Eastern? Western? European!
1984
I was born in the Palatinate. In a small town in the border region between Germany and France.
1985 - 2000
As I grew up, Europe grew together. No passport control, no borders, no money exchange. And my first side job in France.
2002
At 18 I went to Ilmenau to study. Media studies, pretty modern at the time. A great time at a small university.
2004
That's where I met my husband. I came from "down south". He came from "up north" in Germany, from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. So we met in the middle.
2006
Two years later we moved to Berlin and had three children. Since then we have lived there happily together - grateful that this country is one country.
Until today
Without integration into the EU, the two parts of Germany would probably never have grown together into one in this way. Surely there are problems, but it is certainly better than before.
Eastern? Western?
I am often asked the question whether I am an "Ossi" or a "Wessi". I left the West as a teenager, found a home in the East. I am grateful to be able to live in Berlin, to have a home in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania and one in Brussels.
European
Therefore I simply answer: I am European. At home in many places that have shaped and enriched me. Where my friends live and my mobile phone already knows the WLAN code.
