I Have Lived a Thousand Years

On the way to the latrine, Bitton-Jackson sees her reflection in a windowpane for the first time since arriving at Auschwitz and does not recognize herself. The latrine is “a long, wide ditch” (84). Bitton-Jackson is afraid of falling in at first, but she acclimates quickly, saying, “Amazing how fast one learns” (84). At Zählappell, she sees blood flowing down a girl’s leg. At first, she is afraid the girl has been shot but then realizes she is menstruating. Bitton-Jackson is afraid this will happen to her and hopes the war will be over by her next cycle. She wonders if the girl can be shot or accused of sabotage for menstruating.

The hardest thing for Bitton-Jackson to get used to is thirst. For her mother, it is hunger. They are given four gulps of “a black liquid called coffee” in the morning (85). They are not allowed to leave their barrack area, making even drinking from the puddle impossible, or to “enter the barrack during the day, or sit in its shade” (86). Some girls chance resting while others stand guard. Bitton-Jackson learns to sleep leaning against the barrack. Overexposure to the sun causes her face to blister and break.