Dachau

It has taken me a few days to process our experience at Dachau and I know it is much the same for the students.  We left Thursday morning and took a longish bus ride towards Munich. Once we arrived at the memorial site, we walked a short distance to a very modern building and met with our guide.

From the entrance building he led us to the back, an open field and warehouse buidlings currently owned by the riot police.  At this time the experience really began.  Our guide spoke with a thick German accent and often replaced English words with German.  His passion, his authenticity, and his knowledge, engrossed the students from the first moment.  He explained that we stood on the site where the first of the prisoners arrived before entering the camp and would walk the way they had walked into the camp.  It was at that time that I believe most of the students really began to process what happened in so many of the camps. It was a surreal experience to pass through the gate with the German phrase "Through Work You will be Free".

We walked through the site for 3 hours listening to our guide, experience photos and imagining what the camp must have been like. Torture as I have never imagined. While many of us have been exposed to many photos, and stories, the eerie feeling of actually walking into the spaces where so many innocent people were herded, stripped physically and emotionally brought tears to several students eyes. Inside the crematorium and gas chambers (thankfully never used in Dachau) you had the sense that everyone understood.
The students journal responses were varied, but most of them felt the sense of respect and horror.  Katherine, Ray, and, Daniel were probably the most moved emotionally.

I am glad we were able to include this in our itinerary this year.