Ostalgia

Growing up in East Germany prior to the reunification, Prof. Ina’s life was quite different from what a person’s life would be in, say, the United States. The first difference Ina mentioned that caught my attention was the lack of modern technology and standards of living. While living in a large farmhouse, Ina mentions how her family was considered privileged because they had a house phone, or landline. Another aspect of her childhood that was rather shocking to hear was when she discusses exchanging parcels with a shop owner down the road. These packages would have cheese and meat from her family in exchange for other foods like apples. She would get the cheese from the family basement, where they made it. Surprisingly, the government would heavily restrict the amount of cheese she was able to make and sell. Because of this and other government policies, money was not easy to come by. To get the funds to buy food at school, Ina resorted to going around and picking up bottles and such to then recycle for money.

The last idea from Ina I would like to talk about that was her run in with censorship. She recounts a story of almost being expelled from the school she was attending just for saying something to a teacher that she shouldn’t have. She also tells how teachers, specifically those with military backgrounds would enjoy punishing students. Hearing those was interesting to me, as I have grown up under the belief that you should be yourself and ask whatever questions you have in school, and it seems it was the opposite for Ina growing up.

In regards to the concept of Ostalgia, Prof. Ina mentions a few aspects of East Germany she misses. The first of which is the cross-walk signals, and the other is a brand of milk she used to drink. The idea of Ostalgia is a little hard for me to completely understand, as I am unable to exactly experience it, however, when imagining if all my childhood foods and livelihoods were to no longer exist, I would long to reconnect with them at some point.

The East-West divide had a similar affect on the citizens of Germany as a whole as the scientific concept of allopatric speciation. This is where an external factor divides one population up to which they can no longer mate with each other and over generations can even become independent, unique species. The same idea rings true with the division of East and West Germany. Professor Ina touches on this briefly when discussing meeting someone who grew up in West Germany. She alludes to their pasts being very different, but ultimately, they are both German, and even goes as far as to say they are like a brother/sister because of it. If the division of Germany had continued longer, it may be possibly that two separate nationalities could emerge from people who were once all one.

Image source: https://www.newstatesman.com/world/2019/11/dancing-on-the-berlin-wall