History

I never expected today to be any different than any other day. I know people sometimes have moments in their life that change them forever. Just as I was changed when I first accepted Christ I never thought that my life would change so fast. You would think knowing that information that I would expect that one day an unexpected event would change my outlook on everything, but I was not prepared for what happend today.

It started off as any normal day, I was at Hollywood dancing club the night before so I didnt get up until around 12:00. By than it was already lunch time so I went downstairs to eat with my host family. Michael left to watch his team play in a field hockey match so he didnt eat with us. The convorsation was about the same things just what we plan to do when my family comes up, how school is going, and just about random things we each feel like talking about. After Lunch my host dad asked me if I wanted an Esspresso normally I say no, I only like them every once in awhile but I decided today was a beautiful day and I should take some time to sit down with my host family. So I did we drank the esspresso and I we got on the subject of where they have vacationed and where they have all been. They broke out the Atlas and started telling me stories of every where they have been, they opened up a map of the U.S and asked where all I have been so I showed them. By the time we were finished it had already been an hour so they went into the kitchen and got out some cake and offered me some coffee. Once again I said yes I would like so have some.
This is how we got onto the subject that would affect me in a way that I cant describe. I asked Jutta where I was going for my trip around Germany. She showed me place by place until she got to Munchen and said there is a concentration camp near there that we will visit. I have always been interested in the holocaust and I never really understood why it facinated me so much about the things that happend. I always thought I was crazy in a way because I liked to hear the stories about it... where most people try to forget it. As I thought about the concentratoin camps, they than got to the Berlin and told me I would see where the wall once was. Thats when I asked the question... Why was there a wall? I think they knew I was really interested in knowing the history of germany, and they may have been shocked that me an American wanted to know another countries history than just my own. They told me everything... from the Russians, to the French, to the British, and of course the Americans. I learned even about the Luftcreek which was when americans would fly into Berlin dropping supplies to feed the west part of Germany. I asked what would happend if someone tried to go over the wall, and they said that they would kill them... it was no mans land there, it didnt matter what side you were on the west would kill their own before having them cross over to the east. As I asked more questions my family got more in depth with the convorsation. I asked " what if people from the east had family in the west" my family responded that they were split and would never be able to see each other. They than told me of a Mother and her son who tried to escape towards the east by going down into the Check( cant spell ) republic. They took two vehicles one vehical had her son and the other the mother was in. The two vehicales got split up and the mother made it to the east, but her son didnt. They told me how the mother couldent go back to her son, and how her son couldent get to her... all because of the wall. I never knew how much of an impact one wall had on an entire country. How it not only split the country but families too. They than told me of all the troops in germnay... germany was completly overruned by military. My host father told me how he would see army tanks roaring down the street every morning and planes flying overhead. They than went back in time and showed me pictures of WorldWar2 itself.

They showed me pictures of cities that were bombed, and it was hard to believe than America was invovled in it. Picture after picture I saw beautiful cities that were turned into rubble. We came to this one picture. It wasnt of people, it wasnt of planes, or tanks... it was a church. My host fathers hands got shaky and his eyes turned red. At first I though he was getting mad but than I saw that he was crying. He told me of this church.... where the people stood outside of it white flag on the cross on top trying to save it. They were begging for the planes to not destroy this church. I still dont know why this one church was so speical. My host dad than began to cry even harder and he said while the flag was flying and the people where outside they bombed the church. He than began thinking to himself and was still speaking out loud. He said white flag on the cross. I couldent believe that than he was apologizing for crying. Just as soon as he started to cry he forced himself to stop and resumed telling me the stories. He told me of the Koln Dom being bombed and how the 500 year old glass was shattered. I could hear all the pain in each word he was telling me. We than went forward again to the wall where we started and he told me of check point Charlie, and where the wall was as he traced his hands along the map. He than flipped the page towards a picture of millions of people in the Check republic hoping to get accross the wall towards their families. I saw little kids crying as mothers held their hands through the bars. I saw a line of german police on one side and Check police on the other were pulling people off the bars. My host dad began to sob again when we got to this one picture of what appeared to be two sisters holding hands while the bars split them apart and in the background a police man coming. He quickly turned the picture and said he was sorry that he was so emotional. He said that its hard to think of all the thigns that happend. The history that was forced upon him. Not everyone choose to follow in Hitlers foot steps and just like in every other country you have bad people and you have good. He than told me of a story while he was in Norway studing in college how a man came to him and said you are a german boy yes... my host dad replied with a yes. The man than said I was in a concentration camp, my host dad didnt know how to reply to that question. Here was a man who only saw my host dad as a Nazi when really he never wanted any part in such things.

There were alot of other stories that I heard and it makes me sad to think that all this time I was upset because people in Germany dont like me because I am an american... but really they dont like me because they think I just think they are Nazis. I can understand how they feel because alot of people ask if I am racist because of the things that happend in the civil war. Somehting that I had no part in but that the history was thrust upon me. No matter where anyone one goes not a single country has a perfect history, there are good people and bad people no matter where you go.

I feel so bad for things that I had no part in.
I have been so changed today that I dont know who that person was when I was living in Ogallala.
I have to admit that I had the same thought of most people that germans were hostile and mean. That everyone could be associated with a Nazi in one way or another, and all my intrest in the holocaust lead me to believe that everyone had a part in it... which is untrue in every way. It wasnt everyone, but it all began with one mans desire for power. You could ask alot of people about Hitler and most would say they were ashamed of him, and what had happened.. I wish everyone could of seen the pictures, and heard the stories I heard today because I know everyone would of been changed too. There have been very few times in my life where I have seen a grown man cry, seeing my host dad cry made me want to cry too for ever thinking the way I did. I use to joke about being born in germany telling my friends that I guess im a Nazi, if anyone heard me say those things here I would never be able to live with myself because I didnt know anything about what they went through. I hope I can keep on learning as much as I can about the world so than I can have a better understanding of why thigns are the way they are.

My host dad said people dont forget history, but just because it happend doesnt mean everyone was a part in it.

So now I am done saying in breif parts of the convorsation I had today. I could go into more depth but I dont think anyone would have that much time to read it. I am glad that I sat down today of all days and took my host family up on their offer of coffee and cake. I hope even though I am not a very good story teller or not very good with words, and that I dont know everything about the thigns that happend that I may have changed at least one persons outlook by writing this today.