Amazing.

I remember when mom came to visit me in Paris, and we went to the museam to see the Monet exhibit she cried when she saw her favorite painting. I thought it was a little silly, but she said that it was one of those once in a lifetime moments that just made you cry because you were so moved by it. I had my moment today, along with most of my group. We went to the Terezin Concentration Camp.

I knew I wanted to see one when I found out Id be going to Europe ==side note, this keyboard sucks and I cant use apostrophes or quote marks and the z and y are switched== Ive always been facinated with The Holocaust ever since I read The Devils Arithmatic when I was 10. I wanted to see Auchwitz but when we planned out all our trips for the semester we just didnt have time. But then we heard the school takes us to a smaller camp.

The school took us to Terezin. We walked through the camp, where the prisoners were kept. I saw where they slept, saw the isolation chambers, saw the gallows and the shooting wall, but no tears yet, just lots of pictures and utterings of wow. The camp was mostly for prisoners, but it became a work camp halfway through the war. No one was gassed there, they mostly died of starvation or cold. Then we went to the cremetorium. There was a group of Jewish people standing down by the incinerators, singing and praying and holding hands. There are a lot of Jewish kids in the castle group, some joined in. One even led a song. Then I lost it. I started just sobbing my eyes out. That was my moment. I wasnt looking at a history book or watching a movie, I was THERE, where so many people died just because of who they were. So many children that never grew up, so many families torn apart, all because of hate for no reason. That was my big moment, like mom with her painting. The nwe went to the museam and saw pictures that children drew while in the camps. I bought a book of poetry and pictures from children in the camp. There was a wall with all their names on it, all the children who died there. There were two little girls with the last name Blom.


I cant imagine if I was Jewish. I am not Jewish and I still felt so much about all this. If it was actually a part of my history... I cant even imagine.


Tomorrow I leave for Italy. I just needed to share this experience while it was still fresh. Even if this kezboard sucks. Florence and Rome, here I come.