On Columbus Day, October 9th, 2017, I visited the American Museum of Natural History. I have not gone to a museum since elementary school. I have been meaning to go, but I just never had the time to. The lines to go in the museum and to buy the tickets were very long, so it is better to buy the tickets online ahead of time. After receiving my ticket, I headed into the Akeley Hall of African Mammals exhibit. This exhibit had many mammals that inhabited Africa. The displays were beautiful and quite realistic. There were large elephant displays in the middle. I went on to the African Peoples exhibit, which I saw a lot on African culture and the evolution of tools, but the most interesting were the masks and costumes for the Dance and Belief section. Some were quite interesting and they were positioned to look like they were in movement. Next, I went to the Stout Hall of Asian Peoples exhibits. I saw a wood carving that looked like a fox, but it was a bear charm. Also, I saw other toy animals and theatrical masks. The ancestral worship display reminded me of my own home because we still practice it and every month we would light incenses for our ancestors. I enjoyed the Asian peoples exhibit because I could relate to it. It was an enjoyable experience minus the weather.
This activity assists me because it makes me really appreciate nature and the general beauty of the world, but also, I see how people changed to survive yet keep their own identity and how culture is really imbued into every person. I greatly appreciate my culture and the rich history behind it, but I enjoy learning on other cultures too. Therefore, I should seek to try and to learn new things, but I should not forget my own identity and culture.
