A Very Lucky Girl

Our first order of business in Poland involved a swift change of clothes in the airport restrooms. From there I assumed my role as Keeper of the Map, train timetable wizard, hostel booker, and general OCD planner. You'd have to ask Laura and Kylie if it got annoying ;) I asked the information desk how to get to Auschwitz and she pointed behind me to a giant sign saying "Directions to Auschwitz." Oh. Poland 1 Taylor 0. We found an ATM and money-ed up for the country. I took out 250 zloty, the equivalent of 82 USD, and rejoiced at the prices of Poland.  The language barrier was immediately a struggle, but after some issue we found the correct bus to take us to the city center where we would catch a second bus to Oswiecim, where the concentration camp was located.  On our journey to the camp, I couldn't help but think of the others who had come before me on trains to the very same place. But they didn't come armed with maps and money. In fact, they didn'...

The Holocaust is one of my favorite historic events to study, next to the sinking of the Titanic. Tragedy is riveting, as terrible as it may sound. I've read endless books about the horrors that happened in concentration camps, to many different people groups, but especially to God's own-the Jewish nation.  Corrie ten Boom and Elie Wiesel are my two favorite authors on the subject. Their separate, firsthand experiences in Auschwitz, coupled with their insight, make for meaningful reads. I highly recommend Ms. ten Boom's "The Hiding Place" and Elie Wiesel's "Night." I've read both, multiple times. I'm currently working through Corrie's "Each New Day" devotional and received "Open Heart" by Mr. Wiesel on Christmas. I finished "Open Heart" and it was phenomenal!  I learned a lot about Elie Wiesel, his life after the Holocaust, that I didn't know before. He is currently a professor at Boston University (M...