Berlin
Today we departed as a group to the capital of Germany. While in Berlin, we got first-hand experience with the culture and fast pace style of the metropolis. However, over this trip there are a few key moments which stand out among all others.
The first was on Friday evening when Sara B. and I decided to go out and spend time at a bar which was playing live music. While enjoying the evening, we engaged in conversation with Lauren K. and her German friend who live in Berlin. While speaking with this young gentleman and his girlfriend, I grew to have a much better understanding about the German culture. Mainly, students and children often are allowed (and in most cases forced) to use the public transportation to commute around the city. Therefore, from a young age they’re becoming very self-independent and self-sufficient when it comes to traveling. However, contradictory to this gain of independence at such a large age, many college students and young adults continue to live with their parents until around the age of 28.
Secondly, the holocaust memorial is something which is unforgettable. Attached to this blog is a picture of the memorial. The emotions you feel while walking through the memorial cannot be described and need to be interpreted for yourself. SPOLIER ALERT, the following statements will be my brief interpretation to the memorial. As I peered out among the memorial, I could see there was a slight incline in the elevation for each stone block. The slight incline seemed not very drastic so I kept it in the back of my mind. As I proceeded into the memorial, I lowering of the ground level, therefore the stones were actually becoming taller than one would expect standing along the edge. It wasn’t until you had taken a stroll into the memorial that you realized how large those gray, cold, smooth pillars really are. To me, this symbolizes the German people during the World War II. On the outside, the people only knew about disappearances but never heard of where they went; the observed slight increasing height of the pillars. However, what one does not see is beneath the service, the roots of the Nazi plan to exterminate causes the pillars to be representations of the destruction to human life on a scale one would not know of until the walked through and saw for themselves.
Lastly, on Sunday we visited the “Jüdisches Museum Berlin”. This museum is located within Berlin and is dedicated not to the holocaust, but to the history of the Jewish population. Therefore, by using this title, the museum is able to include not only Jewish holocaust exhibits, but any exhibit which refers to Jewish genocide, emigration, or immigration. There were two exhibits I would like to mention.
First, a piece of architecture which included a horizontally aligned stone outdoor garden with a 12 degree incline. Within the garden stood 49, 8m high, stone blocks almost identical to those found in the holocaust memorial, arranged in a 7 by 7 pattern with 3 feet between each other. These blocks are oriented at a 6 degree angle from the normal vertical position, therefore 84degrees in respect to the inclined ground. The reason so much detail was emphasized above is the need for the reader to picture this architecture. While walking through the garden, one begins to feel disoriented, there is no normal vertical or horizontal line for your mind to adjust itself and therefore one begins to feel the sensation of being dizzy. While walking through, you also begin to feel lost and slightly hopeless while disoriented. These feelings symbolize the same sensations Jewish immigrants may feel when moving to a new home. They’re confused and disoriented, not knowing which way to go. Each turn you take looks the same as the last; urging the questions, “Is this the right way? Should I turn around? Which way is home? Where am I?”
The second piece of architecture was truly emotional. It consisted of a long 25m hallway about 6-7m wide with a door at the end, seeming to bean exit point. The architect designed the “path” for one to travel down, at first look, it seems like a normal hallway. However, on the ground are different sized plates ranging from 5 to 12 inches in diameter. These plates however, were made of iron and on them had faces with wide open mouths. To reach the end, one would have to step on the faces of these plates. Although I was hesitant, I did walk to the end of the hallway. During the decent, I realized I couldn’t help but stare at each face where my foot would lay, almost feeling like the face was screaming at me. Each step added to a sound of iron clashing together and echoing in the acoustics of the room. The sound made me thing of iron workers who may be working while in shackles. Eventually I had reached the end of the hallway. Looking up I saw a door, but it had no handle and therefore was NOT and exit like I previously thought. Turning around, I was still looking up and I realized how far I had gone. Gazing at the trail which I had just traveled across seemed much larger than I remembered. Before, each step was followed by the next and eventually I reached the end; I was not paying attention to the number of steps which I took. However, gazing back to the starting point I realized I had come so far, and would have to go back the same distance. I felt a little guilt for having walked across so many faces. But, having come this far, I had no choice but to finish my path.
This experience was unique and one which every person should take at least once in their lifetime. I thought it was amazing that this piece of architecture was NOT made for the intention of the holocaust so that those victims would be remembered. It was developed so that ALL victims, of EVERY genocide, would never be forgotten.
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