Tag: blogQ3

I remember walking through the front entrance gates of Sachsenhausen, the slogan ‘Arbeit Macht Frei’ {work makes (you) free} hanging proudly from its iron gates and feeling a gloomy cloud settle on my shoulders. Continue reading “Sachsenhausen”

This was one of the trips I was not very excited about because it was a reminder of the dark times in Germany, and Europe in general. One main thought that kept going through my mind as I went through the Camp, and visited other museums of similar sorts, was how people could think of themselves as so superior to other people and treat them as they please, even though God created us all as equal.

I like the fact that these things exist to constantly remind Germans of the past and  prevent such things from happening again.

The murder of several Jews, the adamant creation of what Hitler deemed as a ‘perfect’ race and the politicization of such were gruesome to learn about in detail.  At Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, we were given the chance to walk around the graveyard of the murdered Jews, see the main headquarters and several other important sites.  I had the chance to read about the pain, torture and horror faced by not only the Jews but people who opposed Hitler. Initially, I had assumed that I knew all the major details of what happened in World War II. However, this was not the case. Details of how they originally got Jews to enter concentration camps and the wicked assistance from the SSR’s medical team were heartbreaking to read. My experience walking through the Sachsenhausen Camp was both emotionally draining and thought-provoking.

               

Continue reading “Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp”

First Thoughts

I am on this summer program to learn about the culture of Germany, develop my german speaking skills and create new relationships with other students. My strength is to help others who are need of help in any way if is in the context of this engineering class we are taking. My prayer is to hope that nothing wrong happens throughout the whole trip.

Gerald Ford Airport. Saw some trusses.

 

Initial Reflections on Germany

Before I went to Berlin, I was expecting tall buildings and some archaic buildings made out of wood and sometimes cement. However, when I went to Berlin, I was really surprised because I was getting a feeling of familiarity. This was due to the cement buildings and short buildings, unlike the United States which use mostly metal and wood. Where I’m from, Ghana, almost everything is short and mostly made of cement.  Thus, I got a nostalgic feeling of home and feeling of curiosity towards the city.  Staying in Berlin has made me miss getting water and ketchup for free. It made me realize how I took them for granted.  What I am really going to miss the donner kebabs. If they brought it to the states, I would buy it every day.

 

 

 

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp

This trip to the concentration camp made me feel emotions of anger, fear, and disappointment. I felt angry that something so evil happened, I am also disappointed in the people, for example, the churches, who allowed this evil to thrive and made me fear what will happen in the future due to the fact that this catastrophe was started by man, therefore meaning another catastrophe similar could be caused by another person.

 

 

Köln Cathedral

I have been to a lot of churches but that church was the biggest and one of the most detailed churches I have ever seen. I was even shocked and understood why it took them 600 years to make something this grand building. The church service was also interesting. Unlike, the catholic churches I’ve been to, they used incense. This use of incense changed the feeling I was receiving from the church. Throughout the whole trip, I never saw people waiting and standing for another service of a church. I was sad and happy to see that because even though most are coming as a tourist, there is always a chance God will touch some of them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Six million. The estimated number of Jews brutally and senselessly murdered during the events of the Holocaust. Six million. A number unbelievably large, impossible to wrap the mind around, and still only an estimate, as the exact number will never be known.

Continue reading “Holocaust Horrors”

My personal thoughts and feelings about the second world war before this trip was basically how powerful men tried to get more power at any means necessary, But our visit to the concentration camp at Sachsenhausen was visually enlightening. Seeing how humans were treated like animals by their fellow humans showed how the second world war exceeded the quest for power but was a showcase of how deep human hatred for one another can be.

On a rather gloomy Friday, we went to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. One of the things I am impressed with the most is the attention to detail. Even though some of the original buildings have been removed and the videos they show are outdated, all the stories told and scenes described are so specific and individual to the real-life characters that lived out their days in the camp. It is clear that the preservation of the camp is to portray the horrors and pain felt there in the most tangible and feasible way possible to those who go to visit. By telling the stories of real people with names, histories, and families, the entire camp comes even more to life, although it’s functioning days are long gone. The descriptions are at times so vivid that you can almost see the scene as if you are there amongst it. Of course, this makes the entire experience of visiting Sachsenhausen perhaps one of the most difficult in Germany. And for that, I applaud the German people for not shying away from the terrors that took place in their country and by their predecessors. I am also encouraged by their desire to preserve their country’s history and hope to see other countries do the same in order to celebrate the victories and mourn the losses that have and will continue to shape our world.

This was an emotional trip for me because I really detest how fellow human beings were immorally treated in the past and some even dying in the process. However, I managed to read specific details as to why the concentration camp existed and the pros and cons behind it.  All these information and sightseeing made me realize how some people can be dedicated to their task despite it being right or wrong. I personally feel encouraged to tell the story behind this to my fellow colleagues back home and educating them as to why we should build love within our circles.

I am relatively new to having dialogue on the subject of difference. In an attempt to avoid what perpetuated in Germany during the former half of the 20th century ever igniting again, a developing social proposition of communication is voiced below.

Continue reading “Connection Over Social Barriers”

When I got to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp and learned about the way innocent lives were wasted, I became very sad and somewhat angry. Why would people be treated in such a bad way? furthermore why should a symbol of such a bad memory be there for everybody to see? I felt it was a mockery of the lives that where lost including their families. But after a conversation with one of my classmates, I realized how flawed my thinking was. The concentration camp wasn’t left standing to mock those who had passed away. Rather it is a symbol of the bad things that had happened; a way of reminding people about the past in the hope that it would not repeat itself. In a nutshell, the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp is still there today because people forget. Lets hope we never forget.