City of Ruins

I remember when Glee, the TV-musical show, first became popular. It wasn't expected to receive the ratings it did, but the ragtag group of singing underdogs was a refreshing change from the typical privileged Hollywood storyline. This weekend, I got the opportunity to travel to Warsaw, about 4 hours from Oswiecim, and I couldn't help but think of Glee. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), there aren't any large-scale, perfectly choreographed dance numbers occurring in Warsaw daily life, but the Polish capital is definitely the underdog of Europe.

Before stepping foot outside Warszawa Centrum station, one needs to understand the eventful history this city in just the past century. Many say that Warsaw hit its prime in the Interwar-period, I.e. the first 20ish years of its existence. After the invasion of Nazi Germany, the establishment of the Warsaw Ghetto, the Warsaw Uprising, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the Battle of Warsaw, the bombing of Warsaw, Soviet liberation-turned-occupation, independence was finally granted, and with the heaviest of sighs. Warsaw has a condition of constant bad luck.

The first time I visited Warsaw during a Dialogue of Civilization last summer, I didn't have the…best experience. I thoroughly enjoyed of Summer Study-Abroad experience, don't get me wrong, but seeing Warsaw through a very narrow lens of the Holocaust, I easily misunderstood the city. There are many monuments and memorials around the city, but almost all of them commemorate the victims of World War II. Polish nationalists have a tendency to emphasize the Polish victims of the War, which in turn ignores the victims of the Holocaust. The Jewish community of Warsaw was about 1 million prior to World War II, and it now sits at a modest 700. I was overcome with annoyance and slight anger at the Polish capital for not accepting its Holocaust history, especially with the recent comments by the Minister of Education. I neglected, however, to see the city as more than its Holocaust history. Polish nationalism is on the rise, and I would be proud of my nationality as well if so many countries in the past have tried to put me down.

On this last-minute visit, I had official University business (I am conducting a research project investigating current levels of antisemitism in Poland) to attend to, so I was not able to see the “typical” sights of Warsaw. This break from sightseeing, allowed me to see Warsaw as its own city separate from the Holocaust. Honestly, after this weekend, it may be one of my favorite cities in the world. There are huge, architecturally interesting skyscrapers intermittent old, Soviet towers. There are museums with emphases on Polish art, Warsaw history, and Eastern European culture. You can get the best pierogis of your life  at a hole-in-the-wall joint or swing by a Dunkin’ and get some good ol' American caffeinated comfort. As an aside, if you are looking for a unique study abroad experience, I would highly recommend looking at the University of Warsaw.

My only goal for Saturday was to get to this famous breakfast market in an outer district of Warsaw. I got lost. Without a strict schedule, no map in hand and no real responsibilities, I explored every inch of this place. Sometimes it's refreshing to just explore instead of always focusing on the destination. I reached the market way past breakfast time, but I was still able to get my morning egg-fix (don't worry). The best way to explain my time is through the pictures I took along the way. I tried to do a slick walking-and-taking-pictures-casually thing to avoid looking like a tourist, so ignore the photo quality, or lack thereof:

 Spicy egg shakshuka at the Warsaw breakfast market

 Warsaw Uprising Memorial

 The Main Street leading into the Old Town of Warsaw

 A public art exhibit displaying photographs taken of Warsaw in the 50's and 60's. This photograph depicts the city center with the famous Tower of Culture

Entrance to the Warsaw Museum

So, next time you are looking for an amazing European experience that is different from the typical Western European study abroad programs, look no further than Warsaw, Poland.
Do zobaczenia tam

Kraków Momma

There is nothing in this world that a mother’s hug cannot solve. That is why I was so incredibly excited to have my mom fly all the way from Catonsville, MD to come and visit me in Oswiecim. My mom and her childhood best friend, Kate, made a vacation out of the occasion and decided to stay in Kraków, the closest city to Oswiecim. Despite its proximity, I haven't actually made the two hour train ride into Krakow since I have been in Poland. My mom’s first time in Poland, therefore, became a sightseeing trip for me as well.

My mom and I outside of a castle in the center of Kraków 

My mom and Kate saw the necessary sites during the weekdays, including the Jewish Quarter, the salt mines and Schnidler's Factory. This gave my mom and I  time on the weekend to do what we do best: laugh and eat. And boy did we do a lot of both. I could spend hours discussing my new favorite dining spots in Kraków, but, instead, I would like to highlight one particular place: Make Hummus Not War.

