer 10 years old, my imagination continues to hunger with great intensity. I am afforded an opportunity to be amidst the presence of artifacts from Swaminarayan Bhagwan’s life which is most humbling. I look forward to being on the plane with great anticipation as I will be traveling with a good friend. I will have a little more than $10.00 to spend at the gift shop. I’ll certainly remember to get something for my mom and my dad this time. I probably won’t have to be told more than once to keep a good distance from the artifacts. I’ll probably be well behaved; I’m so excited so no promises.
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Heighten awareness for the Grand Opening of the Swaminarayan Museum http://preservationplus.blogspot.com/
