Among my the many things I am learning in Germany, I am learning patience. I can’t get the Wi-Fi to work on my computer so I am completing blog posts on my phone. Hopefully tomorrow, in another hotel, I won’t have this problem.

I am reading and rereading my posts, but I am sure there are mistakes I am making. Oh well!

Just taking a few moments to reflect and write is incredibly important as I process this trip.

Today we visited Point Alpha Museum (http://pointalpha.com) on the inner German border where we heard from a contemporary witness who lived in East Germany. It was a profound moment for me. I remember the Berlin Wall falling as a child. Being a history educator I have, of course, taught this period in history.  But, it wasn’t until today that I truly had perspective and understanding of what this border meant for those who lived in the region.

One day I will write more on this. Today I want to leave you with a few quotes from the witness that truly paint the picture of what it was like to live in East Germany…

– “I grew up saying yes to everything. Life was very bland.”

– “I learned up to which limit I could go with each person.”

– “I understood that I wasn’t allowed to say everything I thought.”

– “The state intervened in the private lives of the people.” (She found personal letters written to family in the Stasi Archives)

– “I didn’t know the American base was nearby until 1989.”

– ” The positives of the GDR were meant to keep us happy so we wouldn’t criticize the system.”