The SDSU Kafka Project is comprised of people from all over the world. Participants of the Kafka Project's Magical Mystery Literary History Tour come from England, Denmark, and across the United States, from Florida and Virginia to California. Our youngest member is Taylor Peterson (right), a ninth grader at La Costa Canyon High School in Carlsbad, CA. Born in San Diego in 1994, this is her first trip to Europe. She wanted to come on this trip to learn about other cultures and countries. Taylor is on the Rancho San Dieguito Swim Team , her favorite subject is math, and she likes to write poetry. She is traveling with her grandmother, Sue Moreno (left), and her parents Tina (center) and Ron Peterson.
On our second day in Poland, Taylor and other twelve members of the tour visited the former concentration camp at Auschwitz , only one hour from Krakow . Here is her blog report, which she wanted to write for you:
From Taylor : Yesterday we went to Auschwitz, an experience no textbook can teach you in school. This experience was unforgettable, and very moving. Looking at the row of brick buildings knowing each one held 1,000 or more people was crazy. Seeing the gas chambers where thousands of Jews were killed was horrifying. When walking through one of the buildings they showed shoes, glasses, pots, pans, suitcases, even hair and artificial limbs of the victims of Auschwitz. You could see that there was no mercy on the victims at this camp when seeing baby's clothes that were found at the camp after the liberation--the clothes the children wore before they went into the gas chamber.
Glorie from Charlotte,NC
June 23, 2008 at 11:07 AM
Your entry is very touching and beautifully written. You did give me a vivid feeling of being there,. It is a very important thing you did. I 'm sure the rest of the trip will be more upbeat. My best to all.Glorie
Bill Diamant from Anna Maria, Florida
June 23, 2008 at 01:02 PM
Well done, Taylor. Well done. Your report proves once again that young people are vital to the Kafka Project. You provide fresh eyes to help the older people have greater incite.That was evident from the beginning of the project. Annamaria was on the first trip ten years ago. Etty's son, Avi,was at the stone setting in London. And now you.
Kathi Diamant
from Berlin, Germany
June 24, 2008 at 11:26 AM
An additional note to Taylor's post: The evening the tour group got back from visiting Auschwitz, we had a private visit to the Galicia Jewish Museum in Kazimierz, where I gave a talk and slide show about Dora and Kafka and the Kafka Project. Miriam Shekter, Dora's second cousin from Copenhagen, Denmark spoke about her family's experiences in the Holocaust, and shared how much being connected with long-lost Diamant family members means to her. She described how she and her cousins and aunt, living within two kilometers of each other in Tel Aviv, knew nothing of each other's existence. Many of us dined that night at the Klezmer House Restaurant in the old Jewish Quarter, where we listened to a Klezmer concert and enjoyed Kugel, Kreplach, Gefilte fish and other delicious Jewish delicacies. We toasted each other: L'Chaim!
Kim Nyhous from San Diego, CA
June 24, 2008 at 01:46 PM
I am love love loving your blog posts about the tour. GREAT idea to have other voices write in the blog too: takes the burden of daily posts off of you, frau tour director, and allows to hear and experience what other folks are feeling. The blog looks great as well...Why oh why didn't i book passage on the tour???
Arif Abdulla
June 24, 2008 at 10:47 PM
Wonderfully written Taylor. Your impressioned soul at such a young age gves us hope for the futire of humankind.
Congratulations also to you, Kathi, for keeping everyone fulfilled during this whirlwind trip. The food looked delish! As you stay behind to continue the research, I'll be thinking of you and Byron. Travel well sweet (and climb happy) sister in law!
I'll get the scoop and pictures from Trudi back in FLA this week.
Stephanie Krause from Austin, TX
June 25, 2008 at 01:08 AM
WOW! What a great descriptive post. I enjoyed reading it and now I want to visit Germany to experience some of what you learned. I can't imagine what those people went through. With all of the leanring you are doing I hope you and your family are saving some time to have fun!
Lori D. from Bradenton, FL
June 25, 2008 at 01:31 AM
Taylor, what a treat for everyone to hear your view of the experience! It's one that you will never forget. I was about a year or two younger than you when I visited Dachau. Even worse than seeing the living quarters, or the torture they must have experienced, was seeing ashes still in the incinerators. It's a chilling sight and smell that will never leave me. I know it's a difficult experience, but an important one, as you seem very well aware of. It's wonderful that you got to be apart of this and it was great to hear your view!
