Feature photo bymatzukawa1971. Above photo by mandiberg

I’m a total wordophile. Love word play, puns, love neologizing when the occasion permits – and it’s surprising how often it does.

So when I saw Oxford University Press’ latest blog post announcing their new word of the year, I was sucked in like Augustus Gloop up a glass chocolate pipe.

Yes, the word is out. Oxford University Press cites its New Word of 2009 as… drum roll please….

Unfriend.

As in, I no longer want to be connected with you on any one of many social networking sites, but most specifically, Facebook.

The History of Dictionary

Samuel Johnson – scholar, literary critic and translator — wrote the very first dictionary. In spite of criticisms of him as an idiot from time to time, his dictionary stood as the foremost authority on the English language until the Oxford English Dictionary was published one hundred and fifty years later.

Alas, the ever changing nature of the English language drove him to distraction. No sooner could he capture a word on paper, the meaning, sense and usage would change. The English Language became his white whale — an allusion to Herman Melville’s Moby Dick — his never ending journey, and can in many ways be blamed for the depression and mental illness that plagued Samuel Johnson until his dying day.

Photo by glitter feet

Today Language Evolves With Much More Immediacy

I wonder what Samuel Johnson would do today with the internet, where you can literally watch language develop.

September 2008, Saturday Night Live put together a skit of a press conference with Sarah Palin and Hilary Clinton. It was fabulous. That night, I heard the word FLIRJ for the first time.

I immediately went online to research further, excited to learn more of this word I’d never before heard. And I thought I’d knew it all, in part due to my rather scholarly background in Literature and Creative writing, but mostly owing to the hours I’ve spent browsing certain sections of Craigslist then cross-referencing with Urban Dictionary.

Yes, my ever favorite Urban Dictionary. Where anyone can enter a word and definition which are then given thumbs up or thumbs down by anyone else who happens by. There you can find any word you could possibly want along with no fewer than three definitions.

FLIRJ was not there.

Wouldn’t you know, though, the next day it appears.

A Comparison Between The Erudite and the Troglodytic

I decided to compare other words from the OED to the UD to see what’s what.

HASHTAG
OED says” a # [hash] sign added to a word or phrase that enables Twitter users to search for tweets (postings on the Twitter site) that contain similarly tagged items and view thematic sets.”

UD says “its a tag used to talk about an especif [sic] subject on twitter. Once all the users use it, it gets a lot easier to search subjects at the Twitter search.”

TEABAGGER
OED says “a person, who protests President Obama’s tax policies and stimulus package, often through local demonstrations known as “Tea Party” protests (in allusion to the Boston Tea Party of 1773)”

UD cites multiple meanings “1) one who carries large bags of packaged tea for shipment. 2) [ed.note: we all know what this one is. if not, please look it up yourself.] 3) one who has a job or talent that is low in social status 4) a person who is unaware that they have said or done something foolish, childlike, noobish, lame, or inconvenient.

FLIRJ, however, still has yet to enter the venerable OED.

Other Resources For Building A Stronger Vocabulary and Improving Your Knowledge Base

Thesaurus.com helps me find words like troglodytic, erudite and the like, then allows me to switch into Dictionary.com with one click so I can look up words I don’t know.

Ambrose Bierce, traveler and journalist, compiled his ever snarky – a word that certainly didn’t exist in his day and probably would have pissed him off if it had – The Devil’s Dictionary.

This includes definitions such as:

DICTIONARY:
A malevolent literary device for cramping the growth of a language and making it hard and inelastic.This dictionary, however, is a most useful work.

Once you’ve compiled your entire list of new, modified and self-generated words, you can compile them to create your very own dictionary in Word.

Then check into Mental Floss Magazine for a wealth of wordie – lover of words – articles such as The Nautical Roots of Nine Common phrases or Nine Tasty Foods Named After People.

Yes, we’ve come a long way since the days of Samuel Johnson and his white whale, a phrase I might add that is also included in Urban Dictionary. Although I’m sure Johnson never gave a moment’s thought to what it might mean to be moby-dicked.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Do you have a favorite new word or silly online source for the same? Let us know in comments.

When you’re finished exploring words and fun facts, it’s time for you to start writing. Start your own blog in Matador’s Travel community. Want some inspiration first? Check out 15 Punk Rock Travel Narratives or school yourself at MatadorU and learn the tips, trades and secrets of the best travel writers in the business.

Feature photo by playerx. Above photo by Sue Waters

Dear William Bradley,

I just read your Huffington Post blog about the Trouble With Twitter. When I tried to post a response, though, I found comments had been closed, so I’m writing to you here instead.

Let me begin by saying I completely agree with you.

Yes, Twitter is a method for deeply self absorbed people to give you too short bits of information that you never really needed. Then while the inanity and insanity stream by you at a breakneck pace, your head fills with tidbits of factoids and marginal information that all run together into a big blur until BOOM! Your head explodes.

