Ahoj ještě jednou! Hello once again! Today was our last day here in Prague and it was a good day to wrap up all that we’ve learned and gotten to experience.
This morning we were very fortunate to have a Holocaust survivor named Michaela Vidláková as a guest lecturer for our class. She gave a powerful presentation about her life and her time at the Terezín concentration camp in the northern part of what is now the Czech Republic. Michaela is from Prague and was only 2 years old when Germany invaded the city in 1939. She talked about how the Jewish people had their basic human rights stripped from them very systematically until they didn’t have anything left. There were regulations on everything from where the Jewish people could go within the city to what times they were allowed to go outside. They lost the right to own basic items and the right to work in many of their workplaces. This continued until in 1942 Michaela and her entire family were deported to the Terezín concentration camp and ghetto where she would stay for the next 4 years. Michaela talked about her time at the camp and how she managed to survive until the camp was liberated in 1945.
Her story was extremely interesting because her family was one of the very few that stayed together and who survived the war. There were many factors at play that allowed this to happen that included being smart, being strong, and just simply being lucky. Hearing Michaela speak about her experiences and what happened during World War II to millions of Jews was very impactful upon all of us. It really put into perspective what it was like for Michaela and many others during the Holocaust in concentration camps. It was difficult to hear about the horrors that someone so young had to endure but it helped me to understand the Holocaust from a different perspective. Michaela Vidláková left me thinking about the ways that we claim to have learned from the past but still are experiencing a wave of anti-Semitism and hatred throughout much of the world today. She reminded us that you have to actually take action in order to prevent the repetition of the past mistakes we’ve made throughout history.
This topic was a heavy one but it really helped to round off our learning about the Holocaust and the way it had long-lasting effects on the survivors. Moving on from this class we had dinner with the whole class on a boat in order to commemorate the end of our trip and class here in Prague.
The boat took us down the Vltava river and gave us a beautiful view of the city at night. We got to eat, talk, and be together one last time as a group. It was the perfect way to finish off the trip and say farewell to this beautiful city. This class has truly been a phenomenal experience for learning, exploration, and for growth. I am so grateful to have been a part of this group of amazing individuals. I know that this experience is not one that any of us will soon forget.
Přejeme vám sbohem! We wish you farewell!
PLU/PSY387 Transitions & Trauma 