AMSTERDAM ∗ AACHEN ∗ BRUSSELS

For Spring break part II, I traveled with my friend Steve to Amsterdam, Aachen, and Brussels. It was a fantastic trip! Here I will outline some of the highlights:



Amsterdam and its canals are beautiful! Many of the houses built on the canals are crooked and look as though they are going to fall over, but many have been reinforced and this crookedness gives the city character! I loved seeing thousands of people biking around the city and the special biking lanes for them. Although it was quite cold, Steve and I managed to walk all around the city and visit five museums in about three days! The highlight for me was the Van Gogh Museum, which is temporarily being housed in the Hermitage Amsterdam. Seeing some of Van Gogh’s famous works that I had seen in pictures or read about in books was pretty special. We also saw the very well done and moving Anne Frank House, Jewish Historical Museum, the Stedlijik Museum of modern art, and the Heineken Museum/Experience. At the Jewish Historical Museum, I went to the resource center and was able to obtain copies of the Pinto family tree drawn by A. Santcroos in 1758. This tree is connected to my grandmother Doris Stiefel’s family. Of course, you cannot go to Amsterdam without a very, very, very quick jaunt through the Red Light District. We agreed that if this district did not have peep shows, the neon red lights reflecting in the canals would be more enjoyable. Overall, its diverse cuisines and plentiful culture puts Amsterdam high on my list of cities in which to return.

A canal in Amsterdam.


From Amsterdam we went to Brussels and Aachen. Aachen is the birthplace of my grandmother Doris Stiefel. Here we walked around and hunted for the home that my grandmother grew-up in, the cemetery in which my great-great-grandparents rest, and a few more of our family’s historical sights. While, I am a little unsure if I actually saw the house my grandmother lived in, I know I was in the right city and that I walked the streets that she did. Aachen is most famous for the Aachener Dom, which is the oldest cathedral in Northern Europe, Germany’s first UNESCO World Heritage sight, and where Charlemagne was crowned and buried. This cathedral is actually where more than 30 kings were crowned and it is quite ornate! Near the Aachener Dom is the treasury where, Steve and I saw Charlemagne’s bust and many jewels and cardinal robes. We also walked by the Rathhaus (city hall) and the Marketplatz (market square) before eating a nice Thai lunch. I couldn’t leave Aachen with getting a pastry filled with marzipan, which is a dessert that my grandmother has taught me to love.

In front of the Ratthaus and a statue of Charlomagne.


Charlomagne's bust.

In Brussels, Steve and I enjoyed eating famous Belgium waffles and fries (separately), as well as the original sight of one my favorite restaurants, Le Pain Quotidien (the daily bread). In addition to eating lots of other delicious meals, we went to the Margitte Museum and walked around the Royal Palace. I also visited the EU Parliament museum, which was a bit of a sensory overload because it had so many pictures and facts, and different interactive-media displays. And I visited the famous Manneken Pis (little man pee) that was dressed up for St. Patrick’s Day! There are many rumors why there is a statue of a little boy peeing in Brussels, ranging from a little boy putting out a fire to save the city, a baby-lord peeing on troops before a battle, to a memorial to a lost boy. The small statue has 800 outfits, so he is well prepared for any holiday or activity.

Yummmm...

In front of La Grand-Place in Brussels.

Brussels by night.

Manneken Pis.

Although this trip was only seven days, it was amazing! I had a lot of fun exploring these three cities and their literal and metaphorical treasures.

A Very Czech Passover and Easter

In hopes of celebrating Passover in the Czech Republic, I emailed members of both the Jewish community in Prague and Plzen. I did not expect much of a response from the Plzen community because the Synagogue here operates as a museum. However, I received an email inviting me to RSVP for a Passover Seder in a hotel in the center of Plzen. RSVPing over-the-phone and in Czech was quite an experience, and after much confusion I handed my phone to another English teacher at school to help. On Tuesday, March 26th at 2:30PM, I left school and took the tram to the hotel. Inside the hotel’s restaurant there was a long table decorated for the Seder. I took a seat near the end of the table, but as more and more people began to enter the restaurant the table was extended again and again by the waiters, and my seat became close to the middle.

