Reflections--Danielle Sargent

March 16, 2013

Returning to the United States was surprisingly overwhelming.  I had overheard many of my peers stated that they were “ready to go home,” but I could not help but feel differently.  I did not want to leave Poland because I felt like I still had so much to learn.  I can still learn while in the United States of course, but it is not the same without having a hands-on experience being able to see where these events physically occurred.  This experience was so valuable to my education; I cannot even begin to describe it.  I have been taught information about the Holocaust since I was in the sixth grade, and I do not believe that I have learned as much about it in those past eight years than I have learned in these past eight days in Poland. 

Most importantly out of all the things that I have learned during this trip, I learned more about myself.  I learned that I am able to learn so much more while I am close to the artifacts and seeing as I am listening and reading.  It is not enough just to read the books, but to actually see through my own eyes what I have been reading about makes the entire Holocaust seem so much more real.  This was the point which I stopped studying and started feeling for all of those that had lost their lives during this horrible time in history.

Photos of Prisoners

 

I have taken with me so much from Poland; one thing including the feeling of standing on the same spot which others had perished.  Not many people can say that they have stood where the Nazis have stood or where the prisoners have stood.  I can.  However, it is much more than that.  I was able to feel the energy of the camp and see its remains and how the entire area was masked by the overcast and lack of sun:  the lack of happiness. 

Now that I am home, I still feel the need to travel back to Poland to see what else that I can learn from the land and the remains of the Holocaust.  This trip has also inspired me to learn more about other events and to travel more to see where other things have occurred.  There is so much information that the world is holding within that I need to discover for myself.  I have read books and have seen the films, but I know that my thirst for knowledge will not be quenched until I am standing on the same spot where something significant has happened.  I want to see the change that an event has made in the world.  I want to learn from it and take its lesson with me into the future and let others know about my experiences.  Without this, history, along with its importance is forgotten.  Without this, humanity might be lost.  It is important to learn from the past to create a better future, and I am more motivated now to do so than I have ever been before in my life.