Milk bars are pinnacle to Polish culture. The idea behind this type of restaurant is for the busy, hard-working Polish citizen that wants to save money without sacrificing a good, hearty meal. Milk bars are particularly popular for lunch time, when workers need a quick, cheap fix before finishing the work day. A milk bar will specialize in only a few dishes, usually Polish classics, that they can make in mass quantities. Closing time is whenever the food runs out.

My mother and her friend Kate before they devoured two giant plates of Polish latkes and cabbage rolls at a traditional milk bar

In the Jewish Quarter of Kraków, there is a new, modern milk bar specializing in Israeli cuisine. We stumbled upon this restaurant, that more closely resembles a heavenly garden, and I immediately had to eat there. As a vegetarian, there are few things that will make me happier than a restaurant called “Make Hummus Not War.” And it did not disappoint. We got to choose three of five Israeli classics that had a modern twist. My favorite was the mango cranberry hummus.

Trekking across the globe to Poland, my mom needed to see my place of work for the past two months. Touring my mom around Auschwitz was a surreal experience, in more ways than one. It was strange teaching the Holocaust and the role of Auschwitz to someone that has taught me almost everything I know. Seeing this place through the eyes of someone who is seeing it for the first time really puts my entire co-op experience into perspective. I have found a sense of normalcy behind this barbed wire. It sounds odd, I know, but when you spend 6 hours out of the day in any place, normalcy is inevitable. Every place has become associated with parts of my job or my daily life. My office is in Block 23, Jacek (whom I call my Polish father because of his striking resemblance to my father) works in Block 24 and fellow Northeastern student, Manish Laungani, works in the former camp kitchen. I walk by the crematorium on the way into work and through the infamous “Arbeit Macht Frei” sign on my way home: this is my daily life.

I don't remember what it felt like to walk through Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau for the first time last summer. My new memories of these places have overshadowed the old ones and I cannot get them back. Watching my mom see each remain and each exhibit for the first time, I began to remember why I wanted to work in a former Nazi concentration and extermination camp. The sadness, frustration, anger and confusion that every visitor experiences on their three hour tour are what makes this museum necessary. I believe every person should at least try and journey to Oswiecim and see what we, as human beings, are capable of doing to one another. In reading about the Holocaust, it is easy to consume oneself in the facts and figures of this time. Visiting the sites in those textbook photographs allows one to unveil the raw and personal side of this history that can only be experienced through seeing, not reading.

I am grateful for my mother for so many reasons. Today, I am grateful that, as I begin the second-half of my time in Poland, she reminded me that my co-op work is important for this institution and for myself.

Par Le Vu Sisters?

I have my eldest sister to thank for many things in my life including my fear of escalators, the loss of my first baby tooth and, most prominently, my love for Northeastern. That’s right, my sister is a husky alumni of the School of Journalism! She graduated in 2015 and is now a sports reporter/anchor for WDAZ in Grand Forks, ND (see maddiesattler.com for more details). My favorite red-headed sibling journeyed from the Midwest all the way to Europe to meet me, her favorite sister and the result was a Sattler-tastic 36 hours.

 Casual morning hot chocolate outside the Louvre

Photobombed by the Tour Eiffel

We got to spend last weekend in Paris, France eating more bread and cheese than humanly possible and even getting tattoos. Paris has always been close to our hearts because it is the most beautiful city in the world and it was our paternal grandparents’ favorite as well. Our familial association with Paris is rather unique, and connects with my co-op. My grandfather fought in the United States Army during World War II and was deployed to France. He had the opportunity to liberate a concentration camp and save the life of a Jewish Frenchman, Jean Dreyfus. My grandfather helped connect Dreyfus with his father and, in his novel about his time in the French concentration camp, he thanks my grandfather. Jean has a grandson that lives in the heart of Paris. Arthur Dreyfus is a very successful writer (he has his own Wikipedia page!) in France, publishing novels about the intersection of religion and politics around the world.

Arthur has repeatedly said that his family is forever in debt to mine and has extended multiple invitations to stay at his apartment. Unfortunately, this time around, the apartment was undergoing a two-story expansion (in which Arthur is adamant about installing a fireman’s pole to connect the floors) so we were not able to stay there. We were still able to have dinner and reconnect with our beloved family friend and his famous bushy hairdo. The love that Arthur has for his city is something I have never been able to feel for my place of residence. Boston is an amazing city, but I don't have an unconscious pull to spend the rest of my life there. My connections with places are associated with the people that live there. I love Paris because I got to travel there with my brother and, now, my sister. Traveling is not about the places you are going, but the people you go with and meet along the way. Exploration of culture begins with the culture’s people. And hearing Arthur speak about long last and ever-present histories of Paris, I become more and more captivated by this multifaceted city. I would not return to Paris as often as I have if it wasn't for Arthur and I would not have met Arthur if it wasn't for our grandfathers.

