Looking back on Poland

It has now been almost two months since our trip to Poland had begun and ended. I’ve been trying to figure out how to put into words my experience during this trip. Although it was overwhelming at times, I know it was something not everyone gets to experience. Going into this trip I had a lot of expectations and worries, like how would going to the concentration camps make me feel? I have always been interested in the Holocaust since I read...

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Guilty Of Ignorance

As I am writing this on May 1st, 2017, it has been seven weeks since our journey from New York to Poland. Although I am finally settled back to life at Iona College, overloaded with work as finals are quickly approaching and surrounded by my friends in a residence hall that has become a place that I can call home, I am still constantly reminded of my journey to Poland. I knew that going to Poland would be a rare experience that I would treasure...

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A Day in Krakow

I woke up full of excitement to finally explore Krakow, the capital of Poland, also known to be the most populated Jewish town before WWII. During the Shoah, six million Jews where murdered. Besides the facts, about WWII, there was also a lot of division between religious groups, especially the Jews and Christians. “After the war, 4,282 Jews resurfaced in Krakow. By early 1946, Polish Jews returning from the Soviet Union swelled the...

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Work Doesn't Set You Free

As I am writing this, it is still surreal to me that I am in Poland, let alone in Oswiecim, where Auschwitz 1 is located. We have all gotten used to our living arrangements and being in a foreign country, but some of us, like myself, are still not used to the time difference. Although my sleep schedule is a mess, it gives me time at night to reflect on the day, which helps me follow the reasons why I am here, to witness and to learn....

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Ignorance Isn't Bliss

Auschwitz II - Birkenau A few weeks ago,  US Press Secretary Sean Spicer was in the news, vehemently apologizing for comments he made during a press briefing on April 11th. During the press briefing Spicer said, “We didn't use chemical weapons in World War II. You know, you had a — someone as despicable as Hitler who didn't even sink to using chemical weapons.” A few months ago this comment may have just struck me as insensitive, because...

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Most are Gone, but All Aren’t Forgotten

Returning home from Poland and attempting to fully explain my experience was tough.  Sharing my new knowledge about the Soah, Pope John Paul and Krakow wasn’t difficult.  Sharing pictures with my loved ones was a bit of a struggle, merely because I remember exactly how I felt when snapping them.  Oddly enough the hardest part for me, was answering the simple question of “How was Poland?”  When someone first asked me this question,...

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