Off to the Czech Republic! and Poland! and Germany!
So this may be my last post in awhile, unless I get a hold of some laptop or something in a internet cafe. I'm going to Poland on Friday, which is so exciting, because I've never been out of the country in my life. I am so excited, and also nervous, just because it's a strange concept to me that I'm going to a place where everybody doesn't speak English, and they speak languages which I do not know (it would be a different story if I was going to a Spanish-speaking country) and also I'm going to the places where my History course this year basically TOOK place. So its all going to be so real for me.
If I didn't mention it already, Prague Summer is a program that my school does, led by History teachers, and it's basically an "elective" course in another country. We get 2.5 credits for it, and the grade will show up on our college applications. The academic part of me is SO excited, because I'm a HUGE History nerd, and every time I think of all the history I'll be doing (Yes--- no math, no english... Just history) I get SO nerdily happy. Plus my FAVORITE teacher leads this trip, Viggy, who led the Close Up DC trip. Also, my 9th grade history teacher, Cho, who is such a hilarious man even though he hates EVERYONE. Oh, how I missed Cho all these years...
So first I'll be going to Krakow, which is really exciting. But basically the way the trip works... I'm going to be up for 36 hours, then I'll get some sleep after those 36 hours, and THEN I'll get a nice day in Poland, and THEN the day after, I'm going to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Which. Is. Overwhelming. I can't exactly put into words how I feel about it, and I don't really know how I'm going to feel being in a place where hundreds of thousands of people just like me were murdered brutally. The actual spot. Like we'll be visiting the crematoriums. I am so worried. I can't even begin to predict how I'll feel. If I were in Poland 60 years ago, I'd be there. Or somewhere like it. Its so hard to even think about what its going to be like.
After that I'll be going to Prague on a REALLY long bus ride... And Tory and Jenny will be on the road with me. Exciting. I don't know half the people on the trip... So I suppose new friends... Hopefully?
Thennnnn I'll be going to Dresden, Germany (the place that got totally annhilated during WW2) and then I'll be going to Berlin, Germany. Wow.... I can't imagine what its going to be like. I know I'm so lucky to be going on this trip:-)
So yes. That is the first half of my summer. Many pictures for ya'll to see when I get back. Love and have a great summer!