Tag: culture

ROM: Through the Eyes Of My Grandchildren

Last week I spent a day with a couple of my grandchildren, Agnes 14 and Ben 10, at the ROM. They had both been there before, but they wanted to go again – together. They wanted to show each other their favourite exhibits.

The plan was to wander through each floor, stopping when a favourite spot came along. The first exhibit that caught their attention was in China. Right away the kids noticed the swastika on an Emperor’s robe. I had thought the swastika was a marketing tool of Hitler’s, but it turns out that the symbol has been around in Chinese culture for at least 5000 years, symbolizing good fortune and prosperity. Along with all his horrifying atrocities, Hitler had been plagiarizing as well.

Next we visited the biodiversity section where we saw the bat cave, numerous crawling things, exotic fish, food webs, a piece of rock from the moon, and of course dinosaurs. The dinosaur exhibit was of particular interest to me because it has been moved from its original dark space near the entrance to a bright and airy new section on the second floor. Dinosaurs of all sizes can now be examined up close.

After all that, it was time for a break. The kids had never been to the restaurant; they had always come with other groups and their lunch, and sat in a different area. The restaurant is not gourmet but it serves pizza with good pepperoni (according to Ben) and a delicious salad with greens and fruit (according to me!). We were happy eating, as we made our plans for the next part of our visit.

We had saved the third floor for last. This area contains Ancient Egypt which is a crowd favourite, mostly because of the mummies. But Ben and Agnes had seen them all before and walked by with only one comment: “gross.” We found 2 versions of Cleopatra – one carved in stone, and the other one a replica of Cleopatra putting on her make-up. That interested Agnes immensely.

The Japanese exhibit is also on the third floor now. At first Ben said he wasn’t interested, until I reminded him that he and his family had visited Japan only a year ago. Then he spotted the samurai swords and rushed over. He and Agnes studied the swords and the kimonos. Then they were attracted to the gift-wrapping table, Japanese style. This, like many other exhibits, was hands-on.

And that is what impressed me most about the updated ROM. Most of the exhibits have some sort of interactive display which engages young visitors fully.

Pushing buttons:

spinning wheels:

activating lights:

listening to mini-lectures:

tapping on images:

Our final stop was for more food at a small cafe on the main floor. Agnes chose a dessert square, Ben found a Kermit Gingerbread Man who quickly became legless, and I got a very sugary Nanaimo bar. We left the ROM with tummies full of calories and minds full of interesting things we had learned from our ancestors. Not one of us had even thought of using our cell phones.

Sue

dobryj den

This is the Ukrainian greeting, a way of saying hello. I learned it at the food bank.

While handing out books to the children of our clients at the local food bank, I learned this and other useful phrases in Ukrainian such as “How old is your child?” Our clientele has changed a lot over the years that I’ve been volunteering. Instead of Canadian, or Central American or East Indian, most of our clients now are Ukrainian immigrants. They seem to appreciate my efforts to welcome them in their language.

When I found out that the annual Ukrainian Festival was going on in our neighbourhood this past weekend, I thought it would be useful and fun to try to find out more about their culture. Peter agreed to explore with me. We took the subway to the start of the festival at Jane Street, walked the length of the festival on Bloor, and took the subway back home from Runnymede.

The smell of food was enticing during the entire route. There were bake stands serving up delicious pastries, drink places featuring mango concoctions, BBQ’d meats and vegetables, and of course the staple, pierogies. I haven’t eaten a pierogi since I was in elementary school and my best friend was Ukrainian. Sometimes she invited me for dinner at her house and I still remember that flaky pastry, the melted cheese and the sour cream on top. Yum

As we walked along the street, we passed booths offering clothing, ceramics, immigrant services, flowers, and books. One section of the festival was devoted to children’s entertainment – a ferris wheel, guessing games with stuffed animal prizes, and throwing contests. The most common booths were those raising money for the war in Ukraine. Visitors could pay to fly a drone, or just donate cash. These booths all had big line-ups.

Entertainment was provided on 2 large stages; one at each end of the festival. The first one featured Ukrainian children singing and dancing in costume. Their talent was applauded and cheered, especially from the parents in the audience. They had such pride.

A band performed on the other stage. The conductor sang the Ukrainian words enthusiastically, but Peter and I were speechless, so we just clapped and smiled.

We were thinking about how brave these people are, that they can find joy in their lives even as their country is being demolished by Russian forces, and other nations are turning their backs.

Sue