Sunday, January 27, 2013

Oscars and final goodbyes

Our last full day in Europe started with a trip to what is now my favorite museum, the German Film Museum in Frankfurt. Given the choice between this museum and the communication museum that the rest of the class went to, I think I made the right choice.
The first floor of the museum focused on the beginning of images and moving images. It was fascinating to see how they created different apparatuses to make images move, even just a little bit.
The second floor was focused more on modern day films. There were props and sketches from movies such as Star Wars, Peter Pan and E.T.
The third and final floor was my favorite of the building. It was a special exhibition, all about the Oscars. It began with the first ceremony in 1929 and continued until now, the 85th Oscar awards in 2013. The exhibit listed every movie nominated for best picture and named each years winner. It also showcased things such as a storyboard from Forrest Gump and a handwritten letter from Audrey Hepburn to the director of My Fair Lady.
This exhibit really made me think about movies I've seen. I thought I had seen a lot of movies, but walking around this floor of the museum made me realize there are so many more amazing movies that I have yet to watch. Now all I want to do is get together with everyone from this trip and watch all of the movies I saw references to in this museum. It was a great experience; one I won't soon forget.
Going to this museum (and the zoo after) was a fantastic way to end my three weeks abroad. This experience has forever changed my outlook on life and is something I will think about every day. Now, just days after coming back home, I'm already wishing I was back in Europe with all of the great friends I made these past three weeks. The experiences we had and the stories we have to tell will live on forever and I can't wait to get back to Elon and see everyone again.
--Molly Bissell

Saturday, January 26, 2013

From Gutenberg to the Web....and Back


The last day of my trip to Europe wrapped up with a visit to the Communication Museum in Frankfurt (as well as a chilly visit to the Frankfurt Zoo). Although the Communication Museum was unfortunately all in German, it was probably one of my favorite museums from the entire trip.

The museum’s layout followed the evolution of communication from all corners of the world. Seeing the many various forms of communication tools, such as televisions, telephones, Morse code, telegraphs, computers, and even notes passed in class provided a wide interpretation of what can be considered a true form of communication and how it is utilized by people to communicate and perform its specific function in the most efficient way. The museum did a great job, German aside, with showing how each tool was an important communication tool, both over time and in today’s ever-changing world.

The exhibit on note passing, however, was by far my favorite. Although it definitely is a form of communication, not to mention one that has been around for quite a while, I never really thought of it as something to showcase in a museum focused on the many forms of communication. It was a quirky and thought-provoking exhibit for me to visit, and made me totally question my idea of what communications really is, as a definition…or if it can really even have one. There are so many things in our world that can be used to communicate with others in ways that we don’t even really think about. If you really think about it, though, communication is all around us, every second of every day, everywhere we look. It really is an overwhelming thought, if you really think about it, but I guess that’s what makes it so great (though maybe the communications major typing this blog is a bit biased!).

I learned so much In terms of history, communication, and the history of communication on this trip. I was able to experience once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, travel with amazing professors and classmates, and overall just have a wonderful time learning and taking in the history of the amazing places that I visited. After taking this class and going on this trip, I feel I can safely say that: to anyone wondering if they should study abroad, the answer is a hands-down yes, and to anyone wondering if they should study abroad on this particular trip, the answer is a thousand times yes. I am so glad I took this opportunity and would not trade all the things that I learned and all the things I saw and experienced for anything.


-Emily Ice

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Reflecting on Dachau

Visiting Dachau was a sobering excursion, to say the least. Seeing the place where thousands of men suffered and died, right on the outskirts of a town where no one did or said anything, no less, was something I will never forget. The words on the original gate to the concentration camp, ‘Arbeit macht frei’ or ‘Work makes (you) free’ would never be a truth for so many of the men who struggled through seemingly endless days at Dachau. The grounds of the concentration camp looked chillingly beautiful in the snow, but were nevertheless a reminder of the despair, death, and suffering that the site once contained.


Dachau, which served as a sort of experimental grounds for the Nazis to determine what worked and what didn’t that would later be implemented at other concentration camps and death camps around Europe.


