Plaszow Concentration Camp

On our first day in Krakow, Katie and I decided to take a tour of the Jewish history in Krakow, including various sites from the inspiring film Schindler's List. We visited Plaszow Concentration Camp, a site where more than 150,000 prisoners were held from 1942 - 1945. Prisoners were evacuated by Death Marches in 1945 because of the Soviets' approach and the camp was destroyed so there would be no evidence of the crimes there. In its current state, Plaszow Concentration Camp grounds are a place for reflection. It is an empty lot where people can walk around. The sign reads "Dear Visitors! You are entering the site of the former concentration camp 'Plaszow'. Please respect the grievous history of the site."


The Plaszow Concentration Camp is perhaps most famous for the crimes of SS commander Amon Goeth. You may remember Goeth from Schindler's List - he was known for shooting people from his home for sport, among other atrocities.
Goeth's home is still standing - it cannot be torn down, but understandably, no one wants to live there or turn this site into a place for people to visit. It just sits, staring out at the concentration camp that he was in charge of for years.

This is the view of Goeth's house from Plaszow. He had to use a high powered rifle to shoot people from such a distance. After being tried and sentenced to death in 1946, Goeth was hung at Plaszow, the site of his many sins.

The Plaszow site is not entirely empty. This memorial stands as a reminder of the horrors that took place there. The people are Jews facing the ground, because of the incredibly demoralizing evils that they experienced. The torn out bit is intentional - it symbolizes their hearts having been ripped out.

There are no words to describe the emotional experience of visiting these sites from such recent history.

Whizzy, Carubbish, and Naked Rugby

** WARNING: Some may find the contents of this post inappropriate or offensive. Some may think it's fabulous. **

I love advertisements in London. Brits use awesome words like "whizzy". I'm not totally sure what it means, but I think I'd like to be whizzy - it sounds wonderful.

This one was supposed to say "Paper, Glass and Cans Aren't Rubbish". I love the word "rubbish", but more than that, I think I love the moving of the ad to produce the word "carubbish". Not to mention the offensive word (to some maybe) that was also created.

This one's my fave. While on the wonderful Big Bus Tour, we passed this ad for Powerade.

Did you know that drinking Powerade is a free license to play rugby naked? Dudes - this is how you get your girlfriend to start watching sports. Find whatever channel this game is on.

Modernizing London

When I think of Trafalgar Square, I think of statues of famous dudes, the National Gallery, pigeons and lions. A side note about pigeons - also called "sky rats". Trafalgar Square used to be home to tons of them. People sold feed to give them and pigeons swarmed the area. After getting sick of pigeons pooping on unsuspecting visitors, feeding the pigeons was finally outlawed. A trained falcon was also brought in, not to hunt the pigeons, but to make its presence known so that they would stay away. They keep the falcon well fed, so that pigeon corpses don't drop in place of their feces. :)

Trafalgar Square is famous for this monument with 4 surrounding lions at its center.The square also has famous dudes on horses in 3 of the 4 corners.

In the fourth corner, there is this masterpiece.

Nothing against modern art, but REALLY?!? It just feels so totally out of place. I would probably love this piece if I was walking through the storage/shelving section of IKEA, but I was not a fan of its presence in Trafalgar Square. I wonder what happened to the fourth dude on a horse? Maybe it's at the Tate Modern...

Plaster

Explore Morocco week was full of all sorts of exciting art. These guys came to do some plasterwork outside of the main office around this fountain. (Fountains are traditionally outside of buildings and supply water to neighborhoods- people come to the fountain to get their water and carry it home. Our school's fountain is merely for decoration.)

To start the plaster work, these guys built up the wall with coats of plaster.

They used measuring tape to pencil in the design for the plaster as they worked.

Then, using a chisel, they engraved their designs into the plaster.

It took them a week, but when all was done, it became a beautiful addition to our school.

Wood Painting

The week of Explore Morocco exposed me and the students to all sorts of traditional crafts from around Morocco. These traditional wood paintings are common in the area of Fez. Artisans paint on cedar wood in intricate detail.

I got a carved piece of wood from the artisans (as did all the kids) and painted it. I was very focused on staying within the lines!

Traditional Metalwork Demo

Another interesting workshop during Explore Morocco was the metalwork demonstration. This guy wore magnifying glasses and pounded intricate designs into metal. I bought a ring and a bracelet to support his traditional craft. The work is quite beautiful!

Carpet Making

As a part of CAS Lower School's Explore Morocco week, two carpet makers came to do a demonstration at our school on Monday. The women were from the Meknes area and were making a traditional Berber carpet that they will finish and give to the school. It was fascinating.

The video doesn't even do justice to how amazing these women were! They came with a bunch of wood pieces that they put together and supported with tent stakes and ropes. Then, they used yarn to finish off the loom. Before beginning, they just talked about what they were going to do as a design and each woman seemed to know her part when they worked. To weave, they tied the yarn and both cut it to the same length with a knife.

The final product will be a shaggy style carpet with a traditional berber symbol woven into the middle. The school will frame it and hang it in the school.

Zellij

Moroccan tilework, known as zellij, is famous because of how meticulously it is handcrafted. More information to come after next week's Explore Morocco at school, where students will be creating zellij in a traditional way.

Here's an example found in the Marrakech Museum.

While in Marrakech, we visited a Medresa, where students were once educated for 2 years at a time about the Quran. These pillars from the Medresa are inscribed with verses from the Quran.

Close up of the beautiful arabic script decorating the pillars.