Emotion at the Tenement Museum
Today was by far my favorite museum experience thus far. To finish of the last week of our two weeks in NYC we ventured into the Lower East Side to the Tenement Museum. We participated in an interactive tour that depicted the life of three families from the 1950s-2011. The Epstein family, the Velez family, and the Wong family who all live at 103 Orchard Street at one point in their lives, raising their children and involving themselves in the community.
Each family had their own part of the floor where there story was told and the rooms looked like they did when they were living there. There were parts of each room that spoke to me and my own experiences growing up with immigrant parents. From the plastic covered couch of Ramoncita Velez to the children’s book in Bella Epstein’s room. I was able to see part of myself and my life at the Tenement Museum and I greatly appreciated it. The part that spoke to me the most was in the Wong family section that was designed to look like a garment factory. One of the interactive exhibits was an old time payphone that used to be everywhere but are now virtually extinct. You could dial a single number to hear more from Mrs. Wong and her children Yat Ping, Alison, and Kevin as they described their life.
I dialed 9 and Yat Ping, the oldest of the three children said the above quote about her mother, her hard work, and her sacrifices. I teared up quite a lot, almost to the point of crying. That quote resonated with me so much and it made me think and question whether I’ve ever told my parents how proud and grateful I am for everything they had done and sacrificed for me and my siblings. I was not expecting so much emotion from this visit but I am grateful for it because that was the intent of the tour. It not only showed us what life was like for these families but how there are shared experiences and emotions that so many people may relate and connect to that makes an experience all that much more powerful.
