Aero: Dallas Zebrowski – France 2018 – History and Culture

Posted by LEAF Architect on Friday, September 14, 2018 · Leave a Comment

Aero: Dallas Zebrowski – France 2018 – History and Culture

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Dallas Zebrowski

Without a doubt, this history of France was the most captivating and intoxicating part of the trip. Perhaps it is due to my natural disposition to the subject, but I thought nearly everything about France’s past was equally fascinating and impressive. I believe this is, in part, due to the “I’m where it happened” shock, which makes history real. One moment in particular that hit me extremely hard was when we visited the 1937 World’s Fair site to view the Eiffel Tower. Upon, walking down onto the lower landing of the main square, it suddenly occurred to me that Hitler stood in the same location when the Nazi’s took Paris. It was a strange feeling to describe in an essay, but it was certainly not a positive one. However, that moment made the events of the past real. When I began to ponder more, I also made the, quite obvious, discovery that both Hitler and I are human. Following these two realizations, engulfed in the indescribable feeling, I could only wonder how one person could perpetrate the Holocaust, and the other be a state-school university student. Again, the whole experience was something out of the Twilight Zone—totally indescribable, as any rhetorical or prose expertise I possess is insufficient to portray the event, but that moment came down on me hard. The Second World War, the Holocaust, the rise of Nazism were all real events, that happened in a real place—not just story in a textbook.

But, on a significantly more positive note, I do not care how much anyone in the class complains, I loved the medieval churches. Specifically, I was astounded by the frequency of them. Everywhere, there seemed to be a large, sophisticatedly crafted architectural masterpiece dedicated to Christ. Again, this demonstrated to me, more than any textbook could, how strong Christianity’s stranglehold was over the medieval world. I was perplexed by how intricate each one was, with not two details being exactly alike. The amount of work and dedication put in to each church was a step into a simultaneously foreign and native land. For, as a history student, I could only think about how this devout religious fever is such a foreign and distant concept to us. But simultaneously, I was reminded about how humans are always humans, and remembered that many of these churches were political bargaining chips.

However, despite the virtual cornucopia of imaginative scenes, perplexing emotions, and sublime feelings I was experiencing due to France’s history, I was awestruck by Omaha Beach. The surf crashing in only heightened the senses to the notion that once, seventy years ago, Americans, British, and Canadians jumped out of boats into that same water, ran across that same sand, and secured liberty from the jaws of fascism. More impressive were the ruined German bunkers scattered throughout the landscape. Again, that historical weight came down hard, thinking that in the same concrete box I was standing in, literal Nazis were preparing to defend their conquests.

I suppose, regarding the history of France, the main take-away that will stay with me was that continual sense of reality previously described. I make mention of the moments regarding the Nazis twice because, frankly speaking, it is not terribly difficult to lose touch with the reality of their existence. For most people, they are the bad guys in movies, TV, and books. But they were very real, and that indescribable feeling I mentioned previously stands as a reminder of their reality, and with any hope, more people will feel that same feeling so we stay in touch with our history, and ensure we never repeat it.

Dallas Zebrowski
Study Abroad – France 2018 @ FLCC

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