Today’s itinerary included a visit to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, I prepared myself beforehand to be emotionally taxed and drained, however, the visit impacted me more than I originally thought. As we walked inside the gas chambers, crematoriums, and barracks everything in my life was put into perspective. I admire how Germany uses the events that happened during The Holocaust to properly teach the world what truly happened without trying to sugarcoat it in a sense. I think America could greatly benefit from following Germany’s example as we have our own history that we are ashamed of. I strongly believe that we learn from history and that learning from it will prevent us as a society from letting such awful things happen again.

Although the entire visit was overwhelming and saddening, the part that shocked me the most was the barracks. I expected them to be a place for the prisoners to relax or escape the cruelty of the SS, however, it was just another place for torture. The barracks were constantly filled with various illnesses that left no room for proper sleep. Again, it really puts things into perspective and it was something that I personally never learned in school and had a completely different thought about what life was like inside the barracks.

A tear or two left my eyes at the end of the visit. I was grateful to have this experience and learn history in a deeper sense, as well as properly remember the victims of this evil time period. It is impossible for someone to mentally prepare for what you will see at Dachau, and that is part of the experience, it hits you like concrete and you just need to accept it and recognize it. I’m glad Plus3 Germany dedicated an entire day to this historical visit, especially because after leaving I needed a few hours to re-compose myself and continue to reflect.