Leaving on a Jet Plane…in 3 days

Hi there!

My name is Bailey Cole.  I’m from the greater Akron area.  I just finished my sophomore year at Ohio State majoring in History.

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As a History major I love stories, and I love knowing why and how things
happen the way they do.  I love to read, and books can provide you with a great deal of insight, but there is something so special about being able to
physically immerse yourself in history.  The opportunities this program
provides to do just that are incredible.  I am so fortunate and thankful to have the support of my family and the awesome OSU faculty.

I can’t put into words how excited I am to leave for the program.  This will be my second time across the Atlantic, and my first time in a country where the primary language is not English.  I came across the WWII program almost by accident.  My freshman roommate saw a notice about it in the Honors&Scholars newsletter, but she had class during the info session.  She asked me to go for her and take notes.  A year and a half later I’m the one
printing out a boarding pass.  Thanks for that, Cassidy. I owe you one.

I was first introduced to WWII in my 8th grade English class.  My teacher, Mrs. Painter, assigned Night by Elie Wiesel.  We watched a series of documentaries to supplement the reading, and from then on I was hooked. How could something as horrible as the Holocaust happen, and on such a massive scale?  World War II, especially the actions on the German end, became the ultimate “Why/How” for me as I continued my education.  I am most excited about the Polish and German legs of the trip for this reason.  I am really looking forward to being able to just BE in these places, especially Auschwitz-Birkenau, and let the histories speak for themselves.  I will stand where so many lost their lives, and I hope this will be an experience I carry with me for the rest of my life.

I am lucky to have the opportunity to travel outside of the program dates.  On Friday I will leave for Dublin, where I will meet up with 11 other WWII students.  After we end the program in Berlin I will travel to the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, and Ireland.  My family is German and Irish, so I am very excited to have the opportunity to return to the countries my great-great-great grandparents emigrated from.

This trip is going to be a once in a lifetime experience, and I look forward to sharing my experiences with everyone back home!

Until London,

Bailey

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