While I am an advocate for traveling to other countries while abroad, I highly recommend leaving amble time for exploring your host country. London is a multicultural city where numerous languages are spoken and diverse British accents can be heard. From Covent Garden to Maida Vale, Kensington to Camden, the neighborhoods of London have their own unique personalities and treasures…
To Live or To Die – That is the Question
In Chapter 8, Hans Michaelis, a retired lawyer, is speaking to his niece, Maria, about the possibility of being relocated to a concentration camp. He tells her that he does not have much time before the SS arrive to take him away to one of the camps, so he asks her whether he should suffer…
Unwelcome Laborers
Chapter 6 in Berlin at War discusses the labor force in the Third Reich. Many of which come from conquered lands, such as Poland, France, etc. These “foreign workers” were also known as forced laborers or even slave laborers. The process of being transported to camps was often long and cramped. Some camps were cleaner…
Embracement of a Nazi Guard – 70 Years Later
Although these names are not mentioned in Berlin at War, Eva Kor and Oskar Groning were living in Europe during the Second World War. Eva Kor, a Holocaust survivor, was in Auschwitz for some time during the global conflict. Oskar Groning, a former SS guard, was responsible for the killing of thousands of innocent Jews….
Reflection on studying abroad
Admiring the artistic wonders of the Louvre, walking in the footsteps of Anne Frank in Amsterdam, standing inches away from actors on The Globe stage, and making a rewarding hike up the Acropolis to claim a stunning aerial view of Athens. These are mere snapshots of my experiences abroad, and traveling around Europe has been a dream that I…
Bittersweet last week in London
My last week in London was bittersweet; I was excited to return home and start summer break but felt sad to leave a city that has been my home for the last four months. It was especially hard to say goodbye to The Independent and the editors that I have grown close with. Fortunately, the foreign deputy editor…
David Mermelstein
Reading Reflection, Chapter 6- Unwelcome Strangers This chapter especially resonated with me because as I began reading it, it reminded me of the story of a Holocaust survivor that I had the opportunity to hear speak. I listened to the story of David Mermelstein, a man who witnessed the occupation of his home in Czechoslovakia…
Lord Haw-Haw
Nazi officials were propaganda masters. The Third Reich managed throughout WWII to convince German citizens they were ‘the superior race,’ senior to even Western Europeans living and working in Germany; they convinced many German citizens (initially) that war damage caused by Allied forces was not as severe as the plane and bombing noises made it sound,…
An unforgettable experience
My adventures continue in London as I am currently studying the Canary Wharf area, the financial district of London. It is quite a beautiful area along the Thames River although, about a 30 minute Tube journey from the heart of London. Upscale hotels, restaurants, and shops flourish in the area where every building appears brand…
The Adventure Continues
This week I explored the street art of in Shoreditch in the East End of London and Brick Lane known for Banglatown and Indian curry. I chanced on many cute fair trade coffee shops and a raw chocolate shop with products from Ghana. I also explored the Notting Hill, a district in Kensington where the…