Guests from New College, Worcester at Auschwitz Memorial
In October, ten students and six staff from New College Worcester, a college for blind and partially sighted young people in the UK, visited Krakow so that they could learn at first hand about the Holocaust and the stories of the people affected.
On the first day of our trip we had a meeting with Holocaust survivor Lydia who told us about her experiences as a young child in the Birkenau camp. This was thought-provoking and emotional as we heard how small acts of kindness made the difference between life and death for so many people.
This meeting prepared us for our visit to the camps. We felt it was very important to research and prepare, so that we could make the most of our visit.
Even so, the visit had a huge impact on all of us. Here are some of the impressions from the students:
Paige says: “The best part of the trip for me was visiting Auschwitz, because it was inspiring. There aren’t really words, but it was a humbling experience because it brought home their experiences, and the reality of it. Standing in the exact spot where people died, it was incredible. One of the things that moved me the most was the cases of hair. It showed the lack of humanity shown by the Nazis, and emphasised the sheer number of people affected and imprisoned.
Wszystkie zdjęcia w tym tekście: U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Cathy Wright