A different country, a different culture

After spending nearly three months abroad, I can confidently say that there are many differences between the cultures of European countries and the culture of America. Money, travel, food, everything is on a different level, and it makes for an interesting maze for American tourists to work through. Of all these hurdles perhaps the most frustrating is the language barrier. Sometimes it seems as though there are no two countries on this big blue ball that speak the same language. Fortunately for American tourists such as myself, many European countries teach English as a second language in grade school, although that doesn't mean everyone will retain the language in their adult lives. Communicating with those who speak little to no English usually ends up being a display of a persons best impressions of a mating dance, with incoherent grunts interspersed periodically with exaggerated hand movements and desperate looks to surrounding faces for any form of help. It's an interesting display if nothing else. I have found that usually the best way to communicate with those who are unfamiliar with your language is to use very basic words and understand that some visual representation of whatever it is you want may be necessary. For instance, if one were to order in a restaurant, a combination of pointing to menu items and describing what food you want slowly and methodically usually produces the best results.

Another interesting difference between American and European customs can be seen clearly in the way restaurants operate. For the most part, American restaurants offer free ice water with almost any meal, and only those drinks you order specifically are paid for. Wait staff is also usually pretty timely, checking up on their tables periodically and being quick to return with the check when the meal is over. Tips are essentially mandatory in the states, as waiters live on them. Europe does things a little differently. Water is only brought on request and usually has a charge, which usually is more than that of a beer. Ice is almost non existent, and refrigeration is used sparingly so get used to drinking lukewarm beverages (yes, that includes beer). Coffee is brewed black, and the fru-fru drinks of American coffee shops are not usually on the menu. Wait staff is usually quick to get your order, sometimes coming to take orders within five minutes of a person sitting down. This means you have to be quick in your decision making. After the food is brought, however, waiters and waitresses seem to enter another realm and are not seen again until it is very clear that you are done eating. Unlike American restaurants that would bring the check as soon as the plates are cleared, European restaurants allow you lots of time to just sit and talk and will only bring you the check when you make awkward eye contact with the wait staff for the tenth time in a row or they need your table for another customer. There have been a few times I have been tempted to dine and dash as it has taken nearly half an hour to get the attention of the waiter to receive the bill, which is fine unless you're on a time limit during a trip. Fortunately, I am far too scared of ending up in a Czech prison to follow through with these urges.

One of my favorite stories from this trip features a breakdown of communication and the prominent differences between American and European customs, set in Germany. On our first night in Wittenberg, Ashley, Bree, and I came across a cute little diner and decided to stop in for a bite. The waiter was very nice and actually spoke pretty decent English, so ordering our food and drinks proved to be a very easy task. The problem came after the meal was over. As we were finishing up our food, Ashley started complaining of being thirsty. She'd already finished the drink she'd ordered with dinner and was just craving a glass of ice water (remember this). When the waiter returned to clear our plates, she asked him for a glass of water with ice. He looked a little perplexed but seemed to understand well enough and asked her if she wanted it carbonated or still. When he returned with the glass, he held it out from his body as if it were some kind of poisonous substance with a bewildered look on his face. He set it down in front of Ashley and proceeded to explain that he was unclear if this was the correct drink as he'd never heard of ice water before. We found this absolutely hilarious, as it is such a common staple of American restaurants that we couldn't believe someone had never heard of ice water before. It made for a pretty great end to that meal, and I just wanted to thank that waiter for one of my favorite stories from this trip.

Auschwitz and Schindler's Factory

     Coming off a hectic few weeks traveling around Europe, a relaxing week in Olomouc was a nice change of pace. Attending class after three weeks off was a bit difficult, especially so for the Czech language course as it is very difficult to retain a different language without using it for such an extended period of time, but me and the others made it work. On Wednesday, I came down with a bad cold and decided the best course of action was to quarantine myself in my room to avoid spreading the plague. It was during one of my many naps that day that I received a text from Ashley. She and Bailey had found an interesting looking tour of Oskar Schindler's factory in Krakow, Poland. Best part was, it was free. It was an opportunity we couldn't pass up. So plans were made to head to Poland for the weekend. While searching through other things to do in the area, we realized Auschwitz was also fairly close, so we decided we would take a more educational journey and visit the notorious death camp as well as Schindler's factory. Needless to say, it wasn't going to be a weekend of fun and happy memories, but it was a trip we all felt we needed to take to pay respects to all those who lost their lives during one of the world's darkest chapters of history. 

