Transportation Smell-sation
I was just thinking ,as I was recently being gently baked, while riding the taxi van…what is so specific with my memories of times in Ukraine. As I closed my eyes and thought about it…it came to me…the smell.
Stay with me here…this is not a criticism of Ukraine…far from it. My sensory receptors are awakened every time I come to this wonderful country. BTW…I LOVE this country!
Back to the taxi van…I try to sit as close to the open window as I can because, unlike a lot of Urainians I am not opposed to sitting in a draft. In fact, I encourage a draft to be around me at all times! As I was sitting inside this Easy-Bake Oven Van the smells of the city began to hit me. The smell of different people in different stages of being “deoderized” while being sardined into an 18 passenger vank, from the very tired and sweaty c. The heat of the asphalt reaching up to grab my attention…the smell of dirt in the air, much like a West Texas dirt road after a pick-up truck has roared down it…intermittant smells of decaying garbage like the sweet and sour mix of smell in a Chinese restaurant…the choking brown haze from the diesel trucks as they pass by with the tailpipe at about window high on the van…the almost cool breeze with the faintest teaser off of the Dneper River, where you can almost smell water…the mixed bag of cooking breezes coming from first story flats and all of the little kiosks with sausages, pancakes (not Americn pancakes but more like a burrito), and kvass (a “non-alcoholic” [very MUCH alcohlic] drink sold on the street (by the cup) by street vendors…
The smell from the first time, as I arrive and take a taxi to the city, to the very last day and a ride back to the airport in a taxi…remind me that I am home! If only for a few weeks!
You and you’re nose!! Of course that’s the biggest memory retainer there is. That’s actually been proven in research and educators are encouraged to have a smell in their rooms to help kids recall from previous lessons! Just hopefully the smells are good ones and not preteen 7th and 8th grade body smells!!!
An articule I read said that it’s like 90% perfect recall on memories when a smell is associated with it. And most people remember the food someone use to make, like Grandma’s house. One of my most fond memory of camp is the smell, it’s always the same and every year it’s stepping back into the memories past and just enjoy the sensation! I’m glad you’ve gotten the chance to revel in the sensation too! Aaaahhhhh!
Missing you sister! Take care and I love you!
Karen