The pictures you will see on this site were taken on my trip around Eastern Europe. Countries visited include Lithuania, Poland, and Germany.  In civilized areas, my focus when taking photos was on flags, holding hands, people, as well as art and objects I saw on the street. I wanted to capture the "normal" things such as trash, birds, and graffiti. Some of the images you will see were taken at memorials and museums such as Auschwitz, the KGB prison, Bergen- Belsen, and various historic Jewish Ghettos. My focus when taking pictures of such sites was on the roses and buildings. The rose seemed to be a common symbol in Europe in both tragic areas and in every day lives. In some pictures one will notice the use of sky. I did this as a representation of the hope that loomed over these places and people. When editing my photos, I decided to give most of them a darker back tone to bring out the color. This represents how many of these areas and people are finding beauty in the darkness despite their destruction. Studying on this trip, I was very worried about being able to find something to relate to when it came to ordeals of trauma as I have never experienced a monumental loss in my own life. Using my camera, it has made me realize that we are more alike than different. When things go bad, we cling to each other and we remember those we lost. The pictures I have selected to publish here represent the people, landscape, pride, and emotions I felt while visiting these places.  The variety of pictures displayed show that there is hope, beauty and normality in these areas that have suffered immense cultural trauma. The photos are in no particular order.