"Do you still remember when you ate your poop and play with it when you were still young?"
"Okey, Ma, of course I can't remember that thing." My mama always ask me this question whenever we talked about my childhood memories. Its a little bit awkward because the one thing she wants me to remember is the taste of my poop. How will I know? I can't even remember the July 1990 earthquake. I guess, I have a childhood amnesia. (coined by Sigmund Freud).
According to Dr. Patricia Bauer of Emory University, young children tend to forget events more rapidly than adults because they lack the strong neural processes required to bring together all the pieces of information that go into a complex autobiographical memory. She clearly explain the difference between childhood memories into a adult memories and compare it into a pasta draining in a colander. (psycentral.com)
As part of my 7BC are my earliest memory, there are no specific memories stated on the challenge but I would like to concentrate on my childhood memories which is I barely remember. My childhood years are not as normal as it should be, there are low points and high points. Some are bad and most of them are happy memories.
And lets begin with my happy memories. ( Memories I want to go back)
We have a bunch of encyclopedias in our bookshelf and two things I remember was I am always scanning those books and looking for different kinds of photos even though I don't understand exactly the meaning of a certain word. The first word stocked on my mind until now is "aardvark" which looks like this:
The other thing that I think of was playing with my sister with encyclopedia and the mechanics of the game was we're going to choose which side are we ( right or left side of the book) and count how many people are there on one side and whoever has greater number of person on the side she choose wins. The looser would suffer on a punishment which is "pitik-bulag". It was really fun and exciting. And it was beneficial game, we learn how to count.
The Sailormonn Paperdolls. Who would have conceptualize that those pieces of paper will embark a fun memories to all girls? I really love these cute characters, you will make a little story on your mind and help the paperdoll character to talk to each other, like you will dubbed and change their dresses. The characters of the paperdoll had helped me to remember the solar system.
And one of the my treasured memory I have was when I played as an angel during my graduation on my kindergarten years. My gratification was satisfied at that moment because I felt like I was really an angel and I have wings and halo too. My teacher was a pianist and she played a beautiful melody. I was really amused and fell in love with the sound of the piano.
There a lot of memories to share, to reminisce, and to write, looking back, you felt your a kid again. As they always quote "Young at heart". I believe that good memories attract good stuff for the future.
In the contrary, there are low points of my childhood. (The memories that I blocked long time ago.)
I can't remember how old I am in that particular incident of my childhood memory when I was sexually harassed by an unknown man. He is not our relative, or friend and i cannot even remember his face. We went on this place, together with my family. And that time me and my younger sister was on the front seat of the jeep and he was the driver. My memory serves me right, he was wearing a white shirt with a ragged pants and a cap with the towel on his nape. He was just touching my legs and going up. And as a child I thought that it was stellar and I don't mind at all but it was really confusing that time. I didn't told to my parents because, I really thought that it was fine and normal and also my sister was there. So I guess, it was just really fine but as I grew up and remembering that event, and at my age today, I felt that I am stupid that I allowed myself to be touched by that man. I f only I knew at that moment, I would have cried and told to my parents about the incident. Too late to regret...But I was really thankful that it was not my younger sister who suffered from that phenomenon, or else it would hurt me so bad.
And the other thing was, when I was in my elementary days, when my math teacher just laughed at me when I told him that my guy classmates try to kiss me and bullied me. I can still recall their faces. They were like puppies who wants a piece of bone. I was really ashamed that day, but I was more ashamed of what my teacher did, HE JUST LAUGH AT ME.
What else can I dig on my memory? Ah yeah! The first time I ate wasabi. I think I am 10 years old. I was very curious about the green tube on our refrigerator and my dad always telling us that we should not try to taste the "green paste". As a child with my curiosity, i put plenty of wasabi on my spoon and it looks so delicious. And when the "green paste" touch my taste buds. Really, i shouted because I was surprise about the after taste of the wasabi and not only the taste, but also how it goes into my nostrils..If only I had a picture that specific day, you will really laugh. But until now, I am loving wasabi with my best-loved sushi.
I have abundance of memory inside my brain which connects to my heart. Some were hurtful memories with a lesson and few were just a plain hurt, i called it stupidity. Somehow, my earliest memories were the joyful ones. Forgiveness is a key factor in overcoming my past. It is true that for you to forget, you need to forgive. And if possible, whenever I remember how broken I was, I use thought blocking and look up to God. He made my whole life and my childhood memories, whether bad or good, He made it in purpose and He has a reason for everything and I believe His reason is reasonable and justified.
What else can I say? Keep calm and keep the faith. Nothing else matter, except for the man who cried in the rain and hanged on the cross with the nail pierced hands 2000 years ago.
-KIMMY-
