München

Dachau today. Wow what a powerful place there was just so much pain hanging in there air there still. I was struck by the sheer mass of the place there and how many people die/were killed on a daily basis and to hear that Auchwits(sp?) was 40 times bigger was such a staggering phrase that it is hard to imagine the people in these places coming out with any shred or hope for humanity. I is tough to think about but so so important for this country and for the World to think about. I cant help but think about the inhumanities that have occured since the war and why little was done to prevent or end them. The conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East displayed miserable consideration for human life. Our own American troops disregarded the safety and humanity of many citizens during the Vietnam War and even know in Africa where genocides and hateful behaviour has always occured. As well as in North Korea where we have no information on the living conditions of the people other than the horrible stories from the lucky ones who are able to sneak across into South Korea. In some ways North Korea now reminds me of what the world must have felt like pre WWII when stories would leak out but no one actually knew about these camps, and even now we dont know what is going on in North Korea, nor do we have an idea about what the furture will hold as far as foreign relations go with that country. It is hard to image that in our 'modern' world we can allow this to happen and turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to these travesties. This is not to say that nothing is being done for these people, because amazing things are being done around the World on a Daily Basis and humanity is being shown. However it continues to go on, and selfcenteredly or obliviously we contiue with our daily lives with out a thought or a prayer thrown to these areas. Not that there is anything wrong with the American Daily life, but for those that have gone and seen these horrible things, and the students today that saw some of these things (rampant uncured disease, living conditions unfit for animals, and a complete and udder disregard for and semblance of humanity in a being of the same species and same history as yourself) for the first time I feel that it would be impossible to continue life the same after KNOWING that these things still happen. not shrugging a complacent shoulder at the disdain of the past and counting it as just that, barbaric and horrible but in the past, thinking that we have come so far from the things that happened in WWII. But it does occur, daily and with similar disdain for man. For me a huge part of coming to terms with the past, for Germany and for the World, is to make absolutely certain that this never happens again, but what do we do now that it is happening and has happened in some respect ever decade since the Holocaust occured. So that for me is healing the past and the point of going to Dachau and seeing these grotesque pictures and hearing these blood curdling stories, knowing that we are not above horrible actions against mankind because we live in a modern World, but that the Human Psyche is still able to carry out monstrous actions against man, HUMAN beings; brothers, sisters, and kin. We must know this and we must know how to stop it now and prevent it further.
Other than that we have been to Nurnberg which was such a delightful little city, the castle was quite a sight and the city has such a great history. Nurnberg and München are growing together as some of my favorite cities of this country. I love the atmosphere here and the way that they live their daily lives immersed in history and surrounded by traditions and antiquated buildings. Last weekend was great for me to get away with my roommate Houston to Milano, Italia. We spent all Saturday on Lake Como soaking the sun and catching up on life, but only after we spend Friday night running around confused looking for the flat we were supposed to stay in that night. I had arranged for us to stay with a friend who was teachign english in Milan but i didnt her address silly me so we finally found her and it was so great to hear and tell about friends from back at home and see a bit more of the Italian culture. It is so different there and that will be saved for another Blog post as the first Paragraph probably cost me a few € itself. Cheers.