Intellectually Activating

Tonight…the real work began.

Katie and I, along with Dr. Clark (who I discovered is only afraid of short women, not short men), gave a presentation at the International Amarillo Club.

Katie covered the culture of Poland, and I covered Auschwitz.

The group age range was a little older than I imagine the type of people we will typically be presenting too.

Their responses were awesome!

After our presentations, many of them chatted with us individually. I know Katie said she had a great time, and I personally spoke to one woman who lived in Germany in 1947, and she remembers her mother telling her stories of getting her hair done in beauty parlors and how people were afraid to talk about the Holocaust out of a residual apprehension of the ubiquitous SS men which had kept everyone in fear for so long; and this was after the war.

One woman talked about how we have Holocausts of our generation going on today, such as Rwanda and Darfur, and how important it is not to react the same way so many did in WWII by not doing anything.

And then there was another woman who spoke to us as we were on our way out. She said she was an alum of WT (I think Katie said she discovered she’s actually 97 now).

She told us that she had many Jewish friends during the Holocaust, and she said when they lost their families, their grief was her grief. She told us how proud of us she was, how excited she was that people in the panhandle were expanding their experiences along with their way of thinking. I almost teared up just talking to her, and I’m not even a crier like Caitlin!

Simply said, being able to not only speak at these people, but to them and with them, was great. It reminded me of all of the great discussions we oft had in Kendra’s little suite at the dorms.

I miss you guys, but spreading the word of our experiences makes me remember them and relive them. I’m so excited to be a part of this.
~Eva

Life’s Beauty

It’s amazing how so much can happen in such a short amount of time. We have been back in the US for a little while now and it still seems as if it were just yesterday that we were walking the streets of Poland.That trip was absolutely amazing and so wonderful. I am so happy that we were all able to have the opportunity to be there and experience it.

One of the main things that really touched me that we saw on the trip was Auschwitz. Throughout high school we were taught about the Holocaust and told to write papers over it. During my junior year we spent three weeks learning only about World War II in all of our classes and it helped shed a great light as to what had happened during that time period. We watched clips from movies like Schindler’s List and viewed pictures online. We read several books and discussed the things that they had done to the Jewish people. The fact that I went to a Christian school made the topic of the Holocaust seem that much more sacred. In eigth grade, we took a trip to Washington D.C. and visited the Holocaust Museum. The whole time we were there, I remember being incredibly sad and so shocked at the atrocities that had been done. I never once imagined that I would ever be able to be in the actual location where this aweful crime took place.

Entering Auschitz and seeing the camp was an overall life changing experience. Being there and walking through the place were so many innocent people had once walked to their deaths was incredibly difficult and moving at the same time. I can’t fully explain to you what it was exactly like to be there. I could never truly put it in to words and pictures would never give it enough justice. After speaking with one of the surviors there, he told us a very impacting quote. He said, “These pictures can’t scream.” With hearing that, it really made me realize and come to grasps with the fact that this had actually happened. These awful things had really been done to these innocent people.

In light of this whole experience, it allowed me to realize and come to grasps with the fact that life is so precious. Each day is a blessing from the Lord and we should never take anything for granted. This experience was completely eye opening in the way that it helped me to see what the most important priorities in my life should be. I wouldn’t have traded this amazing trip for anything.
~Adriana

change.

We have been home for eleven days now. 

That’s eleven chances for us to make a difference.  Eleven chances for us to wake up and decide that the injustice that happens, right here, on our own university, has got to stop.  Much like the little bubble Eva has talked about, we are a bonded group- a family.  Together we are strong.  A triple braided cord is not easily broken…

Every day that I have been back, my mind wanders back to the days of walking through Auschwitz.  The night of the culture walk.  The endless time spent traveling.  The nights we stayed up talking, bonding, and growing.  The fort, the Kabab’s, the inside jokes.  Those memories are a precious gift.  But not a gift to be kept to myself.  Its a gift that will keep on giving.  There are 23 students with a new passion, a new desire.  We are going to band together.  We are going to make a stand.  We are going to grow our Army of Resistance!  But this is going to take work.  We are going to have to expand our comfort zone [not step out of them].  We are going to have to hold each other accountable. 

We are going to want to be change.

And seek change.

And then be change.

Why?  Because we were changed. 
~Mandi