Poland, a well remembered name in this region

G'dansk, Poland August 31, 2009

We visited the Labor camp in Gdansk as first stop today. The local guide Barbara is a teacher, who takes summer vacation to work as guide for extra side job income. The whole group of our tourists was about 22. After taking off the bus, some of them rushing for rest rooms, as always. Then we saw the mountian of shoe sols in the room, and the poor living place, eating facility and hospital. People getting less and less, I noticed. When we approached the gas chamber, a big empty room for a more economical way of killing, there was not too many friends around. When we turned into the cremation site, in which the cold air and a row of flags make me feel chilly from the spine, I found I was the only audience to the confusing guide.

Later she asked why people spent money for the trip, but they disappeared from this important historical site. My answer is not quite easy and clear to make. I remember I told her my people were too overwhelmed by the massacre, and, and, and, they do not like to be in anything about dead. Is that true, my friends from Walnut/Diamond BAr/Hacienda Heights area?

Through the whole process, I murmured a few times of 往生咒 for the victims. I do not know if this good will from a Buddist helps those victims who were in totally different religion? At least I hope they understand my sincerity in mourning them in the 70 years anniversay of their sacrifice.

This city is the igniting place that led to World War II when the German makde hte first attack at 4:45 in the morning. Today they happen to prepare to celebrate their 70 year anniversary of the event. We saw a lot of flags hung along the main streets in the city. The two "land" countries were separately the invading target of two negihboring powers. Finland was aimed by Russian while Poland was embraced by Germany. However, they all emerged as independent countries now after the WWII. Patiences works even for a country, I believe.