Last day in Europe

See you in 50 hours!

Service Day!

“Did you spell Europe right?”

Presentation Day

Who is on the walk train?

Day 14 The Start of Klaipeda

Our first experience with church and a 3K benefit run!

The Last Leg of Our Journey

             Today we had our earliest morning; we had to be packed up and downstairs by 5:40 a.m. Our hotel had a brown bag breakfasts for us and we hit the road to begin our journey to Klaipeda, Lithuania. Before we could head to Lithuania we had to take two flights to get back to Riga, Latvia.

                There we met our guide who traveled by bus with us to Lithuania, which was a 4 ½ hour drive. We made a quick pit stop in Riga for a late lunch at a restaurant called Lido. It was a buffet set up where you paid based upon what you had on your tray. On the outside of the restaurant there was a small theme park for young kids. After eating, we climbed on the bus and started our long bus ride to our final destination.

                As our group was reflecting on our trip so far, we are so surprised how quickly the time has gone by. It is hard to believe that this is our 4^th country in 13 days. For the group this is a very bittersweet time as we see our trip quickly coming to a close.

A Challenging Day at Auschwitz

This morning we had about an hour drive to Auschwitz concentration camp. When we arrived there were bus loads of people crowding into the former receiving center. 5-7,000 people visit the camp each day. This first building has now been converted into a welcome center for guests. Our tour began by watching a short film on the liberation of Auschwitz. We then met our tour guide on the inner walls of the camp, entering through the gates that ironically read  “WORK GETS FREEDOM” in German. Certain blocks have been converted into museums while others still retain the original furnishings. We were able to see and feel the horror of the Holocaust and its victims first hand by walking the same grounds where they were forced to exist.

Emotions ran raw, and there were few to no words exchanged among the group.

As we entered the second part of the camp (Auschwitz II/ Birkenau) we were floored by the sheer vastness of the camp. Much of the camp was destroyed by the SS guards to destroy evidence of the Holocaust. There were several differences between the two camps, Birkenau being a death camp and Auschwitz a work camp. The living conditions in Birkenau were far less humane.

The day ended in quiet reflection. Please look for student reactions from before and after the tours.

Loving Life in Krakow

We started out our day with a wonderful tour of Krakow. We learned a lot about their history and fun traditions in the city. After our tour, we had some free time to look around the town and revisit some of the places that we saw on our tour. Some of the group took the opportunity to visit St. Mary’s Church in the square. This church has the largest Gothic style alter in Europe. We’ve posted the video of the ceremonial opening of the alter which takes place at 11:50am each day.

Today we met with Susan Parker Burns, the Foreign Services Officer at the U.S. Consulate. She provided some insightful information about her position as well as some encouraging  words for us as leadership students. One of the most interesting pieces of information we learned was that, before WWII, 30% of the populatin in Krakow was Jewish and today they have only 150 jews in the city.

We trekked halfway across the city to hunt down Mary Shivley’s (LEAD coordinator & advisor from the first LEAD study abroad) favorite italian restaurant. Halfway through our delectable dishes, we were caught in the middle of a terrential downpour; we should note that our meals were outside. Many of us enjoyed the opportunity to play in the rain… Thanks to Mary for the recommendation, we heartily approve!

Lacee Hanson, Nikaela Swarner, Sarah Francis and Krissy Boos

Arriving in Krakow, Poland

This afternoon we left Riga for Krakow, Poland. To our surprise, we found ourselves on a 48 passenger propeller plane. It was quite a bumpy ride, but we all made it here in one piece. Our first stop was in Warsaw where we then transferred to our second propeller plane, and luckily we encountered much less turbulence on that ride.

From the moment we arrived, we fell in love the architecture and the livelihood of the town. The people here seem to be more around our age, versus some of the places we’ve been. The way people dress is much different because they have more diversity within their styles; it seems to be more relaxed, in general.

The first thing on our agenda this evening was a group dinner where we all enjoyed a variety of pierogis, which is a traditional polish entree. We were all a little bit apprhensive about trying this dish, but the overall reaction was a positive one. One of our peers was celebrating her 21st brithday today, so we all sang “Happy Birthday” to her at dinner.

Our group, as a whole, is anticipating an emotional response when we all visit Auschwitz concentration camp on Friday. There are three camps within Auschwitz, so we will be spending an entire day there. We’re all excited about delving into, yet another culture, and learning about the history behind their landmarks and monuments. Each time we enter a new country, we are faced with a number of challenges. We have to learn about their language, monetary conversions, as well as their customs.  

Please look for two videos we have included of students who are reflecting on their journeys thus far.

Lacee Hanson, Nikaela Swarner, Sarah Francis, and Krissy Boos

Day 10-Riga, Latvia

Our last full day in Latvia.

Remarkable Experiences

A Different Perspective for All