..:*･yuka･*:..

There is a place i have set in my heart, somewhere i must travel to, witness and experience.

Hiroshima.

It left a tragic mark in history when the famous Little Boy was dropped on the heart of Hiroshima, during the Second World War. The aftermath was gruesomely tragic, and the tragedy still continues across many generations till today.

I suppose the main factor that pulled me towards Hiroshima and this historical event was perhaps the movie "Black Rain" which i watched as part of a film module curriculum when i was a freshman. The "Black Rain" was a film chronicling around the life of a victim, a hibakusha, from the time of the bombing to the postwar period when she had to deal with problems of her prospects in getting married, and the disease that stuck to her as a result of the radiation exposure during the bombing.

Most of us need to be constantly reminded how fortunate we are to be living comfortably and that we will probably never experience anything close to what the people during the war had to. Getting myself in touch with the history, especially wars in the past, never fails to bring me back to two important reminders: to be thankful for being where we are now and to learn from the mistakes made in the past.

To be able to stand at a place where a major historical event has occurred must be an unforgettable experience. And i have placed Hiroshima as my destination, a pilgrimage that i must go.

Last night, i was reading accounts by the survivors on the net. Through their narration, i imagined the horror and chaos during that time. But sadly, i will never be able to understand or experience what they have experienced. Perhaps, making a trip to the exact physical location will bring me a step closer to have a clearer picture of the event that took place half a decade ago.

Here is the link to the stories these survivors have shared. I spent the entire night reading them and my heart mourned for their loss as i read every line.