Alex V
04-26-16, 10:25
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30 Years ago today a seemingly insignificant experiment in the Reactor 4 building of the Vladimir Ilyich Lenin Nuclear Power Station.
My family and I lived in Kiev, about 100km in a strait line from Pryp'yat. Just like the rest of the country, we were kept in the dark for days. We first found out when my mom's cousins called us from the US as the news was breaking on all the media stations following the IAEA figuring out that the Soviets dun screwed the pooch.
My parents were both engineers, my mother having a Masters in Mechanical Engineering, and my father having a PhD in Environmental Engineering. They quickly scared the crap out of me and put the fear of radiation in me which lasted many MANY years. For several weeks I was not allowed outside. As no KI pills were available, my parents painted my ass with liquid Iodine in order to protect my thyroid because I would not drink it like they were able to.
I was not yet enrolled in school so my parents quickly put me on a train and sent me to relatives in Lvyv, a city close to the polish border and the furthest they could get me from Kiev at the time. Travel, even within the USSR was heavily restricted and one could not go from one republic to the other without permission. At the time, in light of the situation, no permission would be given. I spent months in Lvyv, away from my parents, only seeing them occasionally when they visited. I don't remember much of that time, but one story sticks with me. When I would come in from outside, I would take my hat and hit it with my hand over the porch before entering the house. When asked why or what I was doing, I would explain that I was dusting the radiation off my hat.
The time I was away is described by my parents as very surreal. Most children were taken out of the city, same as me, the streets were mostly empty despite is being spring/summer. My father was a Captain in the AirForce, and he received a notice to report for duty in Pryp'yat. Since service was compulsory and you were never truly out, there were local military offices in every region of the city. My father went to the office he was told to report to and actually gave the guy 500 Rubles to give him a way out. Some may look down upon this, but this wasn't defending the motherland, it was a death sentence. 500 Rubles was two months salary at the time. My father was excused for "medical reasons" I feel that saved his life.
When I returned to Kiev, it was obvious that I had changes. I refused to walk on the grass, getting me to go to the park took a lot of persuasion. The following fall I remember seeing kids lay in piles of leaves in front of our building and thinking to myself how stupid they were, and how much radiation those leaves had in them. Instead of playing soldiers or cowboys and Indians, my friends and I made geiger counters out of whatever toys we could take apart and played "Liquidators" Not exactly the most normal game for a 4 or 5 year old.
These events cemented the idea in my parents heads that we needed to move to the US as soon as possible and within a year, they submitted the paperwork to do so. It took 3+ years but eventually we came to the US. Even in Brooklyn NY, at the age of 8, it took me almost a year to trust my Dad that it was safe to walk and play on the grass.
Sorry for the long post. Just felt like sharing.
30 Years ago today a seemingly insignificant experiment in the Reactor 4 building of the Vladimir Ilyich Lenin Nuclear Power Station.
My family and I lived in Kiev, about 100km in a strait line from Pryp'yat. Just like the rest of the country, we were kept in the dark for days. We first found out when my mom's cousins called us from the US as the news was breaking on all the media stations following the IAEA figuring out that the Soviets dun screwed the pooch.
My parents were both engineers, my mother having a Masters in Mechanical Engineering, and my father having a PhD in Environmental Engineering. They quickly scared the crap out of me and put the fear of radiation in me which lasted many MANY years. For several weeks I was not allowed outside. As no KI pills were available, my parents painted my ass with liquid Iodine in order to protect my thyroid because I would not drink it like they were able to.
I was not yet enrolled in school so my parents quickly put me on a train and sent me to relatives in Lvyv, a city close to the polish border and the furthest they could get me from Kiev at the time. Travel, even within the USSR was heavily restricted and one could not go from one republic to the other without permission. At the time, in light of the situation, no permission would be given. I spent months in Lvyv, away from my parents, only seeing them occasionally when they visited. I don't remember much of that time, but one story sticks with me. When I would come in from outside, I would take my hat and hit it with my hand over the porch before entering the house. When asked why or what I was doing, I would explain that I was dusting the radiation off my hat.
The time I was away is described by my parents as very surreal. Most children were taken out of the city, same as me, the streets were mostly empty despite is being spring/summer. My father was a Captain in the AirForce, and he received a notice to report for duty in Pryp'yat. Since service was compulsory and you were never truly out, there were local military offices in every region of the city. My father went to the office he was told to report to and actually gave the guy 500 Rubles to give him a way out. Some may look down upon this, but this wasn't defending the motherland, it was a death sentence. 500 Rubles was two months salary at the time. My father was excused for "medical reasons" I feel that saved his life.
When I returned to Kiev, it was obvious that I had changes. I refused to walk on the grass, getting me to go to the park took a lot of persuasion. The following fall I remember seeing kids lay in piles of leaves in front of our building and thinking to myself how stupid they were, and how much radiation those leaves had in them. Instead of playing soldiers or cowboys and Indians, my friends and I made geiger counters out of whatever toys we could take apart and played "Liquidators" Not exactly the most normal game for a 4 or 5 year old.
These events cemented the idea in my parents heads that we needed to move to the US as soon as possible and within a year, they submitted the paperwork to do so. It took 3+ years but eventually we came to the US. Even in Brooklyn NY, at the age of 8, it took me almost a year to trust my Dad that it was safe to walk and play on the grass.
Sorry for the long post. Just felt like sharing.