Today began with a slower start than most other mornings, as we had a free morning due to religious observances. I got to sleep in until 8:50 when I was woken by loud music in the hall, and got to lie in bed all comfy and cozy until 10 (an extremely rare occurrence on this trip). I went down to the hotel dining room and got strawberry yogurt with Special K in it (as close to granola as I saw), which I enjoyed quite a bit. After finishing eating, I just did my laundry. I’ll spare the details; you know that laundry is by no means a wacky, goofy, or quirky adventure.
Our bus arrived just before 1 PM, and we began our hour-long ride to the Watersnoodmuseum, or flood museum. The museum tells the story of the massive flood that ravaged the southwest delta on February 1, 1953. This specific flood was caused by a hurricane, several dikes breaking in quick succession, and claimed the lives of over 1,800 people and hundreds of thousands of animals. I learned that the dikes broke so quickly because of the impulse and great force of the rushing water from the sea after the first broke; the dike blocking off the ocean was typically built to be much stronger than those inside the territory.
To help tell the story of the flood, several small exhibits were posted throughout the several buildings of the museum. For example, one exhibit, called Verhalen Van ’53, shows scattered quotes of survivors of the flood surrounded by numbered images of 70 or so victims who drowned during the disaster. The purpose of this exhibit was to show that the victims are not just a number, that they aren’t just one in 1,800 people who lost their lives; they were people just like us who were, as of 2/1/1953, no longer able to enjoy their lives, love their families, and strive for their dreams as we can ours. Another exhibit right next to the former was a showcase of various items that belonged to those who perished in the flood. Some of these items included golden watches, necklaces, jackets, and children’s schoolbags. The items shown in this section bring an emotional weight, as most of them were found tattered after the flood subsided, and it made me think about how I’d feel if all that I had of a prematurely-lost loved one was a normal item that they used.
My favorite exhibit in the museum consisted of a long, dark-blue lit room covered in sand and nearly completely quiet. At the end of a small platform around a corner, there is a large open space, empty except for sand and rocks on the floor resembling the coastline. Along the sand, the names of those who perished were projected, moving away from the viewing point. I believe that this exhibit is the greatest interpretation of the loss of life caused by the flood, as (at least as I interpreted it) the names floating along the coastline can be compared to the lifeless victims’ bodies being first seen at the water’s edge after the disaster subsided.
After walking through the rest of the museum, I had some free time to kill, as many others were still looking at what the Watersnoodmuseum had to offer. I decided to go for a walk along a dirt path outside of the exit, which led to a gorgeous coastline, the rocks near the water covered in clams (or maybe mussels) and claimed by seagulls. I walked along the water for a few minutes before heading back, carefully trying to avoid the shellfish as I stepped. After we left the museum, a group of us went out for an Indonesian dinner at Papaya. I got a variety special dish, which came with so many different meats, veggies, and flavors, all of which were absolutely delicious. Afterwards, I went back to the hotel to relax for the night.
