Olomouc (pronounced OH-loh-moats)

Monday

Yesterday was a long day. I was awake for over 30 hours, rising at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday in Texas and arriving at our hotel in the Czech Republic at 9 p.m. on Sunday. We flew to Frankfurt and then to Vienna. From Vienna we took a train to Brno, and from there a train to Olomouc. We flew Lufthansa, which was a fantastic experience if you don’t count the 100 crying children on our 9.3 hour flight. But I really enjoyed being able to use my German language skills for the first time in a real life setting.

I am in Olomouc for the first European Model UN conference hosted by Palacký University. Today the university organized a trip to Poland to tour the Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau concentration camps. Though I've have learned about the Holocaust for years in school and watched several films depicting life at a concentration camp, there's nothing like being there in person to put things into perspective for you. The camps (especially Birkenau) are vast; something I never realized from pictures or movies. The weather was gloomy and cold, but not as cold as I know it can be during the snowy winters in Poland. My heart ached as we walked through the barracks and prisoner's cells. It took all I had to hold back tears when I stepped into the gas chambers where hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children lost their lives. I will never be able to understand how or why this awful crime against mankind happened, but if we do not learn from our mistakes history may repeat itself. Even though the Holocaust happened more than 60 years ago, there are other recent cases of genocide that have occurred since then in places such as Bosnia, Rwanda, and Cambodia. Being at Auschwitz taught me something that I could never learn from reading a history book. I would highly recommend the experience to anyone who has the chance to go.

After we returned to the hotel in the evening, we went to an authentic Czech restaurant on the Upper Square with our 2 new friends from the university, Vojta and Martin. I tried the beef and chicken platter with potato pancakes. And we all took Vojta's recommendation and ordered a Kofola, which is the Czech’s homemade version of Coca-Cola, invented during the Communist era when Coke was sold at an outrageous price here. It really doesn't taste terrific, but all the Czech hipsters have begun drinking it again due to a new marketing campaign Kofola launched in 2002.

Wednesday

Today was our first day of committee sessions. Kaitlyn and I are representing Lebanon on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO.) Our committee topic is “Establishing Framework to Protect the Global Environment in the wake of catastrophic man-made and natural disasters.” The conference is held at a former Jesuit Konvikt at the university, and our committee meets in the Corpus Christi Chapel, a gorgeous 18th century chapel.

The weather is so cold here—it actually snowed a little bit today! But I would say the weather has been favorable since it was supposed to rain all week, and I haven’t had to use my umbrella even once.

Tonight was the opening of the Olomouc Christmas market. When our committee sessions ended at 9:00 pm, we walked around the city square and admired the lights strung along the buildings and Christmas tree. The cold weather, aroma of sweet pastries and mulled wine, and sound of Christmas music definitely put me in the holiday spirit.

Thursday

Happy Thanksgiving! Though this is not the first American holiday I've had to celebrate away from home, it was more difficult to miss than the Fourth of July. I certainly missed having a delicious traditional Thanksgiving lunch at my grandma's house with the family, but we found our own way to celebrate while abroad. After a long day in committee, our entire delegation went to dinner at the same restaurant we did on our first night, Hanácká Hospoda.

My Thanksgiving turkey was a duck, which unfortunately still looked very much like a duck when the waiter brought it to the table. The stuffing—potato dumplings. Cranberry sauce—red cabbage. Salad—sauerkraut. It was good; just not the same as being at home. After dinner we each went around the table and said what we are thankful for. I am certainly grateful for all the wonderful opportunities that I have been offered through my education at TCU. But also family, friends, and the good times that I get to share with them.