Today marks the anniversary of Germany’s Reunification – 30 years of German Reunification to be exact. In Germany it is a holiday. And there is much to celebrate. No longer we are living in two parts of Germany with restrictions and a wall dividing us. I am personally more than thankful and want to share 30 reasons.
- Democracy: Always and forever the most important thing I gained.
- Mr. ♡: He lived on the other side of the Berlin Wall. Very grateful to have met him.
- Extended Family: My brother in law, my niece and my nephew – they all wouldn’t exist in my life
- Exchange Year: One of my life most cherished experiences was my year in the U.S. and it was only possible because of what happened 1989/1990.
- Fruits & Veggis: Avocado, water melons, bananas, zucchini, hokaido, etc. – not very common in former Eastern Germany
- Voting: I very much appreciate being able to vote. Not being scared to vote, to really vote what I want and to have the power to change things.
- Freedom of Speech: Voicing my opinion without concern.
- Religion: Going to church and no one cares.
- Travel: All those places I was able to see and all the once I still get to visit.
- Experience: Living – even though for some short years – in a different country
- Berlin: We would have never moved to this city without the political changes.
- Books: I can read whatever I want and everything is available.
- Change: I know it is possible to change something.
- Awareness: I think I developed a good radar when situations can be dangerous. All based on some experiences.
- English: I would probably speak some amateur Russian otherwise.
- Career: No limitations on what I wanted to study.
- Peanut Butter Cups: Imagine I wouldn’t know about that treat. Even worse not knowing about peanut butter in general.
- The Ocean: No ocean without travels in Germany
- Popcorn: Specially salted popcorn
- Healthy Environment: Poisonous rivers and stinky factories were rather common in the GDR.
- Movies: Loving a good Hollywood blockbusters.
- Comparison: Living in two so very different states gives understanding.
- Community: The feeling of fighting for something and having each others back.
- Education: The way things were taught to me and the options I had.
- My favorite blanket: A gift from my dad to Mexico. It been with me for 20 years or so.
- Safety: Not looking over your shoulder when you walk the street
- Abundance: going to the store and buying what you need
- Craftiness: I think a bit of my drive to DIY comes from not being able to get everything when ever one wanted.
- Car: having a car without 20 year of waiting for it. Now we complain if it’s delivered 9 months after purchase…
- My Parents: For risking a lot to make a better world for us
These are my 30 things I am grateful for. Except the very first one this list is not in order of importance. Unbelievable for me its been 30 years of German Reunification. Are you interested in a bit more personal experience ? Then my post on Thoughts on fall of the wall might be interesting to you.
What a you thankful for today? I’d like to hear.
Happy celebrating
4 comments
This is a great post. I am so thankful they were able to accomplish reunification.
Yes one of those milestones of our generation
This was such a monumental moment, not just for Germany, but for all proponents of democracy.
Loved reading this post. I truly believe there is so much value in human recording of such milestone events. It makes it all so much more relatable. Maybe relatable is not the right word. But perhaps, it allows a much better understanding of what life must have been like, and that itself is a valuable lesson.
Thank you so much for this reply. I can only agree. Those milestones need to be kept in memory. And I believe the same – it’s a monumental event for all of democracy.