I asked the woman sitting across from me if she spoke English and I lucked out! Not only did she speak English, she was a professor of religious and Jewish studies at West Bohemia University and gave me a book that she wrote. Also, her daughter, who arrived a few minutes later, had just returned from a trip around the world and also spoke English. I enjoyed talking with this mother and daughter, as well as the visiting American Rabbi and a Czech-Israeli woman.

While the style of the Seder was not one that I am used to, I enjoyed seeing the Plzen community connect! Prior to this event, I did not know that a community still existed in Plzen. As it turns out, they meet for all major holidays. This Seder had about 50-people in attendance. All of whom were talking and laughing and enjoying each other’s company. The Prague Jewish community views Plzen’s as a liberal and maybe an irreligious community, but the truth is that it is a community of friends and families that keep their traditions alive through their bonds.

Since the Seder, I have traveled to-and-from Prague for multiple meetings. In Prague and Plzen, once again large markets fill the main squares. Instead of selling Christmas ornaments and decorated with Christmas lights, these markets sell Easter egg ornaments, baskets, and willow sticks. Wine, beer, sausages, nuts, and sweets also fill the stalls. Due to Easter, there was no school on Thursday, Friday, or Monday! However, I was asked to teach my students about Easter traditions in America, which meant that I had to ask my friends about their traditions and do online-research. During my Easter lessons, I asked the students to compare US and Czech traditions. What I have learned and today, I witnessed, is that men of all ages buy or make willow whips or pomlázka to lightly (it is supposed to be lightly) hit women. Hitting the women makes them fertile, healthy, and beautiful for the entire year. This is a public beating that is not reprimanded. After being whipped, women give men Easter eggs, and every leap year women whip men or splash men with water. Additionally, children go on egg hunts and decorate eggs, and families enjoy meals together.

Today in the Czech Republic, many people woke up to a white Easter. Although birds have begun to chirp, it is still snowing here. After my morning walk, I entered my apartment building and heard what sounded like Christmas carols. As I walked up the stairs the music grew louder and louder. It was coming from a group of ten-or-so young men. As I passed them on the stairs they each politely said dobry den (good day) and a few of them genteelly whipped my butt.

Here is to a healthy and good-looking year!

Happy Spring!

Miriam and Mom Take On Poland Part II: Zamosc and Warsaw

During the second half of “Miriam and Mom take on Poland,” we traveled to the small town where my great grandmother grew up, Zamosc, and Poland’s capital, Warsaw. These two places contrasted greatly in terms of size, liveliness, architecture, etc.

However, they both had one thing in common – archives! We spent roughly two hours each in both Zamosc and Warsaw researching my mom’s family. We found many interesting facts about relatives we didn’t know existed and we were able to trace one line back to the late 18th century. Of course, most of this research we are waiting to confirm with archivists and relatives. Regardless, it was amazing to see enormous books filled with birth, marriage, death, housing, and travel records. In Zamosc, some records were in Polish and some were in Russian because this region’s boarders have changed over time. To help us understand what we were looking at, we hired a wonderful Polish translator. With all research, the discovery of new information leads to answers, as well as to more questions. Therefore, there is more research to be done to uncover the mysteries of our pre and post war Polish ancestry.

Additionally, in Zamosc, we were able to visit the school my great grandmother attended, which is still in use as a school. We also found the previous homes of some of our relatives. We spent time walking around the main square, and eating great Italian and Polish foods.

