A tour to remember

Underneath the train station existed this whole different world in Berlin. I first entered a room that was more like a small metal box. Air is warm. Breathing becomes hard as steamy wet particles rush in my lungs. Lights are dim, but I can clearly see the yellow paint spelling out the words Zum Manner Abort. My first guess for the meaning of these words would be “Warning! Dangerous Area”, but it actually translates into Men’s restroom. I was curious as to why the Germans did not use the male and female symbols to indicate the restrooms. Perhaps all the people who find sanctuary in this bunker could speak and read German. Perhaps when one’s life is on the line, trivial things such as knowing how to read and going to the bathroom are irrelevant. Perhaps my mind is wandering because I feel myself losing control of my own body and mind as the oxygen rushing to my head slowly dwindles.

I hear different sounds of shoes thumping, clanking against the hard cemented floors. My steps are forced. I move slowly. The room becomes a bit darker and my eyes stare out of a cloudy film. My fingers attempted to wrap itself around my pen and take control. I am in that phase where my hands are spelling out words but my mind was not making it move. The writings in my journal, like my memory, are random unfathomable scribbles. Images of old toilets, war artifacts, steep stairs, wooden benches and beds flash quickly through my recollections of that small, dark bunker. I was dizzy and I fell forward several times only to have my body’s own reflexes yank me back into position. My mind tried to justify these “symptoms” as my knees were locked for too long and that I am tired.

It wasn’t until I slowly dragged myself out of the bunker with whatever force I had left that my stream of consciousness returned. Right then, I knew that it wasn’t tiredness or locked knees; it was the unforgettable experience I shared with the German people during WWII. I have never felt so many different sensations while being in a place. This was a reality tour. I was actually feeling, breathing, seeing the way a person would while hiding in a bunker during an air raid.