Elon abroad is not just a hashtag, it really embodies what winter term is, and I definitely learned that this morning before we left for Frankfurt, the home stretch of this journey. At breakfast this morning, I was "reflecting" upon the trip with some friends, sitting next to whom I assumed was a German staying at the hotel. After about 10 minutes, the man next to me turns to me and says, "how did you not notice who I am? I heard everything!" In shock, I gasped and sat in disbelief, realizing that I had been sitting next to my fall literature professor this entire time. How did I not realize who it was? How did I not expect this to occur with hundreds of students and faculty abroad? How did this happen? After about 10 minutes of laughing it off and cringing over my embarrassing moment, I realized how removed I have been from reality throughout this trip.
Winter term has had a stronger impact upon me than I expected. Studying abroad, being with a great group of people 24/7, traveling continuously, really separates you from what happens back home and the real world. An abroad experience really can't be put into words, it must only be experienced, for one to truly know.
Running into my professor though ended up being a great source of reflection and insight. As his winter term class focuses heavily upon the history of the Holocaust, we were able to share about our concentration camp visit experiences. I asked him if he has become detached from becoming overly emotional while visiting the concentration camps after 6 years of doing this trip, and he shared with me that every time you visit you receive a different emotional experience. This made me think about our tour guides comment on how "no one will ever be able to think like the Nazis". This comment has stuck with me, it almost scares me. But touring Dachau made me realize how much there is to the Holocaust history and nazi regime that we will never be able to wrap our heads around. My professor stressed how there is so much to gain and look at from a different perspective every time you go because there is always something new to learn, uncover, and experience.
To be honest, when we were touring Dachau, I had little emotion and didn't really feel anything, which I was shocked by. I expected to be in tears and unable to handle the reality of being there. I took me riding back on the train, time in my room, and a dinner to really reflect and feel. I think it may have been the fact that we did have a tour guide, that made it feel as if I was walking through a museum trying to take in numerous facts. I am one who likes to have a moment, a moment where you are alone with your thoughts, taking in and experiencing all around you as if you were in someone else's shoes. I think that aspect kept me emotionally detached during our tour of Dachau. But as my professor said, "you'll have to go back". I am so intrigued now in visiting more of these historical Holocaust sites and experiencing it on a different level, and uncovering something new that I never knew each time.
Who knew that such an embarrassing moment could turn into such an impactful experience.
-Tori Ford