By request: I was born in E.Germany and helped take down the Berlin Wall.

Pics/Proof, first:

Me, as a kid. This is at the annual fair in my hometown in East Germany. First quarter of the 1970s. http://i.imgur.com/jHdnV.jpg

Christmas in East Germany. http://i.imgur.com/c0Lzk.jpg

Top row, third from the left: http://i.imgur.com/l9kJR.jpg Must have been 1984 then. 8th grade, we were all 14-ish and decked out for "Jugendweihe". Google it or ask me ;)

Me, my mother, my brother, and my mother's second husband. http://i.imgur.com/gFyfg.jpg

A few years ago, I ran into a documentary about the fall of the Berlin Wall, spotted my own mug on the screen, and took a screenshot of it later that night, when it was shown again: http://i.imgur.com/YwFia.jpg

And more or less lastly, my wife and I, at the rose gardens in Tyler, TX, nowaday-ish: http://i.imgur.com/wauk3l.jpg

My life became much more interesting that day, and it baffles me that this was almost a quarter century ago. I mean, when I was born, WW2 was over by the same number of years.

More later...

Comments: 902 • Responses: 33  • Date: 

Tindwel4 karma

Did you think it would come down? I know many people back in the US didn't think that they would see the wall fall in their lifetime.

How much has East Berlin changed from when you were there? I was there about a month ago and it's still pretty run down with graffiti on so many things. It reminded me of the not-so-nice parts of town from where I'm from and had me on edge walking around there.

How long have you been outside of Germany?

So the wall fell, then what? You say your life changed greatly but in what ways? Did you quit your job and move away? What exactly was different?

Kar98_Byf4212 karma

I quit the rubber factory where I had been working, lived in Bavaria for a few years, and came to the U.S. in 1999.