A few years ago, my family and I traveled with a group from my school to Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We went through a humbling experience when we visited Dachau, a concentration camp located just outside of a town. Being the first Nazi camp opened in Germany, Dachau served as the prototype for the other Nazi concentration camps that were created after. Even before walking in, there were forms of malevolence that a visitor (much less a prisoner arriving there) cannot ignore. On the front gate, a sign says, “Work liberates,” implying that this is not a sedentary prison. Near the front gate, we noticed rail road tracks that the prisoners would be dropped off to move into the concentration camp.
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The prisoners would be taken from their home or work and be delivered to the concentration camps where they would be separated from their families by age, gender and strength.
One of the first things we noticed while walking in was that there were memorials for survivors and the deceased who had been forced there. The entire concentration camp had been turned into a museum that educated visitors and allowed us to see what life would have been like when it was in use (approximately 1933-1960). Over twelve years, the camp is believed to have had over 200,000 prisoners held captive and of that, about 25,613 died in the camp. This camp was across the street from a town; a town which later claimed that they had no idea of the camp’s doings. In our visit, we saw the sleeping barracks (40 or more) where all of the prisoners slept. They contained a row of triple bunk beds that filled up a room when pushed together side to side. The prisoners slept shoulder to shoulder to fit them all in the beds. If one person became sick, most other people would catch the illness due to the close proximity of their bodies. Of course, the practice was unsanitary and inhumane but was continued and practiced in about 1,500 other concentration camps (about 20 large camps and the rest were temporary).
The sleeping barrack wasn’t the only terrible part of the prison. The prisoners suffered from malnutrition and all were emaciated because they were not given enough food and many were worked to death. Many people starved to death or could not take the physical labor that was being forced on them by the guards at the camp. In a different section of the camp, there were crematoriums and gas chambers. Both of these were alternative ways to kill someone. The gas chambers at this camp were claimed to never have been used, but the idea was to poison the people inside and to quickly kill up to 30 people at once. The crematoriums were in constant use and were even expanded after a few years. Seeing the chambers, crematoriums and beds humbled everyone on the trip, including myself and made me realize that even if I might not have the best day at home, at least I have enough food, space and freedom to do the things that I believe are right. This made me realize that some people, if given the power, will use that power to potentially hurt others. This vacation shaped who I am as a person but also allowed me to realize that life hasn’t always been as great as it is today, making me even more thankful for everything that surrounds me.
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Good morning,
I wanted to give you some feedback…. We went to your site to determine what documentation was needed for my grandson to travel with me to Canada, and printed out two forms. We had one of the forms notarized as suggested, and set out on our trip the next day. When we arrived at the border, I was told we did not have proper identification! The page we had been working from on your site did not say anything about a birth certificate or photo ID, which they said I should have had. PLEASE amend that page to say something like… “In addition to a birth certificate and photo ID, these other documents are recommended…”
Thank you so much for your responsiveness. You may mention this on other pages on your site, but it really should also be on the documentation page.
Janet Gill
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Does Australia require a PERMISSION TO TRAVEL letter?
Oahu is famous for its surfing beach at Waikiki, and that’s where many tourists take their first lesson. There’s calmer water as well as huge waves (if you know how to catch them) and there are many, more popular schools right there on the sand.
You don’t have to stay at a fancy hotel ot take lessons even though some schools are affilated with them; any surf guide will take you to other parts of the island and practice safe surfing with you.
My apologies, Michelangelo's David is not in the Uffizi, but in the Gallery of the Accademia. We did not travel to the Uffizi; the Gallery is the museum which houses David, and all of Michelangelo's bound slave statues.
Happy Travels!
Like you’re going to see any tourists riding the Banzai
What about tourist friendly surf spots?
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Usually it's better to confront your fears. If you choose to do so, as a parent you can start prepping your child with a couple of weeks before the flight. Try taking him to an adventure park where there are similar crafts to airplanes. And step by step you will get him used to flying. Otherwise, if you start drugging him since a child, as you said no good doctor can recommend it. I'm not sure if you would like to take him to rehab because he'll be getting to used to taking too many drugs all the time.
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your link for disney land does not lead you to disneyland, it goes to Catalina Island info
Thanks for the heads-up, we fixed the link and hope you were able to find what you needed about Disneyland.
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Don't forget Bob Megraw's Blueberry Patch in Kent! They always have the sweetest selection! Check out this other list I found for u-pick spots around Seattle:
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Scottsdale, Arizona is known as ‘The West’s Most Western Town’. With average of 300 sunshine days Scottsdale is fast becoming a popular tourist destination. There is plenty to do in this beautiful resort town.
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Hosting an exchange student is a life changing experience for both students and host families! There is so much we have to learn from each other. Getting to know more about a new culture is exciting at ANY age.
As the Director of International Programs in a private school, I have worked with recruiting & placing foreign exchange students in host families. The bonds between host and student become cemented over time and even after the official host experience ends, families continue to be involved. If you are considering becoming a host, I recommend talking with an experienced host family to get the good, the bad and the ugly. Somehow, the good always dominates the experience.
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Great article!!! Makes me want to travel to Gatlinburg!!! Thanks for sharing your vacation with us!
That was great!
Awesome job! Sounds like a fun trip!
I like how you described sights you saw. and how much fun you had. I enjoyed reading
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