A Sober Morning & Afternoon, but a Jovial Evening

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I wrote a blog post after Mauthausen, but after careful consideration, decided to take it down because I’d prefer to save it for personal review. With an experience like this—visiting a concentration camp for the first time—I knew it would be difficult; however, it was much more demanding—emotionally, mentally, physically—than anticipated. I think we could have used more time to debrief during class. And perhaps, in the future, debriefing sessions can also be help in small group settings as well. Just a few suggestions…

The day we went to Mauthausen was rather strange, for the day felt almost like two. The morning was somber and thoughtful; we all slumped onto the bus around 4 PM feeling heavier than we had that morning. And then, very suddenly, we were in a neighboring town, with Kathy’s childhood best friend’s family, having this lighthearted, carefree evening. We waded in the river, played games with Kathy’s friend’s daughter, and told jokes. I cherish that evening; we were all genuinely happy to be in one another’s company.

[The picture is blurry, but it’s necessary to show the dancing.]

German word of the day:

German word:	der Zylinder
English translation:	top hat
Part of speech:	noun