This past semester, I had the opportunity to take a course about the history of the Holocaust. In grade school, I was always told the so-called basics of what happened during WWII, never all the details. This particular course did just that. I was deeply moved and saddened what my professor had told me. How could people be so cruel? Question after questions filled my head.
Once I had decided to go to Germany, I thought it would be a perfect way to get to visit a concentration camp, preferably Dachau located right out of Munich. It wasn’t until a survivor came to speak with my class that I knew I HAD to visit one no matter what. He explained to us in perfect detail about his time before, during, and after the war. I could envision everything he said clearly. The last thing he said to us was, “I want you all to realize that you are the last generation to hear a survivor from the Holocaust.” I knew after this I had to make the visit a priority.
Unfortunately, we were not able to get to Dachau till about 5:00pm (which was when it closed). We were all a little upset but decided to make the most of it anyway and walk around to see as much as we could. The words, “Work Brings Freedom,” are above me as I walk through the main gate into Dachau. I instantly get chills and begin to think of the people that walked through the same exact gate and never had the chance to walk back out. My emotions were real and something that is hard to explain. I am extremely glad that I got to travel to Dachau while my stay in Germany. It will forever be with me.
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