"No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit."
-Helen Keller
Yes, another quote to start with. I decided I'll begin every blog with one, because I know that every one of you can use some good quotes in your life! This week's blog is going to attempt to explain my unexpected feelings about being surrounded by so much history. The quote above is not to try to belittle the past or its effects but to remind you (and me) that even if evil seems to be surrounding you, there will always be some good there too. Focusing on the bad can limit us in ways that will help no one. It certainly will not help us learn from past mistakes, and we owe at least that to the people who lived and died through those mistakes.
We traveled to Prague (the capital of the Czech Republic) for three days this weekend and then spent one day in Dresden, Germany. Returning to Prague was amazing, and we got to see even more of the beautiful city than we did the first time around (we flew into Prague and stayed there for four days before our program started). The Old Town Square, Charles Bridge, Prague Castle, John Lennon Wall, Jewish Quarter, and countless other amazing places are things that I strongly believe every one of you should visit at some point in your life. Prague is a phenomenal city. Visiting Dresden was my first time to Germany, and it definitely had a different vibe than the Czech Republic, but it was incredible in a different sense. We walked around the city and saw more breathtaking architecture including the Dresden Frauenkirche (Lutheran Church in the square) and the Residenzschloss (Royal Palace turned crazy cool museum). My first taste of Germany was intriguing, and I can't wait to go back.
**Disclaimer: I go on a little bit of a rant in the next few paragraphs, so if you're just interested in a quick update please skip to the last paragraph (I promise I won't be mad).
The sights were amazing and something I'll never forget, but the history of those places are what really impacted me. World War II was apart of the daily lives of citizens living in these countries less than 75 years ago. SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS. Can you wrap your head around that? Because I cannot. 75 years is not that long. I know those of you reading this who are older (or less naive) than me are nodding your heads at me because you've always understood this, but to me (a 22 year old who's lived safely in rural Nebraska her whole life), the reality of war has never really stuck. I never imagined what it was like to be worried about my city's businesses, houses, and churches being bombed, about my family being taken away, or about being shoved into a much-to-small ghetto because of my religion/nationality/ethnicity. I can't fathom having to choose between keeping my head down to try to stay safe or risking my life to help another human being from the terrors around us. I can't pretend to understand how any of this feels, but being in the places where all of this and more happened has been an incredibly eye-opening and humbling experience.
In Prague, one of the first places we visited was the St Cyril and St Methodius Cathedral. This was the place where seven Czech Resistance paratroopers hid and met their heroic deaths after they assassinated Reinhard Heydrich (high-ranking German official who was the main architect of the Holocaust and was nicknamed "The Butcher of Prague"). My class learned about this mission (called Anthropoid) in a lecture before we left for Prague from a professor whose family actually hid some of the paratroopers, then we watched a movie about the mission (Titled"Anthropoid". I recommend it to EVERYONE. It's hard to watch, but so worth it.), and finally we visited the actual church on our trip to Prague. It was something that had such an unexpectedly profound impact on me and my perspective toward this trip. This cathedral is still standing, we saw the bullet holes in the cement, we went to the actual crypt where the resistance fighters hid, and we found that this cathedral is in the middle of Prague, not in the country or far away from other citizens. Understanding history in this new light is incredible, impactful, and I am so fortunate to be learning in such a way.
That was just a small example of what we have been learning through our classes and our travels every single day while in Europe. I wish I could convey to you how many of these "holy crap" moments I've had. Standing in the same places where history was made is something that I never before considered but is proving to be another way that this trip is even better than I ever imagined it would be.
Circling back to the title of this particular blog, many of these "history lessons" make me want to close my eyes. They're hard to grasp and even harder to see. The effects of the Holocaust (along with many other parts of history) permeate every inch of this part of the world. The horrors of the war were easy to learn about in a classroom in the United States, and I've always been interested in World War II, so I was very excited to see Central Europe; however, I was foolish to think that I understood anything at all about it. Back in Nebraska, it was easy for me to be interested for a minute and then close out of my browser or leave my classroom and forget about the entire thing. That's not possible here, (and I don't think it should be anywhere), but the most incredible part (and my point of this blog) is how the people in this area have moved forward, not by denying history but learning from it.
Horrible things happened in the past, and the repercussions are very visible here, but closing our eyes to this reality is an insult to those who lived and died through it. This journey has taught me to look up and learn things that I want to shut it out. The overwhelming emotions that are felt when looking at twelve mass graves containing over 2,000 Jews (Great Synagogue in Budapest) or the walls of a synagogue covered with the names of the over 78,000 Czech Jews who perished during the Holocaust (Pinkas Synagogue in Prague) are emotions that deserve to be felt. I understand for the first time in my life why some people choose to ignore the past, but I am starting to understand (at least slightly) how important it is to look up and face it. The incredible people of this part of the world are said to be pessimists (a stereotype I've heard many times), but I don't think it's completely accurate. Sure, they may not have happy endings to all of their books and movies (it's safe to say, I don't love their entertainment), but they rebuilt their cities and continue tell their stories. I think it takes incredibly strong people (with a little bit of optimism) to get from where to were to where they are now.
I promise I didn't mean to bum anyone out with this blog. In retrospect, this topic was a whole lot bigger than I originally thought. If you know me, you know I can get a little emotional (a little??) when it comes to certain things (or everything). You might be rolling your eyes at me because you are much more worldly or understanding or cultured than I am, but if you made it this far, thank you for entertaining my thoughts and at least trying to grasp my ramblings. If you have anything to add or want to correct me in any way, please let me know. I want to learn as much as possible from this entire experience.
In summary, Prague and Dresden are incredible. They were gorgeous, filled with history, and so fun to experience with the group of people I am traveling with. I didn't consider how much I would be learning from this trip (physically seeing things was my focus, how immature of me), but I love to learn so it's a win-win. So far no homesickness, but I've been so busy, I haven't had time to be. Easter break and spring break are just around the corner so stay tuned for some more exciting (and hopefully less depressing) updates from my adventures to come. I finally found a Chai tea latte so I'm super close to getting my regular order (still missing the soy and hazelnut flavoring for those wondering). I now love paprika and tarter sauce with everything. I suck at updating my social media with pictures, but the people I'm with rock at it and (thankfully) tag me in most of their albums so I hope you're enjoying their work. I am having the time of my life and feel so incredibly blessed to be living this life.
Keep looking up, my pals!
x Paige
-Helen Keller
Yes, another quote to start with. I decided I'll begin every blog with one, because I know that every one of you can use some good quotes in your life! This week's blog is going to attempt to explain my unexpected feelings about being surrounded by so much history. The quote above is not to try to belittle the past or its effects but to remind you (and me) that even if evil seems to be surrounding you, there will always be some good there too. Focusing on the bad can limit us in ways that will help no one. It certainly will not help us learn from past mistakes, and we owe at least that to the people who lived and died through those mistakes.
 |
| Old Town Square in Prague. |
We traveled to Prague (the capital of the Czech Republic) for three days this weekend and then spent one day in Dresden, Germany. Returning to Prague was amazing, and we got to see even more of the beautiful city than we did the first time around (we flew into Prague and stayed there for four days before our program started). The Old Town Square, Charles Bridge, Prague Castle, John Lennon Wall, Jewish Quarter, and countless other amazing places are things that I strongly believe every one of you should visit at some point in your life. Prague is a phenomenal city. Visiting Dresden was my first time to Germany, and it definitely had a different vibe than the Czech Republic, but it was incredible in a different sense. We walked around the city and saw more breathtaking architecture including the Dresden Frauenkirche (Lutheran Church in the square) and the Residenzschloss (Royal Palace turned crazy cool museum). My first taste of Germany was intriguing, and I can't wait to go back.
 |
| Dresden, Germany |
**Disclaimer: I go on a little bit of a rant in the next few paragraphs, so if you're just interested in a quick update please skip to the last paragraph (I promise I won't be mad).
 |
| Easter Festival in Prague! |
The sights were amazing and something I'll never forget, but the history of those places are what really impacted me. World War II was apart of the daily lives of citizens living in these countries less than 75 years ago. SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS. Can you wrap your head around that? Because I cannot. 75 years is not that long. I know those of you reading this who are older (or less naive) than me are nodding your heads at me because you've always understood this, but to me (a 22 year old who's lived safely in rural Nebraska her whole life), the reality of war has never really stuck. I never imagined what it was like to be worried about my city's businesses, houses, and churches being bombed, about my family being taken away, or about being shoved into a much-to-small ghetto because of my religion/nationality/ethnicity. I can't fathom having to choose between keeping my head down to try to stay safe or risking my life to help another human being from the terrors around us. I can't pretend to understand how any of this feels, but being in the places where all of this and more happened has been an incredibly eye-opening and humbling experience.
