Provincial Life Goes Global: Class trip take 1

The program I am apart of includes four class trips, and on March 22, we went on our first excursion to Prague, Czech Republic and Dresden, Germany. At this point, I had already been to Prague for a few days before the program began, but this experience was so different because I was now traveling with not only 22 other students but also three amazing historians: Dr. Doug Biggs from UNK (who was crazy enough to come on this trip with us) and Jan and Martin, two professors from Plackey University (where I am currently studying). The amount of information stored in these three men's heads is incredible. I am learning things from them that I would never learn going to these places alone.

This trip was amazing and was filled with memorable experiences that were both feel-good and eye-opening. Before we get into the feel-good portion of this trip, I'm going to cover the eye-opening- so bear with me.

The outside memorial for the paratroopers
(That is the hole that the Nazi's used to try and
flood them out of the crypt)

We visited St. Cyril and Methodius Church and crypt, which is where seven Czech paratroopers who were apart of the resistance during World War II, held off the Nazi's for 6 hours before their heroic deaths. These paratroopers were in charge of carrying out Operation Anthropoid, which was the operation responsible for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich (third in rank in Hitler's army and the mastermind behind the implementation of the Shoah or Holocaust). His death was the highest ranking Nazi assassination to succeed. In preparation for this trip, we watched Anthropoid the film, and I highly recommend it. It really helped me understand the impact that these events had on the war and on the Czech people. As a direct result of the assassination, Hitler had 10,000 Czech citizens killed. While I learned about World War II in high school, the stuff I was taught didn't start to be seem like more than statistics until I actually witnessed its physical effects on this trip. This kind of learning is not something you can get in a classroom, and I am so thankful for the opportunity to begin to understand.

On the 3rd day of our trip, we visited Dresden, Germany. Here, we visited the first Lutheran church so far on our trip, and it was just recently rebuilt after being destroyed during the bombing of Dresden during World War II. Visiting this church was not the eye-opening experience though, it was what happened outside of the church that shook me up and made me really think. Dresden was just a day trip for us, so mid-afternoon we all had to meet in front of the church to head back to the bus as a group. As we were sitting near a statue of Martin Luther, talking about our day and waiting for the last few members of our group to arrive, I started to hear a chorus of voices chanting, and I turned around to see dozens of police officers and a parade of people heading towards us. At this point, I was very confused because first off, I was caught completely off guard by being the small-town girl I am, and secondly, because they were chanting in German, so I couldn't understand what they were saying. I turned to Jan to ask him what was going on and with a somber expression on his face, he told me that it was a neo-nazi protest and that they were singing the German national anthem with the Nazi addition. To say I was shocked is an understatement; I could not believe what I was seeing. After talking to Jan further, he explained that they were protesting immigration as they want Germany to be a closed border country. Now I'm not blind to the hatred back in the states, but I've never witnessed it in person, so my first experience of this while also being in a foreign country was enough to shake any person. The fact that they used the Nazi version of the German anthem still shocks me now, even after I’ve had plenty of time to reflect. In my opinion, by using the Nazi addition they are openly agreeing with the horrendous acts of the Second World War, and I just can't wrap my head around that extreme hatred. It still saddens me when I think about it.

The protest

On our last day, we visited the Jewish Quarter in Prague, which is the location of the oldest synagogue in Europe. Jan and Martin told us that it survived the war due to Hitler's desire to use it as a kind of museum to commemorate the "race" that was eliminated. Today, the Quarter is used as a memorial to the Czech Jews who lost their lives in the war. The impact that the countless names covering the walls of room upon room had on me is one I will never forget. I remember walking through and thinking, "These are only the lives lost by the Czech Jewish community." This experience made me realize how truly impossible it is to fully wrap my head around the 6 million Jews killed (and that number isn’t even beginning to factor in all the others killed). I am looking forward to our trip to Auschwitz and Birkenau (as much as one can look forward to visiting the place responsible for the deaths of nearly a million people), so I can start trying to truly comprehend what all those history textbooks try to explain.

A tiny fraction of the names covering the walls

Cemetery in the Jewish Quarter

One thing I have heard multiple times from our different professors while discussing World War II is, "You guys are lucky to live in the US.” or, "You are lucky to not know what it's like to be occupied by foreign soldiers." These statements really make me take a step back and reflect on how blessed we have been. The longer I am here, the more profound the subtle differences in personalities becomes apparent to me. A prime example of this is our once-a-week movie night when we watch a Czech film with some Czech students. These films do not feature happy endings because "it's not realistic”. This Tuesday we watched a war film that ended with the protagonist still stuck sick and in prison, and the Czech residents said that this was a happy ending because he hadn't died, yet. I think our version of happy ending versus theirs might not exactly line up.

As you read, there were definitely some somber moments on this trip, but there was also some amazing experiences. One being the Easter market in Prague (I am determined to make this a thing back home). This market made me realize that I have an unhealthy obsession with cutely decorated eggs and paprika hot dogs. I loved walking through the stands and looking at all the fun things they were selling, and of course, due to the weather, we had to get hot wine to warm up. We also visited the beautiful Charles Bridge, I definitely recommend visiting it both during the day and at night. Go during the day so you can see all the beautiful sights and experience the street (or should I say bridge) vendors and musicians, and go at night because nothing compares to seeing the city lights and the castle across the river all lit up. The John Lennon wall was also really cool because who doesn't want a badass picture taken in front of an ever-changing wall of colorful graffiti? My friends and I also went on a night horse-drawn carriage ride through the Old Town, and even though five people to a carriage was a little tight, it was a fun way to tour the beautiful city. We also visited multiple beautiful churches; my favorite being the one where St. Wenceslaus was buried, and it was extra special to me because my home church is St. Wenceslaus.

My friends posing on the Charles Bridge with Dr. Biggs

All of the knowledge and history I have learned in the short time I've been here makes me excited for all of the trips and knowledge to come. Our trip to Prague and Dresden were not only beautiful and so much fun, but also incredibly eye-opening and helpful in allowing me to better understand the world around us. I have so much to say about Europe and so little time, so keep reading my posts for updates!

XO Sheyenne