May 21
Flowers of death. It seemed oddly disturbing that poppy’s would grow here, on the grounds of the mass graves of Chelmno. Right across from the lone poppy growing by the mass grave was a memorial with an inscription that read: Finding the proper way to express what I’m feeling has been a difficulty of mine …
May 21
Coming into Poland, I knew that attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community were not on the positive side. In fact, Poland is the second worst country to live in as a member of the LGBTQ+ within the EU. I was surprised when our tour guide pointed out the Pride Parade happening in Krakow during our stay. …
May 21
Judaism believes that death is the separation of the souls from mortal flesh. The soul moves on and exists in eternity, whereas the body does not. In death, the body must be treated with respect, so that with the coming of the messiah, the soul and the body can be reunited in the world to …
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
As a thundstrom was potentially about to roll through, I took out my phone and quickly snapped the photo of the barbed wire on the train car. Once I was sheltered from the potiental storm, I looked at the photo and thought, “as an outsider looking in… what does an outsider see?” I thought about …
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
A personal reflection on my visit to Birkenau People often like to say that “the birds don’t sing” at Birkenau. On my first visit to the site I might have agreed. I think that it is easy to become so overwhelmed by the site that our senses dull to anything outside of the wind and …
May 20
In a country where 97% of its population is Catholic, how does the LGBTQ community reconcile their dual identities, of being gay, queer, or trans, and having a relationship with the Catholic church, God, or religion. According to Rainbow Europe, an organization funded by the European Union (EU), Poland is the second worst country to …
May 20
The State Museum of Auschwitz-Birkenau is an interesting place to be. The exhibits at Auschwitz I, in the reconstructed and preserved prisoner barracks, have always made me feel disconnected from the memory of the site. Not only do the exhibits and signs direct and manipulate you attention, they attempt to influence your emotions as well. …