My grandparents loved to travel and did so every opportunity they had; it would be quicker for me to list the countries in which they haven’t visited. They gave Madeline and I the travel bug. We were fortunate enough to return to their favorite city in the world and I already can't wait to bring our double husky pride back to the city of lights.

Shock Waves

I have officially been living in Poland for one month. It feels as though it has been closer to one year since I left the comfort of our Boston campus. I cannot begin to summarize the contents of my first four weeks, especially the amazing departments I have been able to work with and high profile events I have been able to attend. I could write pages and dozens of posts just about my co-op, but far more interesting is my rocky path to cultural assimilation.

Poland is very different from the United States and even Western Europe. I visited last summer during a Dialogue of Civilization that travelled around Germany and Poland investigating the Holocaust and genocidal prevention (hence the interest in pursuing a co-op at the Auschwitz Birkenau State Museum). This had been my fist time in Poland and Eastern Europe. The culture of Poland is under appreciated and frequently misunderstood; I remember my group and I disliked the blunt and unkept nature of this country in comparison to the stiff and proper German cities we had already visited. Polish people, at first, come across as rather rude. There is a mutual understanding among citizens to eliminate any sort of polite filters when it comes to expressing oneself. The blunt nature of Poland is easily reflected as bitterness, but this is not the case at all.

Returning to Poland this time around, I realize the ignorance that guided my previous visit. Poland has a very rocky recent history that has included being controlled by multiple countries and shifting territory lines. Eventually, the country found its independence, but this political stability has resulted in economic instability that has been mirrored in social tensions about socioeconomic groups. All of this history has created a population of citizens that have learned to be vocal and fight for what they need, translating into proud and abrupt displays of culture.

Coming this explanation expedited my assimilation process and reduced the possibility of culture shock. I struggled in the discomfort of living in a foreign land without speaking the local language, but researching Poland prior to my arrival allowed me to appreciate the country I was in and made me excited to learn more about this culture. My co-workers have been teaching me some Polish (it is an incredibly difficult language to learn that seems to not believe in vowels) in exchange for mini English lessons. I have befriended local interns that have graciously showed me the surrounding towns that each citizen is so very proud to come from.

Culture shock is inevitable and completely normal especially during an international co-op. Rocky landings cannot be avoided but the effects can definitely be minimized. I strongly suggest researching one's country prior to departure, whether for a study abroad, international co-op or family vacation. In order to fully experience a foreign country, it is important to filter out our "American point of view" and immerse ourselves in the culture. I didn't realize my tainted POV; as a social science student, I always saw myself as above prejudices, but I have come to learn that this is impossible. For the first, I would say, two weeks I was in culture shock. I didn't feel comfortable and I began counting down the days I would be returning to Boston. I realized this mentality is such a waste of the incredible opportunity I have been given. Jumping headfirst into the culture of Poland and Osweicim, I have learned so much about this overlooked country and have come to call it home. I advise you to accept the differences between your culture and the one you are visiting and dive into the unknown. We frequently forget how large the Earth actually is, do your research and get on a plane, you will not regret it.

Deutchsland Ist Wundershun

With a visit by Pope Francis this past weekend, the entire Museum was shut down and the majority of employees were barred from the premises for security reasons. For some reason the title of a newly hired volunteer did not raise me to the level of importance needed to participate in the Pope's visit. His loss, however, is my gain, as the long weekend allowed for a quick trip to Berlin.

I created this co-op with a fellow Northeastern student, Manish Laungani. Manish studied abroad in Berlin this past spring semester, so he was anxious to return to Deutschland the second the chance presented itself. His knowledge of the area allowed me to see Berlin, a city I visited during my aforementioned Dialogue of Civilization, as a local. During my last visit, I saw Berlin in the context of the Holocaust. This visit, I saw Berlin as the food capital of Germany.

Germany is known for its biergartens, open air restaurants were patrons share large tables with strangers, drinking beer by the liter and sausages by the foot. Berlin has an abundance of biergartens, but the street food and hole-in-the-wall restaurants are what make this city rough around the edges and oh so delicious in the middle.