Let me then continue by saying, I completely disagree with you.

I, too, have been a technology geek for as long as I can remember. I designed my first website well over a decade ago, chatted on IRC long before AOL cottoned onto the instant message and even programmed my very own “Hello World” in C — although I am somewhat embarrassed to admit this last one.

I never watched Max Headroom, but I did read a lot of William Gibson, and let me tell you, Johnny Mnemonic is my hero. Do I want to run around town, carrying unimaginably vast stores of information in my head? Do I dream of hooking into a virtual world that is in many ways indistinguishable from the so-called real world?

Hot diggity-dog-damn I do! Even if it means my head might explode,

You cite a number of issues with Twitter.

It lacks context and the medium is simply too short, you say. You don’t have enough room to create the context you need to send the message you want.

Good lord, I’d hate Twitter if people could drone on and on as so often happens in comments and blog posts. At least Twitter allows me to take just one bite of whatever a Twitterer has to offer, go back for more if I so desire. Or spit it out.

I also very much enjoy the challenge of creating both context and meaning in such a short space. As a life long writer, I find it hones the craft in a way only writing poetry in form can do. Seriously, try writing a Petrarchan sonnet. When you’re forced to make your words fill a very particular space with a very particular rhythm, you quickly learn not to waste words. By extension, you don’t waste your reader’s time.

You call Twitter inane. Yes, it most definitely can be, but we, as followers can choose to ignore. Twitter quickly teaches that you’re never going to absorb every single Tweet, so why even try? You just let go and accept that you get what you get. Most times, I find that even after a short time on Twitter, even if I’ve only followed a few links or read a couple of quotes, I’ve learned something worthwhile. Those who don’t have something of value to offer, I unfollow.

Photo by Doug Curran

You accuse twitter of driving the current themes of inundation, fragmentation and ADHD so ubiquitous in our culture. But does Twitter drive these things or simply reflect them? Glut of information is part and parcel of our world now, and has been for some time. We’re deeply into the post-MTV generation where we don’t invest time in thought provoking movies, develop film or read books anymore. Instead, we watch music videos that allude to old films, revel in digital photography and buy the graphic novel instead.

Is that innately wrong? Or is it simply the natural course of things?

That’s how I see Twitter. It’s a new medium for a new world. People think differently, see differently, and Twitter is our training ground. It’s cyberpunk-lite, and we are just beginning to see what the medium can do.

Are there people who abuse Twitter?

Sadly, yes, far too many of them, but you can’t blame Twitter for those people.

Twitter, like Facebook and other social media networks, is a hammer, a tool to be used for many purposes. It can be inspirational, motivational and creative. You can write haikus or novels, send in your coffee order and have it ready to pick up as you swing by on the way to work. You can raise money or awareness for a charity.

Myself, I’ve found among other things wonderful community, both work and friendship, through Twitter, without which, this very post would not have been possible.

But it’s still a hammer. If someone so stupidly decides to take his hammer and bash it repeatedly over his neighbor’s head, you don’t go blaming the hammer.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Photos courtesy of Operation Beautiful.

  
Already a strong advocate for ending the negative buzz about obesity, or “Fat Talk,” Caitlin was inspired by Gives Me Hope – a site where users can share stories of random acts of kindness – to embark on her own mission to change the world’s perception of beauty. Operation Beautiful was born.
 
The rules are simple: 1) write something motivational on a piece of paper, stick it in a public place (like a bathroom mirror), and 2) include the website address to share the love.

Sceptical that such a simple act of kindness can positively affect someone? The following are just two examples of the many comments from the mission page:
 

I went into the bathroom today and saw a stick note: “You are beautiful the way you are. operationbeautiful.com.” I smiled and pulled out a camera. Later, I heard some girls in class describe it as “cute” and one went and pulled it down to keep. It was very encouraging.

im only a kid BUT I LOVE THIS IDEA! i want to do it at school and everywhere! (i’m 12) YOU ARE AWESOME!!!!!!

Chatting with Caitlin via email, I asked whether she was surprised about the success of her project and the willingness of people to participate. Here’s what she said:
 

“Operation Beautiful started on a whim.  I was having a bad day, and I wanted to do something nice for someone else, and I know that random acts of kindness make me feel good!  I wrote the words “You are beautiful” on a piece of paper, stuck it to a mirror, took a picture, and asked the readers of my personal blog to participate.  At the time, I never knew how huge Operation Beautiful would become, but in hindsight, I am not surprised.”

Submission Guidelines:

Readers, get out there and start reversing negative body images and attitudes. Write something motivational on a piece of paper, include the web address operationbeautiful.com, and stick it in a place where someone else is sure to find it, like a co-worker’s desk or inside a gym locker.

Bonus points for Creativity!

