Taking Good With The Bad

Wed., Nov. 17, 1999

Antje Felber Special To Opinion

I’m an exchange student from Germany and I was living on the east side of the Berlin Wall when it came down 10 years ago.

At that time, I was 6 years old and my brother was 1. My family, like thousands of others, watched on television. My parents were afraid there could be outrages too dangerous for a young family to go in person.

Furthermore, many people in the East were confused. Since 1961, nobody had been allowed to go to the West side, and suddenly, it should be permitted?

The first time we went to the West side was three days later, and even then, we went as a whole family so that if they closed the wall behind us, we would be together.

Many things have changed since then. We can travel wherever we want, not just in the former East bloc. I have seen Norway, England, Italy and other European countries. There are more products in the stores and we have a variety of brands.

The service is much better and we don`t have to wait weeks for a mechanic to repair the washing machine or the TV set. And the greatest achievement in my eyes at this time: I don’t have to go to school on Saturdays any longer.

But things before hadn`t been bad for me. I remember going with 50 pfennig (about one quarter) to the bakery and getting a whole bag of rolls. My father, who is a doctor, got his education and training for free. So did my mother, a physical therapist.

The youth got a good education, and nobody had to be afraid that he wouldn’t get a job because there was nearly no unemployment.

Now, the people have to face other problems. While West Germany had the Marshall Plan to rebuild its economy after World War II, East Germany had to make big reparation payments to the Soviet Union and the planned economy didn`t work out well. After the reunion of Germany, many small companies couldn`t survive in competition against companies from the West. Now, unemployment in the former East Germany is about 24 percent and frustration is high. With that frustration, the crime rate has increased. My grandparents, who live in a small town with high unemployment, are especially concerned about their safety.

Nevertheless, I`m glad the Berlin Wall came down. I couldn`t be here if Germany still were divided. But I`m also convinced that we have to go a long way to balance our differences and to reunite our people.

Antje Felber, 16, resides in Coeur d’Alene.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.