The Lilacs
Lilacs adorned the backyard of my home in New York. Every year, when they would blossom, my father would cut off the branches, and place them in our rooms. They said, “Spring is here! Passover, Easter, they’re here!”
This past May, I went on a life-changing trip to Poland with the Agnes Scott History department and the Center for Global Learning. The third day there, as we were walking around Warsaw, I began to feel homesick. I missed my family and being fourth-generation Polish, I was at once homesick and home. It reminded me of my great-grandmother, it reminded me of my home in New York, it reminded me of everything and nothing all at once.
Then, I saw Lilacs.
For the rest of the trip, I saw Lilacs everywhere. It was like a sign, saying, “You are home.” And I knew that flower would always be special for me.
Zoe Katz is a Junior at Agnes Scott College, majoring in History and Business Management. Originally from Binghamton, New York, Zoe moved to Athens, Georgia, when she was 11 years old. Her academic interests include Marketing, New Media Studies, and Religious Renaissance movements. Her personal interests include hockey, where she roots for the Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL) and the New York Riveters (NWHL), Barberitos burritos, Jittery Joe’s coffee, and Harry Potter. She is a proud Hufflepuff. When she grows up, she wants to be the Director of Marketing for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
