Hello, my name is
Caitlyn Morrison and I am a senior here at Iona College. I am graduating a year
early and I am a political science major. I am completely in love with the word
wanderlust because it describes me perfectly. Wanderlust is a strong desire for
or impulse to wander or travel and explore the world. Part of the reason why I
wanted to go to Poland was because I can connect with my polish roots and plan
to visit the countries and experience all of the cultures I associate with.
They are Irish, Italian, French, German, and Polish. I was able to go to
Ireland with my people to people ambassador group in 2008 and we visited
England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. This is when I caught the travel bug and
I’ve had it since. This will be the 3rd time I am making the journey
across the Atlantic to Europe. But this time will be the hardest.
I
decided I wanted to go on this trip for multiple reasons. One of the biggest
reasons is because I volunteered in a nursing home / convent that is run by the
polish missionary sisters of St. Benedict. I was there multiple times a week
sometimes even everyday my senior year. They all spoke polish some didn’t even
speak English so I picked up on a few words which was fun because polish is a
lot harder than the romance languages. So they really made me intrigued about
Poland and I decided to put it on my list of places I must go.
Since
I am graduating early I never got to do a lot of things I really wish I got to,
but I am so glad I found out about Poland on a sign in laPenta (our student
union). I wish I did this trip sooner because I really think every single Iona
student needs to take this class, it is beyond amazing and really gets you
thinking and reflecting. This class even before we have arrived in Poland has
been such a mix of emotions. I have always been interested in the Shoah
(Holocaust) probably because I have learned about it in school for years. I
remember as a kid watching a TV show in my mom’s bedroom of people visiting
Auschwitz. I think it is very important to be witnesses of Auschwitz and
remember the lives lost there. It can’t be forgotten and so visiting it and
deeply learning about it is imperative. I am very fortunate my school district
puts an emphasis on learning about the Shoah in history class. I have a
horrible memory and don’t remember much before high school, but I actually
remember when we had a survivor visit with us in middle school so that was a
really amazing experience. Some people in our group never learned about it in
school but I am so glad that Iona chose to include a class on this that teaches
about it in such an amazing way that really helps us to understand the Jewish –
Christian relations that were occurring and are occurring now. It really makes
the class feel so “real” (it is our class’ favorite word to describe actually
visiting Auschwitz) that we get to see first hand the things that we have just
learned about. It is also helpful that we have lectures while in Poland to wrap
everything together and truly fill in the gaps. Next post I will be in Poland and
I am beyond excited.
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