We were very fortunate to have help from an older lady at the Zamosc train station who spoke no English, and a friendly train attendant in Lublin who helped guide us to the right trains and seats from Zamosc to Warsaw (because we had not made train reservations prior to getting on the train). During the train ride, we enjoyed watching the movie "Inception." When we arrived we promptly found our hotel just steps from the train station in the center of Warsaw’s bustling downtown. After settling in, we went to the Warsaw Uprising Museum that told the story of Poland’s resistance during WWII. My mom and I were both impressed with a 3D video of Warsaw after the war because it revealed how the war's destruction was so far-reaching and devastating to the city’s infrastructure. It is obvious that Warsaw is still recovering, as there are many building projects and some buildings that are still filled with bullet holes. The subsequent day, we spent exploring different monuments commemorating the Warsaw ghetto, uprising, etc. Not open to the public, yet impressive in size and scope was the building for the new Museum of the Polish Jews (scheduled for Summer 2013). We also went to a restaurant that specializes in perogies, Warsaw’s old city, and the Chopin museum (which had an impressive collection of Chopin memorabilia and was very interactive), as well as strolled by the Copernicus Science Center along the Vistula River. Our final meal was spent in Tel Aviv, an Israeli restaurant.

All in all, this was a pretty amazing trip. We began unraveling many mysteries, learned about Polish and Jewish history, and ate great perogies! Of course, a trip with your mom during Purim would not be a trip without homemade hamentashen and her helping you polish your boots! Thanks for everything, Mom!


Doing Research:


Mom in the main square in Zamosc. Behind her is Ormianska Street, where we believe our relatives lived:


The Nozyk Synagogue, which survived WWII and is situated in downtown Warsaw (notice the skyscrapper in the background):


Warsaw's old city:


Memorial to the Warsaw Ghetto:


View of the Palace of Culture and Science from our hotel room:

Miriam and Mom Take On Poland

We entered Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau of our own will, wearing two layers of pants and socks, and multiple sweaters and jackets, which we were not asked to remove. We were not separated by age, gender or physical strength. Only by our ability to speak English were we counted off into groups of 24 and lead down the path and through the gates that in English read, “Work Makes You Free.” My mom and I traveled to Poland to experience the horrors that our actual and spiritual relatives faced during the Holocaust. This trip is more than about feeling the sadness and oppression they felt. It is to show the perpetrators of these atrocities that we are alive and have not forgotten what they did, and in part to study our family history and to do so together.

During our seven-day journey, which I have named, “Miriam and Mom Take On Poland,” we will travel in Krakow, Zamosc, and Warsaw. What we have realized so far is that Krakow is a very hip and international city. There are many vegan and vegetarian restaurants, as well as cafes that provide cuisines from around the world. Additionally, like most of Poland, Krakow has a thriving Jewish community. In fact, Poland has one of the fastest growing Jewish populations in the world. In Zamosc, we will visit and research Pearl “Morris” Zimmerman’s life. Pearl is my great grandmother of whom I have many memories. While she was a proud American, she emigrated from Poland to the US circa 1920. In Warsaw, we will visit the sight of the Ghetto Uprising and board our planes back to our respective homes.

Today, we walked through the barracks in which countless men and women lived and died, but we experienced the facilities as an outdoor classroom where more than 1.5 million people perished. In Auschwitz I, the barracks now contain collections of human hair, suitcases, eyeglasses, and other personal belongings. To us, the most moving display was of 110,000 shoes. Each shoe represents a different owner and life. To compliment these shoes there were thousands of shoe polish brushes and containers. Each person sent to Auschwitz was allotted 25 kilograms of baggage, and because they were sent on cattle cars with the idea that they were going to a new and better life, they packed shoe polish so that they could look presentable for job interviews and for meeting their new neighbors. Yet, after arriving at the camp, they never again saw their belongings nor the sunrise and set. We were told that from the time a new train arrived with Jews from across Europe it took two hours for them to be processed and exterminated by Zyklon B gas. It is mind boggling to think that we spent four hours at Auschwitz, which is enough time for two trains, full of people like me, to be killed.

We left breathing and with our hearts beating, and with an immense gratitude for our guide who was so thoughtful and empathetic. She probably gives this tour everyday, but she still showed so much passion, and was so genuine and moved by the sights.

Now my mom and I can return home to tell the story of those left behind and what we saw. I do not write this blog post with the intention of making the reader sad. Instead, I hope you understand how moving this trip was. I learned many new facts about the Holocaust, which I had not been taught in Hebrew school. For example, seven Polish villages and 300 homes were destroyed to make Birkenau. Unfortunately, discrimination, war, and genocide still exists in our world today. I wish for a more peaceful world where people are no longer judged based on their religious, ethnic, gender, sexual, nor racial identity.


