Day 6: Amsterdam

“I know what I want,

I have a goal,

I have opinions,

a religion

and love.”

-Anne Frank, 11 April 1944

 

Saturday morning, we woke after only a couple hours of desperately needed sleep. The night before had been fun, but we were all anxious about the day that lie ahead. It was 8am and we still had much to see and do before we had to leave Amsterdam and head back to Belgium after less than 24 hours spent there.

We ate, checked out of our hotel, and made our way by tram to the train station to stow our bags in a locker. From here we headed back out into the city to make our way to Anne Frank’s house. On arrival, the line was already super long. We were concerned and apprehensive about whether or not we would make it inside with enough time to make it to the train station in time to catch our train.  After about a half hour, the line picked up and began to move and we were inside within 15 minutes.

As I walked through the house, I was struck with many questions. What must have it been like for this 13 year old girl and her family? Spending the days concealed away in the back of this small building…forced to remain quiet so the warehouse workers would not hear them….dependent on the office workers of the company to bring them food and newspapers…having no one know where they are…not even family.

I think back to my first week on the ship (something that seems so long ago but in reality was only a couple weeks). I felt confined..stuck. I couldn’t go outside, I couldn’t use the internet, I had minimal contact with home, and the only life around me was the 600 other students feeling the same way. I was miserable…homesick….wanting to be anywhere but here. Then, finally, we touched land and all my worries and torment were washed away. I only experienced this for 7 ½ days…Anne Frank and her family and some friends endured this for years.

It’s hard to say how much this trip has made me rethink so many things so far. I am humbled and extremely grateful for all the things I do have in my small home and small town. After seeing the concentration camp earlier in the week and the Anne Frank house at the end, I feel I have changed somehow…hard to pinpoint the ever so slight alteration but it’s there. And after 3 weeks in this program, I am glad to say my life altering trip has begun to take shape. In 2 weeks, I will be in Africa and will see many more things that I cannot even begin to imagine exist outside of textbooks and documentaries, but for now I will look forward to my next port of call..Portugal. Ninety degrees and sunny while we’re there…perfect beach weather for a little relaxation before and after many educational, exhausting days.