Tschuss East Berlin

We all learn about history throughout our education. Famous battles and heroic figures become only dates and information we need to know for an upcoming test. We rarely step back and try to understand the people and emotions of that time. History always feels like an intangible story about some other world. However, living on German soil and watching the movie Goodbye Lenin opened my eyes to life in East Berlin and the effects of oppressive government.

I knew there was a wall and the wall fell down about the time I was born. I knew the West was the "good" side and the East was the "bad" communist side and this was somehow a result of WWII and once the wall came down everyone was happy. While this may be the summary of the story, I didn't understand how secluded East Gemany was from the rest of the world or the unbearable pain and suffering people encountered from being trapped within their country. It's difficult for me to imagine living life without any control over who you are and what you do with freedom only a few meters across the wall. Families were torn apart and lives were risked to escape the persecution of their own government.

The movie Goodbye Lenin brought to life how different the lifestyles were. Once the wall came down, Westernization took over almost overnight. While I'm not sure if that's exactly how quickly it occured, the influx of "western" commercialism infiltrated and transformed the East. East Berliners went from waiting years and years for a car to having the ability to pick and choose any model of their choice.

East Berliners were prisoners of their own goverment. However, in the movie, the mother loved her country. Her patriotism blindsided her from persecutions along with being part of a more traditional generation. The strides taken by her son to protect her from the new world were humorous but deeply sad. He couldn't enjoy his new life but had to protect his mother from it.

The scary thing is, this only happened about 20 years ago. While it may be a part of our past now, the realization that this isn't some distant historical event gives me the chills. Visiting Germany has given me a new perspective on history. I may never fully grasp the full effects of history, but living in Germany has helped me delve into the feelings and desperation of the people and the jubilation of a crumbling wall.