Human, hopeful, happy.

By Amy Yurwit

On our seventh visit to camp AE, the weather finally allowed a full tour. Our previous experiences had revolved mostly around familiarizing ourselves with the bureaucratic barriers imposed on both displaced people and Carita’s social workers. We were emotionally wrecked by the stories of suffering alone, which we gathered from the comfort of the tidy offices in the main buildings, but the impact of finally seeing these people’s living conditions was...terrifying. The camp is gigantic and the decaying stone buildings left from the war are nothing but oppressive. Inside it absolutely reeks of piss and shit— until you get to the daycare. The two rooms for children are bright and clean, stuffed with toys, and smell like crayons. The kids, with thousands of rainbow beads braided into their hair, laugh so easily. We wanted to stay and play in a place of peace but were forced back outside into the heavy heat. I found a scrap of paper folded up and stamped to the concrete, notes from German lesson on one side and cute little doodles on the other. Human, hopeful, happy.