May 27
Many thanks to those who worked with us in Poland on an amazing study abroad. The list is quite extensive…all gave amazing presentations/tours/conversations/insights/relfections. THANK YOU! Annette Finley-Croswhite, Ph.D. and Tom Chapman, Ph.D. Krzysztof Suszkiewicz, Plaszów; Dr. Edyta Gawron, Jagellonin Unviersity, Kraków; Maciek Zabierowski, Learning and Special Projects, Auschwitz Jewish Center, Kraków, Oświęcim; Paweł Sawicki, Press …
May 27
I’m not sure why I trek half way across the world taking students to sites of atrocity. Many people tell me that they don’t know how I do it. My response, is: how could I not? I was born Christian, the daughter of a Protestant minister, and it was devout Christians who in many instances …
May 25
Yesterday is a blur. 6:30 am hotel departure, 10:40 am flight from Krakow to Munich; 12:20 pm flight from Munich to Washington, D.C. Dulles; 515 pm flight from Washington to Norfolk. Below is our last picture, minus Kaerra Smiley who left a few hours before we did for a flight to Guam and Dr. Chapman …
May 23
Today was our last and maybe our hardest day. I can’t explain enough to the world out there what a hard trip this is. Most people don’t get it. For most people at ODU, it’s one of many classes, and we have lots of hard classes at this university. And students probably don’t realize when …
May 22
Today was the most profound teaching experience I’ve ever had, the culmination of years of work, reflection, research, and networking. Today Michał, Renata, and Hubert from Yahad-in Unum led Tom, the students, and I deep into the past. They introduced us to the world of witnesses, children who long ago sat atop trees or perched …
May 21
Today was a very hard day for me, Dr. Chapman and the students. We journeyed from Warsaw to the site of the extermination camp Chełmno. We were very much in the middle of nowhere, and spent much of the day en route with very little to eat. We arrived in Łodź “hangry” as Melonie likes …
May 21
The only downside to Study Abroad is the jet lag. For me the heavy responsibilities of such a trip make sleep difficult anyway. There is so much to organize, remember, prepare for each day as I study my notes, read, blog, and reflect before engaging the students. There is no down time. And of course, …
May 20
In many ways, this was the most exhausting day of our trip to date. We didn’t walk all that much, not like yesterday or the day before. But we went to the site of the extermination camp at Treblinka where over 800,000 Jews were killed. Unlike Auschwitz-Birkenau that is teaming with tourists, Treblinka is still …
May 19
Here I am with Jan Karski, a Polish Resistance hero who informed the Allies about the Warsaw ghetto and other aspects of the Nazi genocide of the Jews. He is a hero in Poland, and his statue is everywhere. (Notice Jan is smoking)! There’s also a shot with my wonderful students on our way to …
May 19
“Every Jewish street in Warsaw was a town of its own.” So said Isaac Bashevis Singer who grew up on Krochmalna Street in Warsaw, and made the street come alive in his novels. “Shosha” is my favorite. When I was a teenager, I devoured Singer novels, and I could well image the courtyards of Warsaw …