Day 9: July 20 (#1)

この日は、午前中にダッハウ強制収容所跡に行き、午後に少しフリータイムを各自で過ごしたあと、Graffingの生徒によるショーを見ました。
　まずダッハウに行くために電車にのりましたが、方向を間違えてしまい、少し時間をとられ、さらに収容所跡は、見る所自体はそんなに多くはなかったのですが、敷地がとても広くて、すべてを短時間で見る時間がありませんでした。さらに、見ようと思っていたフィルムも、人が多すぎて見ることができませんでした。またどこに何時に集合というのも明確にせぬまま解散してしまい、今回は反省点が非常に多かった旅だと感じ、次から改善しなければいけない点がたくさん見えてきました。しかし、 そのような問題点があっても、やはりダッハウ強制収容所跡に行き、そこで多くのことを学べたと思います。収容者の暮らした部屋やトイレがあったり、人体実験の様子を描いたパネルがあったり、モニュメントがあったり…。歴史のなかで、人類の大きな間違いであったことはもちろんで、それは二度と繰り返してはならないと改めて実感しました。そしてそのほかに私は、自分たちの間違いを認め、反省し、それを世界につたえようとするドイツという国の姿勢がすごいと思いました。日本は、戦争に関して特に、やっただのやってないだの、教科書に載せるだの載せないだの、本当に醜いと思いました。広島・長崎に原爆をおとされた日本は戦争の被害国だと言い張っているような教育の姿勢は、ドイツの全く逆だと感じました。日本でも、満州事変や朝鮮人へのひどい扱いなどについて、もっと小学校の授業でするべきだと感じました。
On this day, we went to Dachau concentration camp in the morning. In the afternoon we had a little free time and then watched a show held by the students from Graffing.
First we went on the train to go to Dachau but made a mistake by going on the different direction and lost a little time. Plus the concentration camp place was so big that we had to look around pretty quickly. Also we couldn’t watch the film we were planning to because there were so many people. And we didn’t make clear where and when to meet so we wasted a lot of time. But even though we had many points to think back of, we had a good experience there. There were rooms and toilets which people at the camp actually used panels that explained about the experiments that the doctors did to the people and monuments. It is obvious that it was a big mistake in world history and thought again that this can never happen again. Other than that I thought that it was wonderful how Germany admits and regrets about it and tries to tell to the world. Compared to that, Japan is very bad about that. Japan fights over about we did it or not, put it or not put it on the text book, what’s the truth… Japan acts like we are the victim of the war since we got hit by the atomic bomb. It is totally different from Germany. I felt that we should be studying in elementary school history class about all the cruel things that Japan have done to China and Korea and know the truth of the war so we will never do the same thing again.
Hanna 

In the afternoon we rushed backed to the youth hostel for lunch because we were a bit late after Dachau. After that we were given free time in the afternoon to explore Munich by ourselves for a little bit. Most people returned to Marienplatz because they wanted to do some last minute shopping. However we had to meet up again at 4:15 at the S2 platform in Hauptbahnhof. This was because we had to go to Grafing for a theatre/musical/acrobatic performance by the students at Gymnasium Grafing. We travelled on the train and arrived at Grafing Stadt. There we met up with some of our friends from Grafing and were able to get dinner before the show started. Finally we were able to watch the show. It was called Mozart Movimento and I have never seen such amazing skill from high school students. There were girls flipping and jumping around the place as well as guys on stilts. The most incredible things included primary school children on unicycles and gymnasts who did breathtaking stunts using ribbons. It was a truly amazing performance and I was so surprised that kids my own age and younger could do such brilliant things. After the show I was feeling a little sad at having to say goodbye to the friends I had made in Grafing. As well as my homestay, I had made friends with many of the students at the school and it was weird to think that I might not ever see them again. They had all been so nice and open to me so I wish I could have stayed longer. Finally we caught the train home and headed off to bed.

Before Dachau I was trying to imagine what it could be like, what kind of place it would be, but I simply couldn’t. I just couldn’t comprehend the magnitude of emotion that I would come to experience upon arrival there. Even riding on the bus from the station to the camp I began to feel a sense of nausea as I looked around at the scenery because I knew the gruesome history that lay behind its beauty.
As soon as I walked off the bus and towards the memorial I started getting flashes of history class. My head was swimming with memories of images, statistics, videos and personal accounts of the Holocaust. Finally as I walked through the gates to the camp, everything about the place overwhelmed me and I couldn’t hold back the tears. Since I was young I had always been interested by WWII and especially the Holocaust, and had read many books to do with it. Often these books would include accounts of Dachau and the horrors that went on there. Walking around the camp I tried to remember these and the bunkers helped me. I couldn’t believe that human beings could be so unbelievably,
Horrifically cruel to other human beings. The bunkers were simple wooden planks where five people would have been expected to share where it was intended for only one. Additionally the entire area was fenced in with tall watchtowers at every end, meant for the Nazis to be able to control the prisoners from above. Most probably if anyone had been out of line or even if a Nazi had not been having a good day, he would have been able to shoot a prisoner with no repercussions. Of course they had more “efficient” ways of mass murdering the helpless people; gassing, mass hangings, mass shootings and torture. All I could think of was how this terrible event in history could have even been allowed to happen. How could the world be so blind to such suffering, such devastation?
There was a big block with a golden plaque that really touched me. It had a message inscribed in many different languages all saying the same thing, “Plus Jamais-Never Again.” Despite this inspiring statement, it saddens me that we have not been able to keep this promise since many massacres have since occurred throughout the world.
After this horrible experience I felt so emotionally drained and full of deep sadness. Right at the far end of the camp I was wandering around, not really knowing what to do or say, when I found myself walking through a little gate. Through this there was a convent, and I could hear the sound of nuns singing. I walked into the convent, dazed and simply following the sound. I just had to sit there and soak in the sound to try and come to terms with everything. I think that this is a crucial part of the process of observing such a place, reconciliation. Although there was so much destruction and devastation that happened, one cannot hold onto this hate and suffering. That would just cause a vicious cycle of hatred and the desire for revenge-and what sort of world would it be then? Therefore I let go of my sadness after leaving Dachau, and instead left with a sense of awareness. Aware of horror, of death and of desperation. Yet also aware that in order to avoid this negativity, we must strive to be the best we can be and always treat others with kindness, sincerity and compassion. This is the only way to avoid another event in world history as terrible as the Holocaust.

Keriana Evans