What were you doing twenty years ago today?

[Xairbusdriver]

Not leaning against a certain wall, I hope! Yep, 20 years ago! Seems like only a few years ago...

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Still remember visiting the east side with our 13 year old. His momma was extremely nervous as he and I waved at the guard in the tower across the railroad tracks. I hope he is doing well, now. A few years later, talking to the driver taking our crew to the hotel, we asked how things were going incorporating the old Communist areas. He was adamant that the west got very little except more unemployed, horribly run down infrastructure and increased welfare costs. Hope things are better for everyone now...

And would you believe the German Chancellor (Bundeskanzler [federal chancellor], or Bundeskanzlerin [female federal chancellor, apparently not publicly, however), Angela Merkel is actually grew up in the east German countryside where her father was a pastor. She was actually born in Hamburg. Not only did she live most of her life in Communist East Germany, she was active in "the official, Socialist-led youth movement Free German Youth (FDJ)"[Wikipedia].

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How things can change...if we are willing to allow it...if we listen to what others have to say...if we respect each other more...if we let each other live...

[krissel]

I met a West German exchange student who was here in the US in '89.  She purchased one of my etchings at a show and wanted a second one which I brought to the house where she was staying, coincidentally the day after the wall came down. I'll never forget her wonderment at how her life would change with her country possibly coming back together. She was at once happy and fearful of what changes were to come.

I wonder how she is today?  

[Texas Mac Man]

I don't remember anything significant, however, I was using my first Mac - a 512Ke with a Stylewriter dot matrix printer. No TS, no internet, no color display, 800K floppies .....