Writer's Block - world events/ random ramblings

[xlcatloveress]

Today, Writer's Block asked:
What's the first major news event that you remember hearing about as a child? Where did you learn about it? How did it impact your world view?Here now my answer (excuse the ramblings, please

Comments

[ladyblahblah]

Wow. XD That's a hell of a memory you have. I'm officially jealous of your recall.

I wonder, though, if your experience was more to do with the time in which you went or the school you went to. I went to public school, but in a really good school system. In 1992 I was in third grade, and even then I'm pretty sure I knew where Germany was. XD That said, even now there are probably areas where the schools are such crap that people genuinely might not know.

*stops self before beginning rant on American educational system*

In any case, tough, I'm glad that your . . . I'm gonna guess somewhat surreal experience didn't turn you off to America or Americans in general. ^_^ And this whole thing has served to remind me of what my mom is always saying: a 100 IQ is average. ^_~

[xlcatloveress]

LOL Don't be too impressed with my recall or even jealous of it *chuckles* Like I said, for a lot of the things on the list, I had to go and research the dates, for I remembered them as a big revelation or big scare or big news cast of my childhood, but I couldn't have told you exactly when they happened

[nix_this]

Wow darling, just wow. So many things touched on that I would love to pick your brain about over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, your choice

[xlcatloveress]

Why hello there! I'm glad to hear that my ramblings were interesting to you *chuckles* I was kinda wondering if anyone would even take the time to read all that, and then .. you guys not only did but actually found it interesting

[xlcatloveress]

And then .. less than half a year after Honecker (the ruler of East Germany) had declared that the Wall would stand for another hundred years, the borders crumbled. Slowly, one by one, the East Bloc states loosened their travel restrictions, and eventually, the German-German border fell. There was an .. exuberance, an ecstasy, a jubilation that is hard to describe. Germany seemed to be caught up in a euphoria that swept everyone along. Things moved fast after that, and soon there wasn't only just no border anymore, Germany had also undergone Reunification and was one once more. But .. how do you erase separation from people's minds? How do you teach a generation that has been brought up on division and propaganda (on both sides, I'm sure - I wouldn't say we had an exactly objective opinion on East Germany) that what it was taught before now has become invalid? There are still struggles with that, actually, and I don't think the division will be truly gone until I am in the grandparent generation and my kids who have never lived in a

[nix_this]

*grin*

Sorry this took so long to get back to, that's the problem with long interesting conversations, they take time to weigh, consider and respond to (and frankly, my brainspace lately has been more along the lines of "ooooooh! Pretty COLOURS!!" *durr*)

But wow, the West/East German divide is fascinating. I work with a woman who is a Chechnyan refugee (was? is there a time limit on refugee status?) and she came over just as it was all starting to fall apart. They were practicing Christians in a communist regime and she told me that even after the Cold War was over there was still this incredible atmosphere of distrust and fear, where it still seemed as if your neighbours were waiting for their chance to sell you out.

I wonder about that too (and this is just random babble, not really related to what you wrote) Do you think living in that sort of environment is more likely to foster closer ties or alienation? Probably alienation as a whole, but I'd imagine when you find yourself in a position where you do trust, you're probably

[twisting_vine_x]

Finally getting around to responding to this. I wanted to do justice to such an extensive post, and school's been crazy busy - so here I am, finally. These are some truly wonderfuly detailed ramblings you've got here, and I wanted to sit down and really read it.

Or people seemed to know only ONE thing - why don't you get rid of Hitler? Are you still killing people? Does Germany plan invasions of countries still? Why are you killing Jews? Is your father a soldier?

Ridiculous. Crazy. Even now, years later... I went on exchange to Belgium in 2006, and I remember telling my exchange brother that my father was German... and he was like, "Oh, so he likes Hitler?" Like... what the hell. Seriously, what the hell. I bet landing in the States and getting swamped with that kind of ignorance was crazy-making.

And then, living in Germany .. there was no way of getting away from the Cold WarMy father talks about the same thing - doing practice air raid drills, living under the knowledge that Soviet forces could reach Germany in a twenty-four

[black_dragon]

had never even heard of Mikhail Gorbatchev before And as someone, who was born on Ukraine - I'm sooo envying them....

[xlcatloveress]

I still find myself amazed (even after having used the internet for as long as I have now) by the wide-spread diversity of people one 'meets' (for lack of a better word ;) ) due to internet interactions, and where these people all hail from :) It pleases me to announce that you are the first Ukrainian I have ever known so .. nice to make your acquaintance!

Thanks for friending me :)

[black_dragon]

Well.... I'm not an "Ukrainian", as you can see by my place of living in the info... I was just lucky enough to be born there. But thank you neverless ;-)

[xlcatloveress]

Oops .. guess I didn't stalk you enough *chuckles* Didn't go and check your place of living ;) Sorry!

[lovefromgirl]

We came to the States within a year of each other. I was five in '91 and just starting kindergarten in Texas (talk about culture shock) -- had no memories of the two years we'd spent in upstate New York when I was a baby, so America was totally alien. All I knew of America was what I'd learned as an army brat, and two years later my dad retired, so I lost even that little security blanket.

Claim to fame: I was the only kid in my school who knew what a no-fly zone was. *facepalm*

[xlcatloveress]

Oh yeah, I bet America would have been quite alien at such a young age, and it makes me wonder how my kids experienced the time we got to spend in the States when they were little (well, 'littler' than they are now - they were 2 and 4 when we moved there for a few years). For me, coming over at age 16, I had a lot of my 'knowledge' and personality already formed so while it was a culture shock, I had a pretty firm base from which to look in on the American way of life. (and you were in upstate New York? That's actually where I spent my exchange year, in Rochester NY and where my love for the US originally stems from)

I had to laugh at your claim to fame - I remember sometimes feeling like I was the only one who had ever even had an education while I was attending the American high school.

[lovefromgirl]

I'm in Rochester, as it happens! Were you in the city proper or one of the 'burbs? (We live in Mendon and I went to school in Honeoye Falls, which is pretty rural as suburbs go.)

If you ever come back, we are so doing lunch. ♥

[xlcatloveress]

HA! *chuckles* I was in Spencerport, I had friends from Gates, Chili, Churchville, Holley, Brockport, Webster, Fairport and Henrietta, my hostfather worked in Irondequoit and I visited a school in Byron-Bergen for a week as part of an in-exchange-program-school-exchange. I've been to the Genesee Country Museum, have flown into ROC as my destination airport and would have recognized Honeoye Falls from hearing the name of it while I was living over there. The world is so damn small it's not even funny *chuckles*

And yes, when I come back next, we can definitely meet up for lunch *grins*