Holocaust Reflection

The remains of  gas chamber at Auschwitz II Remains of entry way to gas chamber in Auschwitz II Pond in Aushwitz II filled with ashes of the murdered. This is also the location of our prayer service in honor of all the lost lives.       Something I do not think I will ever fully understand is why there was and is so much hatred in the world. I cannot fathom why the Nazis thought murdering an entire population...

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The Final Days In Poland

     Jan Karski monument       I can’t believe that today was our final day in Poland! It has been such an amazing trip and the week flew by way too fast. There is still so much more that I want to see and learn about. The past couple of days have been focused on tying up loose ends. On Wednesday, we participated in an interactive multimedia learning experience at Auschwitz 1 and traveled to Kraków to learn about...

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The Unknown Side of Auschwitz 1

Auschwitz 1 registration building      The experiences we had at Auschwitz 1 and 2 are some of the strongest memories that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. To stand and walk where Nazis and prisoners carried out daily activities was surreal. I could not and still cannot believe that I was actually there.      Monday was the first time that we went to Auschwitz 1. I did not know what to expect, especially...

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Witnessing Auschwitz

The day trip to Wadowice, which was the birth place Pope John Paul the 2nd showed the good aspects that Poland has to offer before transitioning to two concentration camps. When in Wadowice I experienced Palm Sunday mass. I noticed right away that life in Poland was filled with joy. The church is located in the city square. Within the square were local shops and education facilities which Pope John Paul attended. The interesting part of this trip...

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I Will Never Forget

Monday, March 28th, 2016                                                                                              ...

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Leaving With Peace

Thursday, March 24th, 2016  Today we went back to Auschwitz 1 for the very last time. Entering the camp, I still had the same peaceful feeling I had when leaving Auschwitz-Birkenau yesterday.  This morning we attended a lecture and had some time before lunch to walk around the camp on our own.  I think today was the hardest day of the week for me.  As I walked around the grounds of Auschwitz 1, I entered barrack...

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Can There Be Peace In Auschwitz Today?

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2016 For the past week, I have been experiencing many different emotions: anxiety, happiness, sadness, but also excitement.  I wasn’t nervous about traveling abroad or about being on an airplane.  My anxiety stemmed from the unknown reactions I was going to have during and after my arrival at Auschwitz.  This class has been extremely eye-opening, since I have never been exposed to any of the history of WWII other...

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Seeing Europe Through a New Lens- Auschwitz Birkenau by Caroline Farella

     Carts used to transport victims to the concentration camps I knew that visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau was going to be difficult.  I reminded myself that if just learning about the experience of the camps was taking a toll on me I could only imagine the horror of living it each day.  I thought perhaps my second tour would be easier since I had already heard and seen so much devastation.  Sadly, my theory,...

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The First Days In Poland

Polish crest eagle After a lot of waiting and a couple of plane rides, we finally made it to Poland. Initially, I was expecting Poland to be more like suburban U.S., but just spaced out. Little did I know that while it was suburban, it was also quite rural. The small cluster of houses and large amounts of open or farm lands was quite surprising. I was amazed at how peaceful and serene it was. Even when people were outside working or travelling...

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