May 9 , 2005

I just got back from Krakow which was amazing.  The concentration camps were really interesting if that is the right word considering what happened there.  It was also the city where the march of the living takes place so it was packed.  No one could really move in the Jewish Quarter.  Overall, the city is really old and the buildings for the most part were not destroyed.  It's also kind of sad because I leave in two weeks.  I am finally understanding how everything works here and the time has gone so fast.  I have learned a lot of things here that I know that I will never forget.  I came here knowing nothing about Poland and I know that is how most Americans are.  I never realized how much I don't know until coming here.  The fact that I am like most Americans is kind of scary.  I took a lot of pictures while here so I can at least tell my sister wha! t it is like.  I have learned so much about the history of this area.  I know that history affects practically every facet of life and before coming here I never really understood this for myself.  I am currently writing the final papers for all of my classes and I realized that I have mentioned historical events in all of them.  It seems like in order to understand any country, one must understand the history.  My knowledge of history in general is not a strong suit and I realize that I am going to have to work on that.    Poland's history is so interesting and it is remarkable that the country even exists today.  I have a great amount of respect for the country even though I realize that they are not blameless in history.  No country is though.  I am learning so much about the United States also which I think is quite valuable.  I think that I am learning so much about the world and I would advise anyone to study! abroad if they have the chance.

I know that this is short, but if someone is going to study abroad, he or she needs to bring a laptop.  When they say computer lab, it can actually mean like one working computer.  Because I don't have one, I use other peoples which explains why I write like twice a month if that.