Polska!

When told we were traveling as a group to Poland, I had very few preconceived notions about the country. I hadn’t heard or learned much about it before this semester, but I was really glad we made the trip. Each excursion was good in a different way.
I enjoyed learning about the history of Krakow. Seeing the University where Copernicus and Pope John Paul II attended was very neat. I enjoyed seeing where Pope John Paul served as a bishop as well. The buildings and the main square were beautiful. Until this semester, I didn’t realize how affected Poland was by Communism. Before the Holocaust, one-fourth of Poland’s population was Jewish. During our bus ride to Poland, I listened to an audio version of Elie Wiesel’s Night. I found it beneficial to hear one person’s account of what being Jewish during World War II was like before seeing Auschwitz for myself.
On Saturday, our visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau made the Holocaust a little more real to me. I did not realize that many people didn’t even make it to the concentration camp because they were sent to the gas chambers immediately. Hearing about the different ways and planning that the Nazis put into murdering innocent Jews was disturbing. The crematorium burned many, and over 1500 people could be gassed at a time. We were standing in barracks and on grounds at which so many people were murdered.
One thing that particularly got to me was seeing two tons of human hair from the heads of concentration camp victims. To think that hair was used in carpets and blankets seems so inhumane. Also, all items belonging to children added extra emphasis to the fact that these were innocent people who did absolutely nothing to deserve death. Twenty percent of those who were murdered were children.
Overall, the attitude of our group while on the tour was somber. Because of all of the other tourists, the whole place seemed less real to me. I almost feel like I should have been impacted to a greater extent. And although we need to remember the innocent victims of the Holocaust, I believe that it’s also important to move on to the present and future by preventing similar occurrences from happening. The memorial in Birkenau read, “For ever let this place be a cry of despair and a warning to humanity, where the Nazis murdered about one and a half million men, women, and children.” It saddens me to think that events like this are happening still. I am glad we could end on less of an emotionally draining note by visiting the salt mines, a tour I found very enjoyable. Poland was a beautiful country with a rich and fascinating history.
This weekend, we're sticking around Budapest. We might take a day trip, but we haven't thought about it too much... Hopefully, the following weekend, we'll go to Prague. Yay! I'm excited.
Have a good week!