Today has definitely been an emotionally exhausting day. I knew it would be a difficult day because we were going to be visiting Dachau, the first concentration camp. I've learned so much about the horrors of the Holocaust in school, but I can honestly say that nothing compares to actually standing on the grounds where so many innocent people lost their lives. I had always wanted to visit a concentration camp because this part of history fascinates me. I just can't wrap my head around how something like this could have happened in our history. When we got there, we were met by our tour guide. As soon as she began to speak and introduce what we were about to see, I worked to suppress my tears. As we walked towards the camp, I saw the entrance gate with the infamous words "Arbeit macht frei," which means "work will set you free." Of course for many of the prisoners of the camp, this saying would never be true. Walking through the gate was an extraordinarily emotional experience as I imagined how the prisoners must have felt as they were forced into the camp against their will, losing all traces of their freedom and individuality. As I turned and saw the tears stream down my friend Veronica's face, I walked to her side to comfort her. Coming from a Jewish background, the experience was especially emotional for her. We then walked to the registration building. This is where the prisoners were forced to give up all of their belongings and were reduced to only a number. While in the registration building, I imagined the terror that the prisoners must have felt as they lost everything and prepared to face their uncertain fate. Next, we went to one of the original barracks where some of the prisoners were kept. Inside, it was extremely eerie. The guide explained how the small rooms were actually divided into three at some point and used as standing rooms to punish the prisoners. In these rooms, there was not enough room to sit, let alone lay, so the prisoners had to stand for 72 hours without food or water. I absolutely cannot imagine having to do such a thing or how someone could treat another human being so terribly. This was the only original barrack at the camp. Two were rebuilt, but all of the others were just outlined where they use to stand. As we left the barrack, we made the long, ominous walk to the crematorium. Just on the walk, I started to tear up knowing that so many prisoners had made this walk without knowing what awaited them on the other side. We arrived at the crematorium, and immediately saw a stone monument that read "Denken daran wie wir hier starben," which means "think about how we died here." The tour guide then set us free to walk through the "showers" where poisonous gasses were used to kill prisoners who were told they were simply going to take a shower. I have learned about these before, but not until now did it truly become a reality. We walked in as the prisoners did and entered into the room where they were forced to strip down to nothing. Next, they were met by a sign that read "Brausebad," which is an old German word for "showers." As I entered into the showers, I couldn't help but start to cry. I cannot really explain what came over me, but this was truly an emotional experience unlike anything I have ever encountered. Next, we walked into the room where the corpses were left until they were cremated. The pictures on the walls of the room that documented this gruesome site were hard for me to look at. I could not imagine how the US troops, many of whom were my age, would have felt as they liberated the camp and were met by this sight. Next, we walked through to the last room where we saw the crematorium. At this point, I could barely see through my tears. As I left the building, we then were able to tour one of the reconstructed barracks. The guide explained how each of the rooms represented a different time period and how the bunkers changed as time progressed. At last, we were brought to a monument that read "never again" in several languages. The guide thanked us for coming to visit the camp as our visit is another step to ensure that such a horrific event never happens again in our history. At the close of the tour, we went to view a documentary that really just brought everything together and clearly summarized everything we had learned that day on our tour. After our visit, we headed on the buses to go back to Augsburg. When we got back, it was time to work on our group projects. My group decided to meet at one of our group member, Christian's, apartment which was right near the campus. It was interesting to compare their living conditions to our rooms in the dorms. His room was definitely similar, just a little more modern and clean looking, with a lot of white furniture and bright lights. We worked on our project for about 3 hours and then went back to the hotel to order some Chinese food with a few of the German and American girls. We all just sat in the lobby and ate our food and had a relaxing night. After the tour of Dachau, I really appreciate everything in my life. It made me so thankful for the opportunities I have already had and was about to have during the rest of the trip.
Bis Später!
Lindsey
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