"One word, Six Million Times"

   

Birkenau Camp (Top Left: Bathing Wells, Top Right: Tower View, Bottom Left: 3 Level Bunker, Bottom Right: Pictures)

      Six million lives will never be forgotten. Yesterday we visited Auschwitz I, today was the tour of Birkenau. Auschwitz I, I described as a gated community, but with barbed wire as the gates and there three floored buildings were labor camps inside. Now, imagine acres of land that make up a little over one square mile. This is how big Birkenau was, filled with multiple brick buildings spread and once again gated with barbed wires all around.  This camp was built to make room for more prisoners. In my opinion, this camp gave me more chills than Auschwitz I. The outside of the bunkers were made from brick and inside everything from wood. Three rows of bunks made from wood and covered with hay. Each building of bunkers held about 800 people, 4-8 people on each tiny wooden bunker. There was a building for the bathrooms, the toilets were holes in the floor and were only allowed to go there twice a day. The showers was like a long sink tub that you could only wash your hands and face in.

      Today’s weather was absolutely gorgeous, not a cloud in site, the sun was high, was warm and a bit breezy. I mention the weather because every time I walked into a building I could see my breath, it was cold and I could smell the muggy air. I could picture the real life events and feel the spirits all around. The buildings are much emptier than in Auschwitz I, there are no pictures or glass show cases. But no pictures are needed to describe the pain these victims suffered from. Outside the land was quiet and I could hear the birds. It is scary because the land is huge and beautiful when looking from a distance, but it is a cemetery. While walking we came across, beautiful streams and ponds. There were graves that implied in four different languages, that the ashes of these victims have been scattered among this area, in the rivers and ponds. In these areas there was nothing but silence, no one spoke, some sat and prayed, and others quietly observed. The last building we visited was located in “Canada.” This building is where many were undressed, left their valuables and entered the gas chambers. With such a heavy event that took place here, the last room was beautiful. The room consisted of pictures everywhere of those who were in the camp. Just like in Auschwitz I, the tour ended with the big book of names, here we ended with a room of beautiful pictures.           

By: Jordan Galindo