My visit to Auschwitz
By: Andrei Tapalaga
Tags: WIB History, Auschwitz, Holocaust, Life Lessons, History

My visit to Auschwitz

The most emotional Journey

The entrance of Auschwitz (Work sets you free)

As I have mentioned before in many of my written pieces it is all about the mindset you have when you look upon things. Of course, the mindset can be affected by the importance you offer towards a certain subject of interest as well as the different emotions it brings out.

I have wished for many years to go to Auschwitz as I have a high interest in World War 2 and I think that Auschwitz has been a detrimental point in the Second World War from all viewpoints. To this day many people do not understand the atrocities that have happened over there and even more mind-blowing is that people think that the holocaust was a lie. Even if I think that everyone should visit this place once in their lifetime I would recommend it mostly to those that do not believe in the holocaust.

My Mindset

Representation of surroundings

I knew since the morning that it will be a “dark day”. There would be no laughter or much of a smile so I had to put on a serious face and a mind that was ready to acknowledge all the new information even if I have done my research long before getting there and ended up teaching my tour guide more than it has enlightened me. In many of the places, I would put myself as one of the victims just to try and get a psychological feel of how devastating but at the same time normal for them a day would be.

I remember entering block 21 in which the second room was a toilet that had a ceiling full of blood for so many years. Many have just passed along as if it was nothing but not me, I stood there and froze whilst developing a film in my head of the drama that could have taken place to provoke such a scene. I am not afraid of blood but I do have a wild imagination that I have used to unveil things as they used to be in order to get a better understanding of the living conditions in such a place.

My Emotions

Gas chamber 1

The moment in which my emotions have taken over was when I was approaching the first crematorium. Yes, In most people’s eyes a build of no significance but having the right knowledge on board and from watching an enormous amount of movies and documentaries it was a totally different building for me. Upon entering the “shower” chamber we have been greeted with the locker room where I just could not bear in my head how the people who knew that in the next chamber death awaits them would feel.

An interesting research carried out by the University of Cambridge has shown that elder people can actually feel when death is nearby as an animalistic instinct. In my mind, many of them knew but they had to look optimistic in order for the young ones to not have fear of what it is to come. For a child or younger person, the idea of death is an enormous weight to bear, but for an elder person that has lived through life and all, it has to offer they are not so scared.

Once I have entered the chamber I have felt a cold breeze even if the chamber was sealed. I know that the picture is shown does not represent much as you have to be there to get such emotions but for me just realizing the number of people that have perished in not such a big confinement is just left me thoughtless. What has really marked me were the numerous scratches on the walls made by those that were suffocating on hydrogen cyanide. The natural instinct of wanting to escape death through impossible means.

I wasn’t able to tell if the cold breeze was represented by the numerous deaths that have taken place or by the unimaginable cold people that have been commanding the place. As I headed towards Auschwitz II — Birkenau I was getting colder and colder and this was in November at around -8 degrees Celsius. I was well dressed for such cold weather and still cold and right there I just keep on thinking that those victims of the Holocaust were just wearing pajamas whilst being barefoot.

The worst fact of which I have left Auschwitz that day was that the victims in such a harsh weather had to choose between either using their food as fuel in order to get warmed up enough to get a feel for their blood running in their veins or just eat the food in order to sustain the constant hunger of malnutrition. When we think of such situation we need to analyze our life quality and no matter how bad it is being thankful.

My Devotion

End of the track at Auschwitz 2 Birkenau

At the end of Birkenau where a monument laid as different countries and nations around the world have paid their respects to what has happened here over the Second World War. The place was truly immense but this does not compare to its importance. There are many things to say about it but even the best storytellers, writers or novelists will not be able to describe the place as you would get the feel of being there. This has been the end of the road for many people who could have had the greatest potential as well as a positive impact on humanity.

This has been an important journey in my life that has had an effect on me, my respect has grown bigger than ever before. On some, it had a greater effect as they had no knowledge of this place. The devotion that I show is the same I wish all my readers would do and that is to tell those stories, keep the future generations informed about what has happened here. It is said that in such days we are much more interested in the future rather than the past. From the flaws of the past, we can uncover the key to the future.