Envision this. Two beds barely fitting into one prison-like room. Bare walls, except for a few small postcards. One window covered with a black shade obscuring all light. This is how Anne Frank lived for almost three years during the Holocaust.
Anne Frank went into hiding at age thirteen for almost three years until the Nazi’s captured her. I was fortunate enough to visit “The Secret Annex” in Amsterdam where she hid, slept, and wrote her famous diary. Often, while touring her hiding place I had to take time to stop, look around, and observe these comfortless conditions that a girl my very same age endured. When food ran scarce, Anne Frank did not know when her next meal would come. Although they received occasional news, she never knew if any of her Jewish friends were alive or dead. I could never live with the thought that some of my really close friends could have been killed because of what they believed in.

The visit to Anne Frank's house completely changed my view on the world. From that one visit, I discovered how much people ? myself included ? take for granted. I realize how lucky I am to live in a space larger than one cramped room, to have a fridge filled with food, to have my friends one text away, and most importantly, to have my freedom.