Berlin would not be the city it is without Turks. A large Turkish population still occupies a province of Berlin called Kreuzberg. Berlin culture is influenced heavily by the still discriminated population. One of the greatest contributions Turkey has had on Germany is the Doner. Doner kebabs can be served in bread or in a box over fries. Rotating skewers of meat are thinly chopped and combined with cabbage, cucumbers, a special garlic sauce and hot sauce. Being a vegetarian, I ordered my doners with falafel. I wish I had taken a picture of one of the three doners I had in a 48 hour period of time, but the speed in which I devoured each of them did not allow time to take a picture. So, unfortunately, my description will have to suffice.

The biggest food discovery of the weekend was Mai Linhs Restaurant, an authentic Thai restaurant on the outskirts of the city. I never thought that the best curry I ever tasted would be from Berlin. My tofu yellow curry was so amazing we journeyed 30 minutes out of the way to have lunch everyday of the weekend. The restaurant is barely large enough to accommodate a kitchen, so there is only outside seating. This is a hidden gem of Berlin and should be a must-see for anyone visiting the city.

The most remarkable thing about my weekend in Berlin was the differences from my previous visit. Instead of Holocaust memorials and museums being our days' destinations, they were stumbled upon along the way. We ended up at the famous Jewish Memorial in Mitte and Hitler's bunker accidentally while walking around. Instead of watching locals jet past these sites as if the profound memorials had become normalized, we were the locals. We were unexpectedly confronted with the Holocaustic history of Berlin on multiple occasions and, for me, this solidified how special this city is. Berlin has dedicated memorials and commemoration spaces to almost all victimized groups, including the increasingly overlooked homosexuals and Sinti und Roma, both experiencing extreme cruelty during the Holocaust. Just like me, visitors and local citizens are forced to remember the Holocaust while they go on a morning run or commute to work. It is admirable the responsibility Berlin has accepted in the form of these memorials. Returning to Berlin allowed me to see this city as multifaceted in a grungy historical way.

This is the entrance to the Anne Frank Museum in Berlin. We stumbled across this famous graffiti image on our way to meet some friends and seeing it at night unexpectedly was very moving

On the bus ride back to Poland, we began planning our next trip to one of my favorite cities in the world.

Pre-Departure

Over the past year I have told anyone that would listen about my journey in July to intern at Auschwitz. I came to enjoy announcing my incredible co-op opportunity to all those I met or was reunited with. My enjoyment stemmed partly from my own excitement, but mostly from the fact that every single person gave me the same reaction to this job news:

You: Any exciting summer plans?

Me: Yeah! I’m actually going to Poland for 3 months!

You: Cool! Study abroad?

Me: No, I’m cooping at Auschwitz.

You: ….

Me: You know, the former concentration camp. 

You: …

Me: I’m very excited for the opportunity, I have been studying the Holocaust for the 

majority of my college career.

You: …that sounds fun. No, fun isn’t the right word…interesting? Cool? I don’t know, I 

hope you enjoy it! No, wait don't do that….ahh I'm just glad you're going and not me.

With the exception of my nerdy Political Science friends (you know who you are), this was the encounter I had every time I brought up my upcoming internship. I was concerned at first, that maybe this opportunity was not as incredible as I thought it was. Turns out having an overwhelming interest in the largest genocide in modern history is not a something everyone has. But this shouldn’t make me crazy or disconcerting just because the topic is a sensitive one. Part of our problem as a society is how we have sensitized the Holocaust into a largely unique experience. I will not diminish the experiences endured by millions of innocent Jews, homosexuals, Sinti and Roma, persons with disabilities or countless other groups, but mass atrocities have occurred since the Holocaust seemingly every decade.
I went on a summer study abroad in 2015 to Germany and Poland where 20 classmates and I followed Hitler’s rise to power while visiting the most important Holocaust sites in these countries. This trip landed me at Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum where I was able to make a connection that later offered me and a classmate, with the help of multiple co-op advisors and tens of emails, internship positions. For three months I will be working in the Archives Department at this extraordinary institution. I don’t know what my daily life will entail nor what struggles I will face with this subject matter. I don’t know how it’s going to feel to work and live in a concentration camp for months, as so many did and died from doing over 70 years ago. I don’t even know if I’m emotionally and physically prepared to do this. I do know that I will carry this experience for the rest of my life and I hope you will enjoy following along with me. Although “enjoy” may not be the right word