Before I left for my trip I knew i would go to Auschwitz. In the afternoon, we went on our tour to Auschwitz-Birkenau (90 zloty). It is an hour bus ride to Auschwitz from Krakow. Getting off the bus, you could just feel and see the depressing atmosphere. I honestly thought I would be so upset that I would cry. However, I was too shocked and speechless to react. I could only listen to our guide in disbelief and horror as she recounted only a glimpse of the terrifying reality of the Holocaust. Over six million lives were taken - about 1.5 million of these murders occurred at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

First we went to Auschwitz. It was first used as a place of punishment for Polish political prisoners.

Walking under the entrance gate "Arbeit Macht Frei" (Work sets you free), I could just FEEL I was in a really dark place. My legs became heavy to lift and I felt so weak. You are enclosed by chain link fences and barbed wire among rows of barracks and watch towers. Block 11 was the "Death Block", where prisoners were basically sent to die in punishment. We saw the starvation cellars as well as tiny, dark box cellars where four people would have to stand the entire night, go to work, and repeat.

The physically capable were sent to work at labor camps until they starved from the small food portions or were murdered.

Can you imagine being told to pack up your life in 10-50 kg to move to a new, better life? A promised land? Being herded and squished like cattle into a rail car without food or water for hours or days? Being told to leave your things on a platform, which you could return to after you were sorted by sex/physical capability to take a shower? Having faith that you could disinfect and cleanse yourself of fleas, louse and odors, be reunited with your family again in a new life? A mass shower = a mass grave. Belongings never recovered, families forever lost and broken - not even a record of your life. Sometimes, not even a casualty number.

The worst part for me was seeing rooms full of belongings - shoes, combs, kitchen supplies, suitcases, glasses...

And then we came into the room filled with human hair. After gassing their victims, they would "harvest" gold teeth and hair. This hair was made into TEXTILES - rugs, nets...we saw direct byproducts. 7,000 kgs of bagged hair was found upon discovery of the camp.

We also passed the Block where women were used for gynecological research and experimentation. Those who didn't die were left permanently damaged.

Prisoners were given striped pajamas. These were the only set of clothes they owned. They had to work and sleep in them. When they had to be washed, everyone had to be naked until they got them back, wet.

Our tour bus transported us the 3km to Birkenau, or Auschwitz II. In 1941 Birkenau was created as a concentration/extermination camp. These places look gloomy and foreboding enough with grass. At the time of "use", neither Auschwitz or Birkenau had anything green.

Seeing the living conditions in Birkenau was horrific. Hard wooden bunks in a barrack - made to sleep 180 - housing 700. No heat in the winter. You could use the bathroom twice a day at scheduled times for only thirty seconds. Men, women and children were all separate.

It was depressing seeing the train tracks that passed through Birkenau, knowing how many people had once stood in this place, hopeful for new beginnings. I hated seeing pictures taken from people just arriving, smiling, herding their families along with their belongings. Unsuspecting.

I'm glad this is open to the world and that we can see it. The sad part is that we will never actually be able to understand the suffering. Let us never forget.