The barracks, which were built to hold about 50 men but for many of Dachau’s days held about 200 over that limit, were certainly a shocking sight to see in person. The many rows of wooden beds looked more like shelves than sleeping quarters. Even without the labor and the punishments then men at Dachau endured, the living conditions alone were enough to kill a man with the diseases and unhygienic way of life in such a place.


What really struck me, however, was actually being able to walk inside the series of rooms that prisoners themselves followed when they were told they were to receive ‘a shower and clean clothes’ (which instead meant they were to be killed with poison gas in the gas chamber). This devastating route let from the waiting room, to the disrobing room, to the gas chamber itself, to the crematorium ovens built by a group of prisoners themselves where some prisoners were also hanged, to the death chambers where dead bodies were stored until they could be cremated. Although Dachau did not use its gas chamber very much, there were enough deaths at the camp that two crematoriums were necessary. Even the thought that the Nazis had that many deaths at their expense in one camp alone to require two crematoriums is both disturbing and horrifying.


The most nauseating and haunting thing for me, however, was not something I saw, but something I felt. As we walked around the snowy grounds, taking in all of the sights around us, I began to feel a little hungry and I couldn’t feel my fingers or toes from the icy wind and the snow. The more these thoughts lingered in the back of my head, the more nauseous and ashamed of myself I became. The men who lived in Dachau and suffered through their days there were hungry and cold too, but not even in the sense of the way I could possibly imagine myself at that moment. I wasn’t cold, and I wasn’t hungry. I didn’t even know hungry or cold like the men at Dachau did, and I felt ashamed, selfish, and spoiled. I will never know what these men felt. Not in the slightest. But seeing Dachau and the horrible events that occurred there at the hands of other human beings (if many Nazis can even truly be called that) was a sickening thought, but also a learning experience. I truly hope that no person in the world’s future should ever have to experience the unfathomable kinds of horrors that occurred at Dachau not so very long ago.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is More Than a Cold War Relic...

Note: Although this blog post took place/was written in Prague, we did not have access to wifi during our stay in Nuremberg, Germany, so this blog post is being posted a little after the fact now that I have wifi access again!


After researching so much about Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s role in the Cold War to reach people behind the Iron Curtain and give these people access to information they so desperately needed, it was interesting to see the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) headquarters in person. However, many of the things that I experienced and learned on this visit were not at all what I expected. For starters, I knew there would be more security than in many of the other buildings we visited on the trip since RFE/RL’s Munich headquarters were bombed in 1981. I can’t say, though, that I was expecting to be let into a tiny room, only five people at a time, to go through a metal detector, have my bag go through an x-ray machine twice, and be all but violated by security guards that weren’t the TSA (nothing against the TSA, but they can get a little awkward).


Once past the security, a guide talked with us for a few minutes. Although she was informative about the present information regarding RFE/RL’s statistics and pertinent information, it surprised me, however, that she did not mention a word about how or why RFE/RL was started, how its role has evolved over time, or why it was (although it still is) an effective and indispensable media tool. While I understand that many think of RFE/RL as a ‘relic’ of the Cold War that is just a part of history and should be ended, I do not at all feel that this is true, and actually feel the opposite. Many people around the world, although the people behind the Iron Curtain are no longer among them, are still faced with issues regarding their freedom to get information and media censorship.


The biggest evolution for RFE/RL that I found interesting, though, was their move to largely internet media as a form of transmitting programs to countries where other ways (ie. Radio and television) are actively blocked by governments. If this doesn’t prove that RFE/RL is no longer a ‘Cold War relic’, I don’t know what does, since the internet is always evolving and becoming a more complicated place.

