The class I took that summer excited me more than anything! European Genocide was taught by a renowned Danish Holocaust Researcher named Torben Jørgensen. I have always had a strange fascination with the Holocaust and Nazi perpetrators, so as soon as I found out that DIS offered such an amazing learning experienced I signed up!
Torben
quickly became one of my all-time favorite teachers. He stood before us and
spoke with such knowledge and passion about the horrors and truths of the
Holocaust. He encouraged us to not be afraid of the harsh realities of the
time. Talking about the cruel and brutal deaths of millions is not an easy
task, but to make it interesting and animated came effortlessly to Torben. Our
class focused mostly on the persecution of Poles and Polish Jews. Our third
week of class would actually be spent in Poland visiting the sites we had
studied in the weeks before. Warsaw, Kraków, and the chilling visits to death
camps are memories I will hold for a life time.
When visiting Auschwitz Stammlager and Auschwitz Birkenau, Torben’s words guided us with vivid images of what happened in the places we were standing. Birkenau impacted me the most. The vastness of such a place and the beauty were shocking. I could have never imagined what a concentration camp truly felt like without visiting one for myself. The contrast of rich nature plagued with ghosts of horrors long past was a surreal experience. My feet crunched on gravel that carried the weight of so many tormented peoples as my eyes saw butterflies and my ears heard the sweet song of birds. It is that exact type of experience that draws me to study history. A place can hold so much more than a location and even if that place looks different years down the line the history is what defines it.
When visiting Auschwitz Stammlager and Auschwitz Birkenau, Torben’s words guided us with vivid images of what happened in the places we were standing. Birkenau impacted me the most. The vastness of such a place and the beauty were shocking. I could have never imagined what a concentration camp truly felt like without visiting one for myself. The contrast of rich nature plagued with ghosts of horrors long past was a surreal experience. My feet crunched on gravel that carried the weight of so many tormented peoples as my eyes saw butterflies and my ears heard the sweet song of birds. It is that exact type of experience that draws me to study history. A place can hold so much more than a location and even if that place looks different years down the line the history is what defines it.
The
learning opportunities afforded to me through DIS are irreplaceable. Studying
under Torben, taking classroom knowledge to the field, and fully immersing myself
in history is more than I could have ever hoped for academically. My time in
Denmark and Poland changed me in so many ways, and it warms my heart knowing
that there are streets halfway around the world that hold some of my favorite
memories with people I can never forget.
Here are some of my favorite memories captured:
My second day in Copenhagen I rented a bike in an attempt to
embrace Danish culture…. But 20 minutes later I was sprawled out in the middle
of a town square with a bruised knee, large scrapes, and a sprained wrist. This
photo was taken by my Danish RA when we were at the hospital. I literally can
never forget my trip now because I will forever have a large scar on my
forearm. Thanks Copenhagen :)
While abroad I made it a personal and spiritual goal to
light a candle in every church I visited. This is a picture of the inside of Saint Ansgar’s Cathedra in Copenhagen where
I attended Mass a couple of times. That is one thing I love most about my
faith, is that Catholic Masses are the same no matter where you are in the
world. This mass was said in Latin and included an English reading of the
Gospel. It was an amazing cultural and spiritual experience!
The Church of Our Savior in Copenhagen ad a spiral tower
with 400 steps to the top! The girls I shared a flat with and I climbed the
tower one day after our classes. The view was absolutely breath taking! You
could see our neighborhood, Amagerbro, and even the coast of Sweden from up
there!
My second favorite part of my trip, after Poland, was my
whirlwind weekend in London with my friend Andrea who was studying abroad in
Spain. The recommended tour time for the HP Tour is 3 hours…. We were there for
6 crying tears of happiness. My forever inner Harry Potter nerd had never been
so satisfied before.
This is a picture taken by one of the other DIS faculty on
our trip. I love this moment because it shows the way Torben guided us through
Auschwitz Birkenau. He used a book titled “The Place Where You Are Standing.”
The use of this book to talk about the camp was an amazing teaching skill and
learning moment for us as students. The tour was more impactful with actual
images of the very place we were at.
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Don't miss out on your own study abroad experience!
Find out more about Madison's DIS Copenhagen summer program at http://disabroad.org/copenhagen/
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