     The trip began with a Saturday train/bus ride to Krakow. While on the train, we met a fellow student from the states who was also visiting Auschwitz. It's true what they say, it really is a small world. After a slight panic attack because of a delayed train and a ten minute window to catch the bus, we were headed towards our final destination of Krakow. Luckily enough for us, the bus and train companies were the same, so the bus knew of the delay and was waiting for us when we got there. After arriving in Krakow, we walked to our Airbnb and dropped off our bags. After not eating all day, we decided the best course of action would be to take in the night life of the surrounding area and grab a bite to eat. We found a cute little restaurant that served traditional Polish cuisine and stopped in. I had a healthy portion of traditional Polish dumplings stuffed with lamb and drizzled with olive oil. After dinner and a quick walk around, we headed back to the Airbnb and decided to watch Schindler's List and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas to really put us in the mood for the next few days.

     Sunday started out early as we had a tour bus to catch into Auschwitz. The camp is about a twenty minute bus ride away from the city center of Krakow. After arriving at Auschwitz I, we met with our tour guide and began the tour. We took a walk through a few of the different barracks that the victims of the Holocaust used as homes. Each room was filled with relics leftover from the horrible deeds the Nazis carried out in the camp. A tangle of thousands of eyeglasses, a room full to the brim with pots and pans, and, probably most disturbingly, a very unassuming room that houses nearly two tons of hair from the victims of the camp. What blew my mind was just how much hair that would be, and just how many people that hair would have come to. We saw the execution wall, where innocent people would be shot for petty 'crimes' such as stealing a loaf of bread or talking back to a Nazi officer. In the states, you always hear about the horrors of the Holocaust, the numbers of people killed needlessly, but it always just stays something you read in a text book or heard from a lecture. The amount of human suffering really doesn't hit you until its staring you straight in the face. It's a trip that, while not pleasant, is something I think everyone should do sometime in their lives. The final stop in the first camp was the gas chambers. Although they were just replicas, as the Nazis had destroyed the originals in an attempt to cover up their egregious war crimes, the somber tone of the trip became palpable as we walked through in silence, paying respect to the millions of people who died in similar conditions. 

     Auschwitz II, Berkenau stands much as it did when the Nazis used it. Unlike Auschwitz I, which has been refurbished and is taken care of as a museum, Berkenau stands in ruin, a final resting place for millions and a warning to future generations to never let such needless bloodshed happen again. Birkenau is the location of the famous railyard gate photograph, a gate of death as our tour guide called it. The iron letters of 'Arbeit macht frei' stand looming over your head as you enter the camp. For miles, all you can see are the remains of the barracks where thousands upon thousands of Jews and other undesirables were held, just waiting for death. The stone chimneys are the only things remaining of many of these buildings, and they stretch almost to the horizon. The remains of gas chambers and crematoriums sit in shambles at the end of the rail yard, the place thousands went to meet their demise, many of whom didn't even stay in the camp and were just sent immediately to their deaths. A giant stone monument sits in between two gas chambers, with 24 engravings in 24 different languages representing every group of persons that was killed in the camp. Today, the camp has a strange yet serene beauty to it, with fall changing the leaves of the trees around the edges of the camp to bright oranges and yellows. If I wasn't aware of the atrocities that occurred there, I would almost be inclined to call the area beautiful. It was a sobering experience that I think will live with me for the rest of my life. 

     On Monday, we visited Schindler's factory. Oskar Schindler, for those that don't know, was a Nazi enamel ware factory owner that employed thousands of Jewish workers, marking them as needed and saving them from the death camps. If you haven't seen the movie Schindler's list, I highly recommend it as it does an amazing job of showing the life of the man who saved so many Jews. The factory, refurbished into an awesome and interactive museum, takes a walk through the daily life of not only Schindler's Jews, but also civilians in the Krakow region and even the soldiers of Nazi Germany in occupied Poland. It was very interesting, and at certain points in the museum, you received a note-card with information that you could stamp with real stamps from the time. It was an expansive museum that covered topics from the beginning of the war to the end. There is even a room that has original Nazi banners still hanging from it, as Schindler had to keep the Nazis from suspecting anything. It was an interesting end to our trip to Poland, and although solemn in nature, I had an interesting time learning about this dark period of human history.

*Sorry about the lack of photos for this post, but I did not take any as I felt uncomfortable taking any as it felt disrespectful to all those who died.