Entrance to Auschwitz I - "Work Makes You Free"


There is no escape...


While it is the Jewish tradition to leave stones and candles, it is the Polish tradition to leave roses at grave sites. There were roses throughout both camps.


At the entrance to Auschwitz II-Birkenau.


Mom leaving a stone from Israel on the remaining cattle car in Auschwitz II-Birkenau.


Never forget.

Slovakia Mid-Year Conference

At the end of January I took a little journey with the entire Czech Fulbright Commission and Fellows to Piestany, Slovakia. Piestany is a small spa town in western Slovakia. We took this trip in order to conduct a shared mid-year conference with the Slovakian Fulbright Commission. Here we shared stories, swam in the spa-pool, and enjoyed the Slovakian pub scene. While making new friends, we shared presentations about our experiences. The research Fulbrighters shared what they have found or are studying, and the teachers talked about their experiences, favorite foods, afterschool activities, etc. Prior to the Conference, I was concerned that listening to all these presentations would be repetitive and boring. However, our shared teaching experiences turned out to be very diverse. The Fulbrighters brought fun stories and photos that kept me captivated. You can find photos of me at the Conference on the Fulbright Commission’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/czechfulbright

Are you my friend?

The most common questions I get asked by other teachers and students are, “do you have any friends?” and “do you have any Czech friends?” This past weekend I had a conversation about these questions with two of my Fulbright friends, Megan and Trisha, who also get asked these questions. Trisha noted that sometimes people we think are our Czech friends ask us these questions, which can sometimes be confusing for us.

Last Thursday, my student asked me in front of the class how many friends I have. Of course my response was a little sarcastic, “um… I can’t count them! How many friends do you have!?” The teacher that supervised my lesson explained that the student meant, “how many Czech friends do you have?” As I fumbled and tried to respond, I explained that it is hard to make Czech friends when I don’t speak fluent Czech, but I have friends. Then I said to the class, “and you can all be my friends too!” These questions jolted my self-esteem. Luckily, my last lesson on Thursday was about proms and graduations in the US and when I told the class I gave a speech at my high school graduation because I was class president, they were impressed and my confidence rose back up.

The truth is that I consider most of my acquaintances here to be my friends. I do not know if the feeling I get from these questions is a result of a cultural difference, a difference in how we ask questions about friendships, or a difference in what we consider friendship. Regardless, I can now say that I have American and Czech friends in Plzen and the events of the past week(end) have helped me solidify this.

While I know I have friends, I feel the urge to justify myself with an explanation of my jam-packed weekend: First, last Thursday night, I went to a meeting of the Foreigners of Plzen where I met other teachers and students from the Czech Republic and around the world. Then on Friday night I went to a hockey game with my new friend from Memphis and a group of Czech master's students. After the game, my friend from Memphis introduced me to one of the hockey players (who is from British Columbia) and then we ate onion rings at a bar with a few Russian men we met at the Foreigners meeting. On Saturday, I had a lovely girls day on the town with Megan and Trisha in Prague. And finally, yesterday, after playing two and a half hours of sports, my outdoor club was going to go to a bar and I was tired and going home. Some of the group members said, “can you come for just one beer?” While the fact that I travel so often creates a barrier to solidifying friendships, I feel like all this social activity gives me the power to say I have friends! And the true measure of all of this is the fact that I am not lonely.

Well, here is to another social weakened!

Wednesday: I am going to a birthday party for two of my students.
Thursday: Skype sessions with friends, teachers, and family at home.
Friday: I am attending a ball in a small village outside of Plzen.
Saturday: I am off to Prague for the day and then another ball in my friend Asha’s town.

