Shawnee Beeler Prof.

Brian Bennington Dance & Culture Life History Interview Have you ever found yourself wondering what it would be like to live in Germany when the Berlin wall was put up? Well, I was able to be taken back to 1961 and hear all about it. I interviewed my friend Leas father Hanno from Germany. I met Lea when she traveled to Roosevelt Utah as a foreign exchange student. It was difficult to reach them because of the time difference, when we are going to bed they are waking up. I chose to speak with Leas father because he was living in Germany during the time when the Berlin Wall was put up. He went from a privileged class to the non privileged over night. I felt like the interviewing process went rather well. Personally, I only had a brief knowledge about the Berlin Wall and Germany itself, so that is why I wanted to learn more about it. When Hanno was 18 on the night of August 13, 1961 the Berlin wall came up. Hanno was living in Eastern Berlin at the time the wall was put up. However his girlfriend Andrea (Leas mom) was stuck on the other side of the wall in Western Berlin. The wall was put up so fast people were unable to say goodbye to their families including Hanno to Andrea. I couldnt help but wonder what it would be like to have a wall separating me from my family and or someone I loved. It is rather tragic to think about. Hanno explained that the people living in the Western part of Berlin still had all the luxuries. They were able to live their lives like they had before the wall came up for example; Andrea was allowed to work anywhere she wanted in the area she lived in. However, the Eastern part of Berlin was not so lucky; the wall was put up by the Russians. They wanted to make the Eastern part of Berlin communist; Hanno explained that there was an ideal communist role model everyone had to look up too. Everyone was supposed

to be considered equal, although when it came down to it the Easterners were getting paid even less than the Westerners. I asked Hanno what it was like and he explained it was like being locked up with no place to go and not only that, but he felt lonely because his heart was literally torn in two unable to see Andrea. They would write letters back and forth, but that was the only contact they had for a few years until Andrea was able to acquire a Visa. When traveling to the other side of the wall there was high security with heavily armed security guards and she had to go through a series of security checks. After finally being able to spend time with his love Hanno and Andrea decided they wanted to get married. He explained that the process took over a year and they had been analyzed so deeply it was more than a back ground check, they were even spied on. For the marriage to work Andrea had to give up her luxury life on the Western side to live in the slums in the East. She no longer could enjoy the freedoms that she had as a Western that was provided by the French, British and American people. Although, she was still able to receive packages from her parents of chocolates, coffee and jeans; the Russians didnt have good clothing or even coffee so it was considered a great prize. The Eastern Berlin people began realizing that they were being paid less, had no benefits and were simply tired of being suppressed by the Russians, they were unable to be who they were because they had to practice Russian standards. This lead to a great deal of unhappiness on the eastern side of the wall, people began protesting. The Russians tried to control everything and it had worked to a certain point, but the East and West wanted to be reunited again.

On November 9, 1989 they announced that the wall was going to be torn down on the T.V and radio. People rushed out of their homes and into the streets towards the wall. The security guards were unaware of what was going on because they were guarding the wall. Hanno explained that there were so many people running from both sides of the wall in search of their loved ones. Once part of the wall was torn down a number of people stood right on the remains of the wall and Hanno took part in this. He was in his 30s about then and he felt like the locked door to his life had finally been unlocked by the missing key. No one was certain what would happen after the wall was torn down, but Hanno described it as a unique experience. He was filled with hope and faith of better things to come. What did happen? Well the two governments met and agreed that Western and Eastern Berlin were to be reunited and then Berlin became the capitol. This happened on October 3, 1990 making this day a German holiday. On this day they dont go to school or work they have the day to remember what their country went through to be a whole. After Hanno and his wife Andrea were able to leave the Eastern part of Berlin thats when they got the great idea to go to America for four months to travel from the West Coast to the East Coast. They rented a car and would stop and work in places to earn money and then travel forward. Since Hanno was only 18 when the wall had been put up he hadnt been out of Berlin. I got to meet Hanno a year ago when Lea came to visit her host family out in Roosevelt. When Hanno came to Utah he enjoyed more freedoms than they had in Germany. We were out in the country and able to shoot clay pigeons, in Germany they were unable to shoot unless they had a permit. Whenever I brought up shooting he would get so excited about wanting to come back and give it another go.

One of the things that I really enjoyed about this interview was that Hanno was insistent on keeping his values. He explained that back then it was difficult to stay who you are. But he was persistent on doing so because even though the Russians wanted him to conform into a communist. He didnt believe in the idea of all people being the same equal value, because there should be moments in ones life where people work hard and deserve to shine above the rest if they had worked for it. I also found it rather interesting to learn about the language barriers he had faced while living in the confinement of the walls. Since he lived in the eastern part of Germany they were taught Russian in school and when the boarders opened up he started to learn all kinds of different languages. He decided he wanted to learn English because it was one of the most spoken languages. After being locked up in one place so long he wanted to get out and explore the world and learn all that he could, it was all so new to him. When he was living in East Berlin they were only allowed to listen to certain types of music, but now he is very intrigued by the idea of electro music and the Rolling Stones. He also finds great enjoyment in street dancing. When he was out visiting in Utah we watched Step Up and I cannot even explain the excitement this man had while seeing all these different kinds of dance moves. It is crazy to hear Hannos story and was a great pleasure to meet him in person. He is an admiring man coming from the slums and making a name for himself as a Lawyer in Germany. I find it amazing how much of a culture change he went through from when the wall had been brought down, to traveling to America. He was suppressed for so long; I mean the wall came up right after World War 2. So the Germans not only were trying to recoup after the war, but then

were forced to change their culture by having another one forced on them. Hitler was the dictator before they were being forced to change into a communist group, but before that they had a Democratic Republic so there was a great deal of change in a matter a century. I learned a great deal about Hanno Leimuller that I didnt know. I never would have guessed that he would actually take part in the Berlin Wall I heard about in my History classes growing up. He taught me that no matter what your situation is it is always important to stay positive and have hope because without hope you will only bury yourself into a hole. I feel like this assignment impacted me in a very positive way. Before I even met Lea I assumed it was Germany as a nation in itself that had to do with the massacre of the Jewish during World War 2. And just hearing about Hannos experienced challenged my assumptions. I learned that the Germans were suppressed as well. I also learned more about the Berlin Wall I never knew that the Russians wouldnt allow goods to be imported to the eastern side. So things like bananas and such were not within reach to the East. This entire assignment was a great learning experience and I can honestly say after hearing about Hannos life living amongst the walls I am more than thankful for my life and where I live.