Just this week I had gone on a trip around the different museums and monuments in Metro Manila, Philippines. I had to go on this trip because of a school requirement that forced me to do so.
And you know what? This was a nice thing for my school to do.
Somehow, I actually enjoyed this trip more than all of the previous times I went to museums as a kid. What changed?
The right mindset
Whenever I went to museums before, it was not of my own accord. Furthermore, whenever I went here, it was always for the purpose of social recreation. As such, if the museum is not “fun” in the traditional sense, then I just see it as boring.
But with my recent visit, the mindset I had was academic. My purpose was to eventually write something about my experiences afterwards. As such, I looked at each exhibit with the intent to understand and connect its relevance to the current world.
Because of this, going to the museum becomes more of an intellectual exercise rather than an emotional one. And actually, this change in focus makes the visits more “fun.” It’s funny because it is only when we stop looking for fun that we actually find it.
For example, when I saw this net, I reflected on the culture of the people back then. They made this practical tool, but they made it with effort put in elegance. I imagine this being handmade and I try to imagine what the artist may have felt or thought as they made this.
I also saw this exhibit of an unfinished painting. In the same way, I thought about the implications of this. I saw the pencil sketches below and behind the paint. I saw a scene in which the artist would have been in the process of creating this work. It is the thought of implications that makes going to museums fun.
Memorability
Initially, I hated this task. I thought of it as just another way for schools to support museums that no one probably goes to anymore because of the rise of the internet. But then when I came home from the trip. I realized:
“I have something to look back to.”
When I read about a specific artifact on the internet, it’s just another scroll. It’s just another 5 minutes wasted browsing social media. But when I came home from my trip. I now have this 4 hours stuck in my memory to point me back to the things I saw that day. It gave me a bookmark.
When I came back to my usual routine of browsing the internet, suddenly I remembered my trip and the insights I learned that day. It was not just another 5 minutes anymore, it was a whole day’s experience that I will highlight for life.
Something that probably added to this was the fact that I had scrapped both my knees earlier that morning. I was riding my scooter towards the shuttle pick-up area and I lost balance because of some wood plank on the road. For the entire 3-4 hours of me exploring the city, I had slight sharp pains on my knees every time I bent them. Truly a memorable experience.
Do you have any museums near your area? Might as well give them a try and change up your day!
Gab With Tie 
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