Today on the "Oprah Winfrey Show", Oprah walked with Elie Wiesel, the author of Night, through the remnants of the major concentration camp in Poland. Watching this program conjured up all of the feelings that I experienced when I visited it last summer with my fellow WorldTeach volunteers.

Even though it is almost one year that I have visited the camp, the experience profoundly moved me, and I am still affected by it today. I am in awe of Professor Wiesel, as he, a Auschwitz survivor, was able to walk through the area where his family, and so many others, died.

The program was educational, it was good that others got a chance to see what it was like. But, it does not capture what it is like to walk around this camp, knowing that people died horrifically. First of all, the camp is large and vast (about the size of Manhattan). It is also eerily quiet, a place to honor and respect those who have died. However, I felt the souls of those who perished, almost like they were still crying.

I cried throughout my visit. I knew it was going to happen, but I am not ashamed of it. So what, if people looked at me strangely. No one mourned these individuals when they died, why can't I cry in order to honor their death?

I cried when I saw the names of individuals on their suitcases (thinking that they were being relocated to another place), seeing the pictures, seeing their shoes, their hair, and their baby clothes.

Whom have we lost by their senseless deaths? Poets, doctors, artists, lovers, mothers and fathers....Who was inhumane enough to kill these individuals? Worst of all, could I ever commit these crimes of inhumanity? Does everyone have a touch of evil within ourselves?

People should visit Auschwitz in order to remember. However, I am concerned that this is turning into a tourist site, instead of a place of reflection. It becomes another checkpoint on someone's itinerary, a "Disneyland of death"--once you see it, you can return back to your superficial lives.

After we visited Auschwitz, someone pulled me aside and said that since "he grew up reading the history, visiting the place does not affect me", as if I should be ashamed that I cried.

I DO NOT CARE WHAT HE SAYS. I am still affected by the images from the holocaust. To me, that's where the danger lies. Indifference only allows injustice to persist. People must have known what was going on, but they did not do anything about it. Where they afraid, indifferent? Unfortunately, events like the holocaust are still occurring in our world (ex. Sudan) and if we visit torture centers, read histories, and still do not feel anything, then genocide will still exist in our world.

This just makes me more committed to fight against social injustice throughout the world.

To paraphrase the ending of the show:

To those who died, we remember.
To those who survived, we hear your voice.
To the future generations, we will never forget.

Two days ago, I just finished reading a book entitled "Taking back the streets: Women, youth, and direct democracy" by Temma Kaplan. It's a truly fantastic book! There is so much that I don't know about Latin/Central America (ex. Chile and Argentia, as well as Spain) and its history. Reading the accounts of women who suffered so much under their military juntas was disturbing, profound, and inspiring...Women who have endured pain (i.e. torture, family members killed and "dissappeared"), yet found a way to organize with other women and youths to fight for democracy and social justice.

I truly believe that women can change the world and they can make this world more peaceful and a better place to live!

I definitely recommend this book to everyone! Be inspired by these women!

Yesterday was voting day in OHIO and also a debut on the beautiful, brand spanking new voting machines!

Unfortunately, in many parts of the state, they didn't work.

I was surprised that they even had these machines where I voted. I only assumed that they were setting them up only in Cleveland. However, even though it was the primary voting season, I did my civic duty and went to vote. Of course (which may reflect the voter apathy of many people) I was the youngest person in the room (and probably the youngest person out there voting yesterday). So, showing me how the machines worked was a breeze to the voting official. He remarked on how quickly i voted, making a general statement on how "people under the age of 60 are computer literate".

However, I am concerned about the quality of these machines. If anyone has problems voting, then the voting official would have to come over and help, noticing what/whom the person is voting for/against. These new machines are creating a lack of privacy.

Plus, while voting on a digital machine is more efficient than poking a pencil through a hole, could it be used to disenfranchise more people from voting? What if you are not computer literate? How would you vote? Those considerations must be kept in mind for voter reform.