 |
| Jewish Cemetery in Prague. |
In Prague, one of the first places we visited was the St Cyril and St Methodius Cathedral. This was the place where seven Czech Resistance paratroopers hid and met their heroic deaths after they assassinated Reinhard Heydrich (high-ranking German official who was the main architect of the Holocaust and was nicknamed "The Butcher of Prague"). My class learned about this mission (called Anthropoid) in a lecture before we left for Prague from a professor whose family actually hid some of the paratroopers, then we watched a movie about the mission (Titled"Anthropoid". I recommend it to EVERYONE. It's hard to watch, but so worth it.), and finally we visited the actual church on our trip to Prague. It was something that had such an unexpectedly profound impact on me and my perspective toward this trip. This cathedral is still standing, we saw the bullet holes in the cement, we went to the actual crypt where the resistance fighters hid, and we found that this cathedral is in the middle of Prague, not in the country or far away from other citizens. Understanding history in this new light is incredible, impactful, and I am so fortunate to be learning in such a way.
 |
| Window to the crypt at St Cyril and St Methodius Cathedral. |
That was just a small example of what we have been learning through our classes and our travels every single day while in Europe. I wish I could convey to you how many of these "holy crap" moments I've had. Standing in the same places where history was made is something that I never before considered but is proving to be another way that this trip is even better than I ever imagined it would be.
 |
| Charles Bridge in Prague. |
Circling back to the title of this particular blog, many of these "history lessons" make me want to close my eyes. They're hard to grasp and even harder to see. The effects of the Holocaust (along with many other parts of history) permeate every inch of this part of the world. The horrors of the war were easy to learn about in a classroom in the United States, and I've always been interested in World War II, so I was very excited to see Central Europe; however, I was foolish to think that I understood anything at all about it. Back in Nebraska, it was easy for me to be interested for a minute and then close out of my browser or leave my classroom and forget about the entire thing. That's not possible here, (and I don't think it should be anywhere), but the most incredible part (and my point of this blog) is how the people in this area have moved forward, not by denying history but learning from it.
Horrible things happened in the past, and the repercussions are very visible here, but closing our eyes to this reality is an insult to those who lived and died through it. This journey has taught me to look up and learn things that I want to shut it out. The overwhelming emotions that are felt when looking at twelve mass graves containing over 2,000 Jews (Great Synagogue in Budapest) or the walls of a synagogue covered with the names of the over 78,000 Czech Jews who perished during the Holocaust (Pinkas Synagogue in Prague) are emotions that deserve to be felt. I understand for the first time in my life why some people choose to ignore the past, but I am starting to understand (at least slightly) how important it is to look up and face it. The incredible people of this part of the world are said to be pessimists (a stereotype I've heard many times), but I don't think it's completely accurate. Sure, they may not have happy endings to all of their books and movies (it's safe to say, I don't love their entertainment), but they rebuilt their cities and continue tell their stories. I think it takes incredibly strong people (with a little bit of optimism) to get from where to were to where they are now.
 |
| Walls of the Pinkas Synagogue in Prague. |
I promise I didn't mean to bum anyone out with this blog. In retrospect, this topic was a whole lot bigger than I originally thought. If you know me, you know I can get a little emotional (a little??) when it comes to certain things (or everything). You might be rolling your eyes at me because you are much more worldly or understanding or cultured than I am, but if you made it this far, thank you for entertaining my thoughts and at least trying to grasp my ramblings. If you have anything to add or want to correct me in any way, please let me know. I want to learn as much as possible from this entire experience.
 |
| Typical John Lennon Wall pose. |
In summary, Prague and Dresden are incredible. They were gorgeous, filled with history, and so fun to experience with the group of people I am traveling with. I didn't consider how much I would be learning from this trip (physically seeing things was my focus, how immature of me), but I love to learn so it's a win-win. So far no homesickness, but I've been so busy, I haven't had time to be. Easter break and spring break are just around the corner so stay tuned for some more exciting (and hopefully less depressing) updates from my adventures to come. I finally found a Chai tea latte so I'm super close to getting my regular order (still missing the soy and hazelnut flavoring for those wondering). I now love paprika and tarter sauce with everything. I suck at updating my social media with pictures, but the people I'm with rock at it and (thankfully) tag me in most of their albums so I hope you're enjoying their work. I am having the time of my life and feel so incredibly blessed to be living this life.
 |
| Charles Bridge ft. Dr. Biggs (our program director). |
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| I made them take me to Charles Bridge at night (Worth it, thanks guys.)! |
 |
| Paprika dogs!! |
Keep looking up, my pals!
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| Ending every blog with a glass of wine, because what's happier than that?? |
x Paige
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