Page 50 - moondani kyema
P. 50
ndani kyema, My Story - Ray Moore 50
We were going home.
Arrangements were being made. For the majority of theinmates of Weihsien, this
meant getting on to a train to the coastal city of Qingdao, from where they would be
catching ships back to their home countries. But for me and the four Taylor children
and David Allen, “home” was in Western China where our parents had seen out the
War in what had been
“Free China”. So, about
three or four weeks after
the end of the War, We six
were bundled on to an
American transport plane
carrying used parachutes
back to Xi’an. As there
were no seats we found the
parachutes an acceptable
alternative.
Arriving in Xi’an we were
taken to billets at the
American barracks where
we stayed for a couple of
days. I had more new
experiences here which
generated tastes that
stayed with me for the rest
of my life. I was given a
tube of toothpaste. Up to
this time I had been using
soap to brush my teeth.
Many years later the
process of brushing my
teeth with real toothpaste
remained an evocative
experience. Coca Cola
was on tap, and I had an immediate liking for it, which also remained for the rest of
my life. In the evenings we were taken to the outdoor picture theatre, where we sat
on canvas director’s chairs and watched cartoons for the first time. This launched my
lifelong love for cartoons, especially the simpler Mickey Mouse type.
The four Taylor children were picked up from Xi'an by their parents and taken to their
mission station. David Allen and I were put on an American Air force plane and taken
to Kunming in the south, where David's parents were stationed, but a long way from
Hanzhong in South Shaanxi where my parents were. Hanzhong is about 220
kilometres south of Xi'an while Kunming is almost 2,000 kilometres further south
again.
Why was I mistakenly taken so far out of the way when my family was waiting
impatiently to hear that they could pick me up from Xi'an? There is a clue in the
We were going home.
Arrangements were being made. For the majority of theinmates of Weihsien, this
meant getting on to a train to the coastal city of Qingdao, from where they would be
catching ships back to their home countries. But for me and the four Taylor children
and David Allen, “home” was in Western China where our parents had seen out the
War in what had been
“Free China”. So, about
three or four weeks after
the end of the War, We six
were bundled on to an
American transport plane
carrying used parachutes
back to Xi’an. As there
were no seats we found the
parachutes an acceptable
alternative.
Arriving in Xi’an we were
taken to billets at the
American barracks where
we stayed for a couple of
days. I had more new
experiences here which
generated tastes that
stayed with me for the rest
of my life. I was given a
tube of toothpaste. Up to
this time I had been using
soap to brush my teeth.
Many years later the
process of brushing my
teeth with real toothpaste
remained an evocative
experience. Coca Cola
was on tap, and I had an immediate liking for it, which also remained for the rest of
my life. In the evenings we were taken to the outdoor picture theatre, where we sat
on canvas director’s chairs and watched cartoons for the first time. This launched my
lifelong love for cartoons, especially the simpler Mickey Mouse type.
The four Taylor children were picked up from Xi'an by their parents and taken to their
mission station. David Allen and I were put on an American Air force plane and taken
to Kunming in the south, where David's parents were stationed, but a long way from
Hanzhong in South Shaanxi where my parents were. Hanzhong is about 220
kilometres south of Xi'an while Kunming is almost 2,000 kilometres further south
again.
Why was I mistakenly taken so far out of the way when my family was waiting
impatiently to hear that they could pick me up from Xi'an? There is a clue in the