Maturitni Ples

During the final year of high school, students in the Czech Republic participate in a Maturitni Ples or graduation ball. This is an event equivalent to a combination of an American graduation and prom. I have been very fortunate to have been invited to a few of these balls - two of which I attended last weekend. Throughout a student's tenure in my high school they will stay with the same class, filled with the same students for every subject and every period of their four years. This means two things: 1. the students know each other very well by the end of high school and 2. that each and every class gets their own graduation ball.

How does a graduation ball work? Well after you enter the venue and check your coat you are suppose to find your seat or shmuz. The first ball I attended with a teacher from my school, and after we arrived we put our belongings at our table and then went to purchase drinks. However, at the second ball, which I attended with my Fulbright friend Asha, we were met with a red rose and escorted by arm to our table by two students whose ball it was. This ball was at a very elegant venue with a frescoed ceiling. Both balls were for two of my classes that only have male students. However, the first ball was shared with an all-girls class from a different school.

After sitting at our table, a band began to play and people began dancing. Around 9PM the students were introduced and performed dances. I was amazed by the students at the second ball and their choreographed dance. The evening’s theme was mafia and the students began their dance by pulling play-machine guns out and murdering half the class. Asha and I both gasped and decided that this would not have been allowed at any school event in the US. That being said, this was not a typical school-sponsored event because the students had to raise money and plan everything on their own. Yet, they are socially required to invite teachers and the principal. Anyway, after the shooting entrance, the students told a story through their dance of how the mafia was sent to prison, had a jail break, relaxed and danced with girls, had another mafia shootout, had a funeral, and then lived almost happily ever after. The choreography was so well done! None of the students missed a step and they were doing flips and very difficult moves. One teacher at my table, who I also share my office with, said that out of her 15 years of teaching this was the best dance she has ever seen!

After a short intermission a red carpet was rolled out and the students stood on the left of the carpet with their dates standing on the right side (this happened at both balls). An MC introduced each student who would meet his date and walk down the red carpet. During this time people in the audience, including balconies, threw real coins at the student. At the end of the carpet the student shook hands with their class-teacher (like and advisor that they have for all four years) and the principal. Then they were given a sash that said, “graduate 2013.” At the first ball the students were also given a glass of champagne, but at the second ball they were given a personalized and full beer mug. Once everyone walked the red carpet the students cleaned up all the coins, which they were supposed to divide evenly amongst each other or use to pay for the event.

The evening continued with a student-parent dance, student-teacher dance, and then everyone dancing, and an auction and sporadic performances by professional dancers. As a person who never had a cotillion, I have never had a reason or opportunity to learn how to waltz, foxtrot, mamba, etc. Before the first ball I did not have time to youtube a dance tutorial, so when my student asked me to dance with him it was my first experience waltzing. Of course, we had to waltz by his family’s table so they could take photos of us! Later that evening I had to do a quick step dance with another student who actually takes regular ballroom dancing lessons. When I returned to the teachers table and the teachers asked me if I had ever waltzed like that before, and I said no, they all cheered me and took sips of their wine. The second ball was more formal and a student asked me to dance and offered me his arm. Then all the teachers and students, arm-in-arm, circled the dance floor twice before beginning to waltz. Luckily, this student did not know how to dance either and we just kind of rocked back and forth talking. My students are true gentleman though because after each dance they took me in arm back to my seat.

At midnight on both evenings there was a "surprise," consisting of students dressing in drag or colorful outfits and doing another choreographed dance. Some students came to the stage in female lingerie, swimsuits, or just their underwear. Keep in mind, that a student’s entire family, friends, and teachers are at these graduations balls.

Despite some nervousness at the beginning of the evening, all my students were excited that this day had come. And they continued to celebrate by renting out a bar in the center of Plzen and staying out until early in the morning. One teacher who had to work the day after the ball told me that she stayed with the students until 5AM, while another teacher, who did not come to work the next day, stayed with the students until 8:30AM. Most of my students went home around 9AM, but one stayed out until 3PM the next day. I went to sleep around 2:30AM and was exhausted.

It was amazing to see and participate in this tradition! And I will be going to at least one more ball in January!

P.S. there is a raffle at the beginning of the evening and I won a to-go mug!