After our talk with the guide, we were met by Zach Peterson, the Community Manager for RFE/RL. Zach told us a little bit more about RFE/RL and the services it currently offered to what countries, as well as answering any questions we had. The part of the conversation that really caught my attention was when Zach mentioned something about ‘media revolutions’ such as the so-called ‘Facebook Revolution’ and “Twitter Revolution’ that occurred in Egypt lately, and how these terms and the idea of a ‘Facebook Revolution’, for example, was totally bogus. I found this interesting because when we visited the Dekra Hochschule Berlin, the German students’ teacher, John Kantara, talked quite a bit in his documentary about the idea of the ‘Facebook Revolution’, and particularly about the importance of such an event’s role, especially in Egypt. While I don’t believe that either Zach or Professor Kantara were totally wrong in their opinions, it was interesting to hear the arguments from each man, who both worked in media-related fields, who both seemed to see a different side of media censorship and have a different opinion on it. I’d like to have comments about what any of my blog readers feel about the ‘Facebook Revolution’. To me, I tend to agree a little bit more with Zach’s idea - that I see Facebook as more of a tool and a platform for staging a revolution, and less as the actual catalyst and powerhouse of the revolution itself, as it seemed Professor Kantara portrayed it. Again, I don’t think either man is necessarily wrong in his approach to the idea, but I’d like to hear what other people have to say, as hearing about this from two different people in Europe on my travels really got me thinking and wondering about it.


-Emily Ice

Seriousness in the beer garden

During our day trip to Munich, we went to the hofbrauhouse where hitler and his most trusted nazis planned the final solution. Walking into the main eating and drinking area was extremely overwhelming. There were people everywhere, many of them wearing matching soccer jerseys for the game later. There was live music and people were laughing, talking and singing. It was exactly what I expected from a famous beer garden.
While exploring, I went up a random staircase with a few people from our trip, just to see what else we could find. There wasnt too much to see on the second floor. It was really just an outdoor balcony and a bunch of empty hallways. We were about to turn around and go back downstairs when we found a hidden stairway with an unlocked gate. Naturally, we had to investigate.
At the top of the stairs, we found what looked to be a maintenance hallway, but then found a big wooden door. Through the door, there was a giant dining room that looked a little like the dining room downstairs. The major differences were that this room was quiet and dark; no other people to be found. We immediately realized that this was the room where hitler and his comrades met.
It was really eerie to literally stand in the same spot that he once did when he was planning such horrifying things. It felt wrong to be there but we couldn't bring ourselves to leave right away. The conversations that once happened on the room we were in completely changed the world forever.
It just added to the eeriness that although the room itself was quiet, you could hear the rambunctious patrons in the dining room below. It just amazes me that such a significant part of history was planned and decided on in a building that people still drink and have a great time in. It makes me wonder how many people realize what's right up two flights of stairs from the dining hall that they're sitting in.
--Molly Bissell



Silence and reflection

Our day trip to Dachau was one of the hardest things I think I've ever done. I was overcome with emotion the entire time we were there but what really got to me was the sereneness of the compound. Walking around, everything was so quiet and beautiful, it made me feel terrible when I thought about what happened on those same grounds just 60 years ago.
As soon as we walked through the gates into the camp, all conversations stopped and didn't start up again until we got back to the visitors center. This silence really helped me, as well as my classmates I'm sure, further appreciate what we were seeing.
Being able to walk around alone after the tour of Dachau was exactly what I needed. I headed straight to the catholic memorial. Having been raised a catholic and attending a catholic high school, I felt immediately drawn to it. Once inside, the reality of where we were finally hit me. While saying a quick prayer for those affected by these terrible actions, my eyes filled with tears and the silence started to get to me. So many innocent men died where we were standing today and being in a quiet place where I felt comfortable, I couldn't hold in my emotions anymore.
The one thing that broke the silence and honestly really bothered me was the blatant disrespect coming from other tour groups. While our group of 29 students, 2 professors and a guide was just about silent, other tour groups were laughing, screaming and even texting as they wandered the grounds. One person in our group mentioned that they saw a group having a snowball fight at one point. I understand that some of these people were younger than us and might have grown up in the area and could have been there before, but I don't think that's any excuse. It's important, in my opinion, to be quiet and respectful while at any historical site or memorial. There could, and most likely are, people around that have a personal connection to that site or memorial and being disrespectful like that could ruin someone else's experience.
The fact that our class pulled it together, staying quiet and respectful, made touring Dachau a rewarding experience. As sad and terrible as it was to see everything, actually seeing it in person made everything I've learned about this terrible tragedy all the more real.
I think silence is something we tend to take for granted. I was lucky enough to have some quiet time alone at the camp today, but none of the victims of the events that happened there 60 years ago had that opportunity. Realizing this made me eternally grateful for the world I'm living in.
--Molly Bissell



Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Czech-ing out a Winter Wonderland

Spending six and a half hours walking through the snow doesn't typically sound like most people's idea of a good time. However, yesterday's walking tour around Prague was an unforgettable and amazing experience. I speak for everyone in our class when I say it was one of the most enjoyable days on the trip thus far.
Our day started at the Charles bridge, where our guide told us the history of the statues that could be seen on either side, all the way across. The most interesting part of the bridge, to me at least, was the statue of St. John of Nepomuk. He was drowned in the river because he wouldn't divulge the secrets from the confessional. He is known for being shown with five stars, usually in a halo around his head. What struck me the most about this tatie, was the tradition involving this statue. According to our wonderful tour guide, legend says that touching a man on a plaque at the bottom of the statue means that you'll come back to Prague one day. This part of the statue was a bright shiny gold, as opposed to the dull dark gray of the rest of it. Everyone in the class jumped at the chance to take part in this tradition. We all fell in love with this city immediately and wish we didn't have to leave in the morning.
From the bridge, we started our trek through the snow and up a giant hill to get to Prague Castle. No matter how treacherous our walk was, the end result was worth all the slipping and complaining. The view from the top was breathtaking and seeing the location where movies such as Mission Impossible were filmed was amazing, especially for all of the communications majors and movie fans on the trip. Our tour guide also pointed out where the Czech president lives, who we coincidentally saw in Berlin when we were there last week.
St. Vitus Cathedral was gorgeous and being able to see St. John of Nepomul's tomb inside the cathedral was amazing in and of itself. It's made completely of silver and is incredibly ornate.
After the cathedral, we quickly toured the old palace. This is where Marie Antoinette grew up, which was a surprise to me. I'll be the first to admit that I don't know a lot about Marie Antoinette but I had no idea we were in the same palace she lived in when she was a child. So that was cool. Walking around, it was hard to imagine living in a place like that. Even with the heaters on and our jackets, scarves and gloves, everyone was still cold as we walked around. It must have been unbearably cold back before all of these things were brought around. There were giant heaters in some rooms that fires were built in, but I can't imagine that they made everything warm enough to be comfortable.
After an adventure through what we affectionately called the Hobbit Village, a long slippery walk down a giant staircase, a few epic snowball fights and a quick stop at the Spanish Synagogue, we arrived at the Jewish Museum. This was the most touching and heartbreaking part of the day. The walls of the entire first floor and part of the second were covered floor to ceiling in the names of everyone killed in the holocaust. The number of names really put everything in perspective for me. We've been taught about the Holocaust for as long as I can remember, but being a visual person, this really made me realize just how many lives were lost.
My emotions were running wild as I walked through the building, but what affected me the most was the artwork found on the second floor. There was a small room containing artwork from children that were in TerezĂ­n. Seeing their interpretations of everything happening was truly one of the most heartbreaking things I've ever seen. Nobody should ever have to experience that, let alone innocent children. I've always loved children and am really close to all of the kids in my neighborhood, so seeing all of this art really got to me. That's something I'll never forget.
The Jewish cemetery was another life changing experience. Cemeteries have always fascinated me and this one was particularly amazing. Our guide told us that they ran out of room in the cemetery, so they had to start stacking the bodies, one on top of another. Walking through it was an experience in itself. The falling snow and the couple inches that were already on the ground made everything seem eerie and quiet. There were an astonishing amount of headstones, many of which seemed to be falling over and just about on top of each other. It was one of the most eerie cemetery visits I've done and it was incredibly sad, but I loved every minute of it.
We ended the tour in Wenceslaus Square, which, naturally, got everyone to start singing the Christmas carol (more than 24 hours later, it's still stuck in my head. ). It was an amazing day and luckily I took a couple hundred pictures to help me remember all of the fantastic experiences I had with some of my new favorite people I've met at elon. I can't wait to come back to Prague some day.
--Molly Bissell