I have had an exceptionally difficult time generating ideas for our Poland Personally 2023 blog because of the magnitude of the experience and because of doubts I had about being able to craft something responsible and edifying. The problem was resolved for…
Warsaw is so flat I expect to find an ocean at the end of it. I don’t know if this is the natural topography or the results of the bombs. I’ll have to look it up back at the hotel. The streets are very, very…
When I first applied for this trip, I had doubts that I would get accepted. What could a Math and Computer Science teacher contribute to CWBs mission and goals? I felt like I was the outlier in a group of ELA, History and Arts…
Don’t tell me evil is not real.It’s as real as hair used to make rugs after shaving it off a person you are about to kill.It’s as real as shoes collected from children and their families you are about to suffocate with…
I have seen a lot of upsetting things today. It brings the whole “I’m not prepared” blog post to a whole new level. We visited Auschwitz today… Hair Glasses Shoes Suitcases Children’s drawings Names So many names. People. PEOPLE!! These were people. …
We went to Auschwitz today. The concentration camp was large, seeming similar in size to Majdanek. It was also full of terrible spaces, torture rooms and gas chambers. We then went to Birkenau, where we listened to Howard’s story more. His connection…
We are lingering past the photos of Polish prisoners. We gaze too long, drinking in their features, until the next guide hurries us along. They are shorn and wear identical stripes, but the camera captures their individuality in every detail. The angle…
This was our second concentration camp visit. It was an emotional day all around. I participated as a reader in the memorial service so I was trying to control my emotions the entire time. I literally did math in my head to…
Today, as we observed the monument being placed into the ground, I couldn’t help but be consumed by these thoughts. Throughout our entire journey, a lingering feeling of forgotten stories has followed me. In the bustling city of Warsaw, I wanted to…
Today was a day that challenged me to push my boundaries. I had to choose between entering the building with the gas chambers or not. There was absolutely no pressure to do so, but as a historian, as a teacher who wants…
the smack of hands meeting before a quick embrace fills the little square of the Old Town of Lublin. two men grin at each other. “dzień dobry!” “dzień dobry!” their smiles are bright, familiar, Everything is angles here. The sign, stairs, barracks,…
Walking into the Jewish Quarter of Lublin was absolutely beautiful, a true hidden gem. The beauty of this town quickly caught my eye, but my feelings instantly changed after visiting the Old Town Gradzka Theatre. Immediately after entering the theater I felt…