A Few Stories from the Past - Part 3
First Trip to West-Germany
I am not exactly sure of the precise date of my first visit to the West. I'm pretty sure it was some time in 1990. Every citizen of the former GDR received 100 D-Mark of "welcome money." The majority of peoples' assets were exchanged into D-Mark at various rates, before at some date it would all become worthless. But for my family, then, we had 500 D-Mark of "free money" to spend in the new addition to our country, so at some point in 1990, we all piled into the white Lada (again) and headed off to Hof, the closest major town across the border.
Under normal circumstances, the trip would take about an hour, but passport checks at the border slowed traffic to a crawl, and it probably took us to 3-4 hours (if not more) to make it across. I remember journaling along the way, even at 11 years old wanting to hone my writing skills. Unfortunately, the journal, which I remember had a beautiful picture of a horse and foal on the front, was lost over the years.
I was unperturbed by the traffic jam. That just meant we got to spend more time on this road trip. And with songs like The Foundations' Build me up, Buttercup playing (which we were now legally allowed to listen to), why would we want to hurry up and get there?
Turned out once we "got there" there wasn't much to buy: East German visitors had flat-out cleaned out the shops. Store windows were empty for all the 'deprived' East Germans. Honestly, today, most East Germans probably aren't sure what all the fuss was about. Sure, the West was full of Mars and Snickers, exotic fruit like bananas and pineapple and barbie dolls. I guess it's the age-old debate about commercialism vs. the simple life.
In any event, my parents bought a fairly expensive internally-lit globe. They still have it. And they still remember they paid way too much for it - but after the historic change in our country, and the hour-long traffic jam, I suppose they wanted to have something to show for it.
The most memorable scene occurred on the way back. Near the border on the West-German side, people lined the streets, and stuffed our car window with books and chocolate. Big smiles all around, as they welcomed us to a reunified Germany and gave us some of the things we weren't able to buy in the stores.
Of course, any historian, any critic, and really, any German would tell you today that this elation was short-lived. I won't dwell on that. Twenty years of economic crisis will dampen the best spirits. But on that day, a young girl saw the opportunity for friendship and brotherhood, and hope for a better tomorrow.
And that young girl was me.
I am not exactly sure of the precise date of my first visit to the West. I'm pretty sure it was some time in 1990. Every citizen of the former GDR received 100 D-Mark of "welcome money." The majority of peoples' assets were exchanged into D-Mark at various rates, before at some date it would all become worthless. But for my family, then, we had 500 D-Mark of "free money" to spend in the new addition to our country, so at some point in 1990, we all piled into the white Lada (again) and headed off to Hof, the closest major town across the border.
Under normal circumstances, the trip would take about an hour, but passport checks at the border slowed traffic to a crawl, and it probably took us to 3-4 hours (if not more) to make it across. I remember journaling along the way, even at 11 years old wanting to hone my writing skills. Unfortunately, the journal, which I remember had a beautiful picture of a horse and foal on the front, was lost over the years.
I was unperturbed by the traffic jam. That just meant we got to spend more time on this road trip. And with songs like The Foundations' Build me up, Buttercup playing (which we were now legally allowed to listen to), why would we want to hurry up and get there?
Turned out once we "got there" there wasn't much to buy: East German visitors had flat-out cleaned out the shops. Store windows were empty for all the 'deprived' East Germans. Honestly, today, most East Germans probably aren't sure what all the fuss was about. Sure, the West was full of Mars and Snickers, exotic fruit like bananas and pineapple and barbie dolls. I guess it's the age-old debate about commercialism vs. the simple life.
In any event, my parents bought a fairly expensive internally-lit globe. They still have it. And they still remember they paid way too much for it - but after the historic change in our country, and the hour-long traffic jam, I suppose they wanted to have something to show for it.
The most memorable scene occurred on the way back. Near the border on the West-German side, people lined the streets, and stuffed our car window with books and chocolate. Big smiles all around, as they welcomed us to a reunified Germany and gave us some of the things we weren't able to buy in the stores.
Of course, any historian, any critic, and really, any German would tell you today that this elation was short-lived. I won't dwell on that. Twenty years of economic crisis will dampen the best spirits. But on that day, a young girl saw the opportunity for friendship and brotherhood, and hope for a better tomorrow.
And that young girl was me.
This was an awesome series, Heidi. I am so stuck by how socially and politically aware you were at 10 and ll years old. I am so thankful that you shared these memories.
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