Rose Green - May 21, 2008
Life in Auschwitz II
What were you thinking at this time?
What, what--we were thinking, nothing. We were just unhappy, we were just sad. We were dumbfounded, you know, just dumbfounded. We, we couldn't even think. It, it was like a bad dream, like a nightmare, like a nightmare. By the time we woke up a little bit, I--at least I had to talk to myself. I had to--I have to bear, grin and bear it. And I did everything they told me to do. And I thought, "If I have to bear it, I'll have to bear it, it won't last forever." I didn't think it going to last that long. From--there were girls from our hometown--neighbors--my husband's neighbors--girls--three girls. All three of them survived. And the girl who stayed home with her ailing father, she died with her father in Europe, and the three girls went to camp, they went in--they were among the first ones to go. And they build the--everything. They, they helped building the whole thing there, you know.
The camp.
The camp, yeah.
What do you remember about the first day you were there? Did they put you work right away?
No, in Auschwitz we didn't work at all. We were just laying around and stand uh, Appell and being unhappy, you know, and talking to, to each other. It was just...
What was the...
And they gave us something to eat. First time they gave us, they gave us--they brought in some coffee, what kind of coffee was it? Black water--stinking black water. But it was warm, you know, it was good, it was so good. And some bread, they gave us some bread, and, uh...
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