friday flashback

"Where were you when...?" is the question of the day posed by the fine ladies at "Sweetney" and "Her Bad Mother". I perused some of the entries and had AH HA moments with each of the incidences they wrote about. I was in the hall at my locker between classes in sixth grade when they announced the Challenger crash. I also remember my mom waking me up extremely early to watch the 'once in a life time' wedding of Di and Charles. I can recall the destruction of the Berlin Wall and rushing home from my anatomy lab to watch the sentencing of OJ Simpson. All of these memories are still fresh in my mind, though I can't remember what to get at the store to save my life. Another occurrence I can vividly recall was the arrest of Jeffery Dahmer. 'Why on earth would you remember this' you are surely questioning. Well, the reasons are plentiful.

It was the summer before my senior year of high school when he was arrested in 1991. I had done all the university tours my junior year and had decided to go to college in Milwaukee. I grew up in a small town on the eastern border of Ohio, two miles from Pennsylvania to be exact, and I was ready to get the heck out of Dodge. I yearned to be in a metropolis with up to date fashion, trends and culture. I applied early and was accepted. So the countdown to freedom began.

"Newsflash! Officers arrest a serial killer in Milwaukee. When apprehended in his apartment they find corpses, human remains and severed heads in his refrigerator." The trial began in the middle of my senior year. I was continuously questioned about my school choice, "Are you really going to school THERE??" "What if there are more killers like THAT there?" and so on and so on. To small town minds this type of killer was incomprehensible. To be fair, he was mind blowing to many across the country as well as around the world. As the investigation unraveled it was discovered that he was originally from Ohio and went to Ohio State (my second choice for college). Suddenly the six degrees of separation was quickly closing in. As well as being on every national news station, he was also on all the local station because of all the discoveries they were finding in Ohio as well. I was glad when school was over and I could escape the verbal questioning and harassment.

When I moved here the story didn't have the same zest and appeal as it did back home. Maybe because they had been hearing it for over a year and by then and the shock value had resolved. I embraced the silence and went about my merry way and all that college had to offer to a wide-eyed freshman.

It amazes me that this was the occurrence that was sparked by the question posed. Maybe the small town girl in me is still stuck in there after all.

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This post was written as part of Catherine and Tracey’s “Where were you when…” writing prompt.
“Our parents' generation can recall exactly what they were doing when JFK was shot - a cultural moment that defined a generation. What big cultural or historic event occurred during your childhood/youth that you recall clearly? What was its impact on you?"

Feel free to join in and write a post on this theme. All you are asked to do is copy the list of participants and add it to the bottom of your post -- and don't forget to add yourself!

For more posts on the “Where were you when…” theme...
Her Bad Mother
Sweetney
Mamalogues
Mrs. Flinger
Whoorl
Oh, The Joys