It's already bad enough that voting officials have a hard time finding my name on the voter registration list--why should voting, which is a civic duty, be made into an excrutiatingly difficult process?

Even though there are things that I don't like about Cleveland (the midwest/conservative mentality, the abandoned look and feel of its downtown), it's nice to see that it honors some people who do good things.

Last night I attended a "Cleveland Reads" volunteer reception downtown. I've been tutoring and volunteering with the local ESL organization in Cleveland Heights for a few months and my supervisor invited me to this event, which honors all of the volunteers in all of the literacy organizations that are sponsored by "Cleveland Reads".

It was a great event--small, cozy, and quaint. At first, I couldn't find the place where it was held, but luckily, I followed two women who looked like they knew where they were going. I got a chance to meet the main supervisor of the ESL organization and we had a nice chat. It was a good thing that I ate something before I attended the event because the "hearty hors d'oeuvres" were not in ample supply. I ate a small piece of chicken, tater tots, and 2 chocolate covered strawberries (I couldn't resist! :) )

There were speakers and they all gave nice speeches about literacy and how it positively impacted their lives. However, the most moving speech came from an older man who was trying to get his GED. He dropped out of high school at the age of 16 because his girlfriend was pregnant, and at the same time, he got addicted to drugs and alcohol. He has been clean and sober for some time, but I was very moved by the way he was describing his suffering and his difficulties in getting a GED. I was almost in tears when he described his ambition of eventually pursuing a bachelor's degree in computers and art after getting his GED. He wants to become an inspiration for his children, so they wouldn't have to look at other people on TV, media, for inspiration...

It makes me feel blessed that I was fortunate to have a mother who really pushed me through education. She was the one who introduced me to books, art, music. So many people are not fortunate to have that opportunity or have someone show them a different way of life. I hope that when I become a teacher, I could inspire my students to look at the world differently and to love learning new languages and cultures. Sometimes I need to be reminded by others how fortunate I am and that I shouldn't complain too much when I encounter challenges and difficulties...

One of the volunteers from the ESL organization won "Volunteer of the Year"--it was really great! He is 83 years old and he really loves to volunteer. For all of the volunteers, we received a book about ending illiteracy, as well as a voucher for Barnes and Nobles bookstores! How awesome!

I found out about another opportunity for me to volunteer teaching ESL this summer, so I will check that out. Plus, my supervisor commented to me that I appear to be at ease when i am interacting with the students, which really made me feel great! Put me in a better mood than I was the night before. :)

Yesterday, I finally finished Thomas Friedman's book "The World is Flat". What an amazing book!

In the book, he described all of the changes going on today--how India and China are rising and that everyone should be prepared for all of the new changes. He talked about the ten forces that are flattening the world (including outsourcing, offshoring, supply-chaining) and the triple convergence (instead of a vertical hierarchical system, the world is increasingly corresponding horizontally or from a bottom-up approach). More and more collaboration will (and is) occurring with different countries, providing new relationships that were considered impossible before.

Friedman also described globalization and outsourcing in a way that I never thought of before. He described both terms as positive: if America doesn't outsource its inefficient jobs/deeds to India, China, or wherever, then it will not leave enough room for Americans to dream and imagine new creations which would inspire new jobs.

However, the trick in the future is how to prepare for this "flat" world. Americans have to catch up with their science and mathematical skills--we are falling further behind than other countries in producing students/workers with sufficient technological and mathematical skills. We have to learn how to be, as Friedman suggested, specialized, flexible, and employable for life.

We also have to learn how to bring in individuals and groups who feel oppressed in this increasingly "flat" world. How do we bring in individuals whose society is resistant to change? How do we make them great contributors to the world as well? As Friedman also pointed out, how do we take people who have been "humiliated" by their governments/other governments and make them feel valued in society?

At times like this, it makes me wish that I was born with great science, mathematics, and/or technology skills. It would make my life a lot more easier because those skills are needed and more valued in our society. I just wish I had better training when I was growing up...we don't need another liberal arts graduate in the world (he he!)

Anyway, go out and read this book!