Holocaust Museum

Recently, my Gifted and Talented class and I took a trip to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. Before we went, I knew that this was going to be an emotional trip just from hearing the experiences of others. I had heard from teachers and students both that the Museum was amazing but I didn't have a clue how it would affect me. I expected a museum that was educational but interesting but my experience surpassed everything I was expecting. 

I saw so many things that's been imprinted into my brain and I could hardly believe the extent of the atrocities that Hitler been committed during that time. I mean, I know what had happened then but the way the museum is laid and the fact you're following another person's life is almost too much to handle at once. I saw videos of people being experimented on and heard survivor stories that really made the trip more emotional than I expected. It was heartbreaking to see the real luggage, shoes, and hair that was torn away from the people and all the pictures of children starved to death.


Shoes from real victims


The hair that was shaved from men and women which was later sold.


Through each floor, I just got angrier and angrier that something like was going on for so long. If there's anything I learned from this, it's that known crimes like this can't be allowed to go on. The genocide in Darfur has been driving me insane for some time and I don't understand how the world isn't stepping in. I'm interested in joining Amnesty International to learn more. 

Overall, I'm really glad I went but it's going to be hard to return for a second trip. It was painful walking around the first time but it helped to go with my friends. This isn't something you should do alone because there are things that will keep on recurring in your mind. Honestly, this a trip I'll never forget.

Egypt: Days of Rage

Unless you’ve been living under a very, very large rock for the past week, it’s been nearly impossible to miss hearing about the problem in Egypt. In case you don’t know all the facts, you can find it here, but here’s a summary. On January 25, Egypt faced a Day of Rage, when the people protested against the current President Hosni Mubarak, and their current situation.




President Mubarak

 Inspired by the successful revolution in Tunisia, they protested the poverty, unemployment, and many other problems that the government and president of 30 years has failed to solve. Although Mubarak announced he will not run for elections this year, the protestors wanted him to leave immediately. What started out peaceful quickly turned violent as the government used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds.  Along with this injustice they also cut off Twitter and Facebook, which happened to be the way they communicated. On Thursday, Nobel Laureate Mohamed ElBaradei returned to Egypt to head the protests.


Mohamed ElBaradei

 He is thought to take the power when Mubarak is removed.  On Friday the biggest protest was staged while Egypt shut down all internet communications. Today, they’re taking these protests as a security threat and arresting the dissenters.

                When we were learning about this situation in History, the news that shocked me the most was that the government shut down internet communication. All I could think about this was how could they possibly do that? To cut down the world’s primary method of communication is akin to cutting off someone’s right hand today. Frankly, the protests in Egypt are worrisome but I also feel respect towards the people in Egypt for standing up to what they believe is right. For a protest that started on a Facebook page by a group of young people, it’s progressed to a revolution that's making history.

To Conclude Loneliness

I started out the project with the hopes of finding out more about the human nature and what differs in each person. Eventually, this progressed to research on Loneliness and how this psychological and social problem affects the mind. As we went through our work we found this book called Loneliness – Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection which was a significant source in our research. Loneliness is broad topic that can be classified into a couple of different categories that people can fall under. Using this and various other resources, including Roger Ebert’s blog, we learned that loneliness has a lot of contributing factors. Genes, environment, and even the chemical makeup of a person could affect a person’s social outlook. But, to conclude our efforts, we found out that humans couldn't live in solitude. We crave human interaction for companionship and without it, we would be incomplete. As social creatures it is nearly impossible for us to live alone. It's true that one might like solitude once in a while but eventually, we'll always come back for interaction.