Page 55 - moondani kyema
P. 55
ndani kyema, My Story - Ray Moore 55
Not far from the Mission Compound were the town common and the prison. Both of
these places held a fascination for me. The prison for obvious reasons as I watched
prisoners being taken in and out of the huge gates in the high surrounding wall. The
common, because it was where a lot of the town celebrations were held and I was
fascinated as I watched the jugglers, stilt men, acrobats and story tellers. There were
lots of flags and red paper creations and always, firecrackers. Whetting my appetite
were numerous stalls selling hot food and breads. I loved the Chinese people and
being in this atmosphere with thousands of Chinese around me celebrating a special
occasion was exciting.
Outside the Mission Compound and just
across a small creek, was one of the
American barracks for their airmen. I often
went over to see the Americans and was
befriended readily by them. In these pictures
I am standing with Captain John Moss,
kneeling beside me and two of his air crew,
and in the bottom picture he is on the right
with his full crew. I think this 11 year old who
had spent the majority of the war in a
concentration camp was something of a
novelty to them.
I went into their quarters and was fascinated
by the pinup girls that adorned their walls. I
was uncertain whether I should show any
interest in them or not, so I kept my glances
until I thought the American wasn't watching.
The Americans had some pets. One was a
monkey which resided mainly on top of a
fence to which it was tied. Also tied to the
same fence was a pet dog which spent most
of its time making the monkey jump from side
to side of the fence while it ran back and forth
through a hole in the fence.
They also had a pet bear which was kept outside the Barracks area near the creek.
Here the owner of the bear, one of the Americans, would wrestle with it. This was no
mean feat because the bear towered over him as it wrestled the man on its hind legs.
There was a Chinese army hospital outside the city wall where I went and soon
befriended one of the chief doctors there, Doctor Gao. My visits there were
memorable for a number of reasons. First of all, Dr. Gao allowed me into the
operating theatre to watch some operations. After watching various operations, I was
invited in to watch a brain operation. But just before it was to start, they decided that
there were too many people in the operating theatre and I was one of the first to be
evicted, much to my disappointment.
The Chinese Army owned a stable of Tibetan ponies, and Dr. Gao took me riding a
few times. He also took me out once on the back of a tray truck, some miles away to
Not far from the Mission Compound were the town common and the prison. Both of
these places held a fascination for me. The prison for obvious reasons as I watched
prisoners being taken in and out of the huge gates in the high surrounding wall. The
common, because it was where a lot of the town celebrations were held and I was
fascinated as I watched the jugglers, stilt men, acrobats and story tellers. There were
lots of flags and red paper creations and always, firecrackers. Whetting my appetite
were numerous stalls selling hot food and breads. I loved the Chinese people and
being in this atmosphere with thousands of Chinese around me celebrating a special
occasion was exciting.
Outside the Mission Compound and just
across a small creek, was one of the
American barracks for their airmen. I often
went over to see the Americans and was
befriended readily by them. In these pictures
I am standing with Captain John Moss,
kneeling beside me and two of his air crew,
and in the bottom picture he is on the right
with his full crew. I think this 11 year old who
had spent the majority of the war in a
concentration camp was something of a
novelty to them.
I went into their quarters and was fascinated
by the pinup girls that adorned their walls. I
was uncertain whether I should show any
interest in them or not, so I kept my glances
until I thought the American wasn't watching.
The Americans had some pets. One was a
monkey which resided mainly on top of a
fence to which it was tied. Also tied to the
same fence was a pet dog which spent most
of its time making the monkey jump from side
to side of the fence while it ran back and forth
through a hole in the fence.
They also had a pet bear which was kept outside the Barracks area near the creek.
Here the owner of the bear, one of the Americans, would wrestle with it. This was no
mean feat because the bear towered over him as it wrestled the man on its hind legs.
There was a Chinese army hospital outside the city wall where I went and soon
befriended one of the chief doctors there, Doctor Gao. My visits there were
memorable for a number of reasons. First of all, Dr. Gao allowed me into the
operating theatre to watch some operations. After watching various operations, I was
invited in to watch a brain operation. But just before it was to start, they decided that
there were too many people in the operating theatre and I was one of the first to be
evicted, much to my disappointment.
The Chinese Army owned a stable of Tibetan ponies, and Dr. Gao took me riding a
few times. He also took me out once on the back of a tray truck, some miles away to
