Saturday, April 10, 2010

Where the Train Tracks End

Today, I went to Auschwitz. Needless to say it was a life-changing experience and I figured Auschwitz deserves it's own blog mention. The whole time there I just kept thinking I can't believe this happened to people. I cannot believe 1.5 million people died here. That is 60 times the amount of students at K-State. I cannot imagine my whole school getting wiped out in one go, and some days in Auschwitz, they killed that many.
I still cannot believe all the awful things I viewed. It's just so depressing people could treat other people like that. Even if Nazi's did see them as dogs, I could never do that to a dog, let alone a human. What they did is beyond my realm of comprehension.
I saw rooms filled with hair, glasses, pots and pans, kids shoes...
I saw hair still braided, even after being chopped of the persons head.
I saw nail marks in concrete in the gas chambers of Auschwitz.
I saw where the train tracks ended after dropping off innocent people for the gas chambers.
I stood where 1.5 million people where executed.
That's some heavy stuff.
I think it's weird how people now live right outside where the concentration camp is. I could see houses behind the barbed wire fences, and I'm sure they could see the camp. I do not think I would want to see that everyday. I do not understand the people who work there either. I could not recount the awfulness that happened to those people everyday. They are much stronger than me.
Besides that depressing fact to my day, I learned that the Polish president died, while we are in Poland. We were supposed to have a party tonight, but all clubs are closed due to his death. Not only is it sad I do not get to party, but the man was on the way to a memorial for Katyn in Russia 70 years after it happened. During World War II the Russians killed thousands in the woods outside Katyn and had always said they did not do it. Today the President of Russia was supposed to make an apology to the Polish President in Russia. Unfortunately more people had to die due to Katyn, which including many Parliamentary figures, the President, and some family members of the people lost in Katyn. What a sad end to a sadder story. So, as you can see, today was just an all around depressing day. I could use a hug. Poland has been fun nonetheless and I am glad I came to see what happened to these people in Auschwitz. They had to live it, the least I could do is hear about it for a few hours.

1 comment: