Almost exactly 3 years ago I was doing almost the exact thing that I am doing now: traveling to Poland for the March of the Living. When I came the first time I had little to no idea what to expect from my journey aside from an itinerary, a group, and the knowledge and excitement that I would be in Israel just a few days later.
When I left Poland the last time I was changed. I certainly never expected to return. Yet here I am, a slightly older and hopefully more mature version of the eighteen year old that I was then, returning to a place that has weighed upon me, and all who experience it, to this day.
This trip, however, is different. I am with no delegation and will not have the magical experience of Israel to offset some of the associated traumas from witnessing the destruction of the Holocaust. At the end of this trip, I'll return to Boulder, Colorado to finish my semester with haste.
Nevertheless, I am here.
I cannot say honestly that I know what to expect from this trip, but I know that now I am here with a purpose. When the 2011 Cincinnati (Fluvinati) delegation flew home we had an idea of how to use our experience to change the world. Now I am going to the March to bring that idea, Project6Million, to 13,000 people.
I realize now that, although I never expected to return to Poland, I need to. While I feel that no Jew, or perhaps no human being, will ever be able to fully reconcile the events of the holocaust, I believe that my coming on this trip is a step in the right direction personally and for all of those that hear the Project6Million message.
I'll finish this up, as the plane to Warsaw will be landing momentarily. When I step off of the plane this time, I will do so with a purpose.
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