Student and Alumni Poland Trips

David:

            When I was assigned two pages of mandatory journaling per day, I reacted as most ordinary students would: with a groan. Before this trip, I’d never written a truly reflective journal or kept an insightful diary of my day to day life- and right now, I really wish I had. The whole process is really quite soothing; it’s kind of like being able to rant and rave for as long as you like to a friend who is really, really great at listening. For those of you who haven’t tried it before, I highly recommend it.

The Polish countryside is beautiful. The sun is shining and picturesque, cream colored clouds are floating lazily through the soft, blue sky. As we are zooming by the fields of reds, yellows, and greens I am trying my very hardest to stay focused on blog. I’m finding it incredibly difficult to collect my thoughts with the sheer idea of Auschwitz looming in the distance. I’ve read books, I’ve heard survivor testimonies, and I’ve seen pictures, but still I have absolutely no idea what to expect. How will I react? After watching Schindler’s List, I fled the auditorium, trying desperately not to think about what I’d seen. If a movie could bring me so close to tears, where will this experience leave me?

The way I see it, I have two options: I can put up a wall in an attempt to deflect the impact of what I will see, or I can absorb it all and hope for the best. From an outside standpoint, I’m sure most of you will tell me the latter is what is needed, but put yourself in my shoes. Every second I get closer to the largest, most efficient death camp ever constructed- the true brainchild of Hitler and Himmler. I can say with complete honesty that I am afraid to leave myself unguarded. Maybe the best course of action is simply to pray to G-d that I find the strength to keep moving through the day… maybe that’s what I’ll do. This is where I’ll stop- I’m afraid I’ve been hogging the computer for a bit too long. Goodbye for now.

Chelsea:

How does one prepare themselves for Auschwitz? Can you? For me, this entire trip and the class before it has been a kind of attempt at emotional preparation. We’ve discussed the history of the Jewish people in Poland, heard of their thriving communities. We’ve heard the stories of survivors. We’ve helped to restore a Jewish cemetery. Those that were buried there were lucky enough to have graves, to have tombstones with their names marking where they laid.

Jocelyn:

At this point, we arrived and Chelsea had to quit blogging. More later (Tuesday, perhaps) on our tour of Auschwitz. Meanwhile, it’s time to pack the suitcase, turn in, and get up in time to leave the hotel at 5:45 am. We’ll see you back in Michigan!