Then take a photograph of your creation and attach it in an email to candice@matadornetwork.com or leigh@matadornetwork.com with the subject line “Operation Beautiful.”

We’ll select our favorites to share on Matador Life.

Be sure to include: information about where you left your post it (ie city, town, country, specific location). Optional to include: any stories you’d like to share about why you chose to post where you did or any reactions to it. You can remain anonymous but if you’d like to include your personal blog or webpage, let us know..

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

When I first saw this video on YouTube, I thought so what? Then I began reading through the long list of comments to see what people had to say. Some made me smile. Others made me raise an eyebrow or two. Others questioned the war and then were attacked for doing so.

As I read on, though, I found a small window into the life of Lt Schmidt, his wife and his dog extending beyond these few minutes, spanning years to tell the true story of what it means to both go to war and then come home.

Truckdrivah:
OMG I am crying. Truly, dogs (or bitches) are a man’s best friend.

Debby429:
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.

5293278363:
Semper Fi – (do) !

Ltschmidt02:
Gracie is half golden retriever/ half corgi. We saved her from the pound in 2004. She’s sitting at my feet as I type this, begging for cheese and crackers.

Princess8788:
LOL when my husband came back from Iraq the second time. He got out of the truck and his dog launched herself from the ground straight into his arms.

Ltschmidt02:
Gracie is still doing great … she is a hell of a good friend. She is six now and still gets a ton of attention even now that my wife and I have a young son.

Doglover1:
Therefore by the grace of God, goes Dog.

LtSchmidt02:
There are tens of thousands of combat arms soldiers and Marines on their third+ 12 month deployment down range; I’m only gearing up for my second. I don’t want to be made a symbol for something that I don’t deserve to be. You have to be careful, because you have no control when you go on TV unless you are very, very savvy (I am not). Or you get crazy and end up building a UFO weather balloon in your back yard.

Now I have to go change a diaper, then walk Gracie.

sleepyrodent:
I’m sorry if all the attention this clip has received is getting a little overwhelming (I think I’d be a little intimidated too!). It’s really selfless of you to sacrifice a bit of your privacy to make so many people happy with this slice of your life. It gives hope to those of us with loved ones over there that we’ll get to have such a happy reunion.

colodomom:
My husband is a prior enlisted Captain in the Air Force who did some time in Afghanistan.You’re right, the guys deployed for a year or more are heros and so are their wives. I think I know why your video has become so popular. People are aching for a good story. We’ve heard lots of sad stories, lots of heroic stories, but I think people are looking for a simple, happy story. Thanks to you and your family for giving that to us. Best wishes and stay safe.

Ltschmidt02:
I have been activated again. Bummer. I am going back to Afghanistan soon for six months. Maybe there will be another video of Grace and me in 2011.

Because you never appreciate how much you love home as when you know you’re leaving.

We look forward to your next homecoming video, Ltschmidt02. This next one will be even sweeter, and perhaps more private, as you’re greeted by your wife, child and, of course, Grace.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Why do you think people have had such a strong reaction to this video? And should we perhaps leave him alone now?

Above: Various spices used in chai. Photos by Susanna Donato.

In our temperate North American climate, October means crisp blue skies, the sweet dusty smell of leaves piling up beneath trees, and of course, a burning desire for warm, spicy food and drink.

Nothing says “you’re home” in fall like a pot of something to warm you up. I love to draw that warmth from around the world: Fall is for chai masala.

“Chai” means tea in many languages, and “masala” means mixed spices in some Asian languages. In the world’s biggest coffee chain, a place where the littlest drink is “tall” and mixed lingos rule, “chai latte” is the international term for spicy tea with milk.

A warm cup of chai

In India, the person who makes and serves chai masala is known as a chai wallah. In areas where no master of chai is handy, you can do the job yourself.

Of course, you can stop into a café or buy a boxed, condensed version of chai. If you do so, expand your horizons by asking about locally available brews. (In Colorado, where I live, some cafes carry locally microbrewed Bhakti Chai, a fiery, spicy variety.) Or you can save money and gain insight by brewing your own.

Brew in Bulk

For years, my husband has made chai in large batches — about a half-gallon (2L). The recipe is flexible and easy to personalize: add more pepper and ginger if you like it spicy; more cinnamon and vanilla for a smoother, sweeter style. But the basics are:

Put a large pot of water to boil.

Toss in spices (refer to leading image): About 1/4 cup (approximately 30) green cardamom pods, a cinnamon stick or two, 3-4 star anise, about 12 cloves (too many will make it numbing), a few slices from a ginger root or a teaspoon of ginger powder, a teaspoon of black peppercorns, and a piece of nutmeg and/or a vanilla bean if you like.

Boil for 30 minutes to an hour. Your house will be infused with the good smell.

Tea brewing

Turn off the heat, add tea — 1/4 cup of tea powder, or about six black tea bags. Cover and steep 5 minutes.

Strain into a pitcher. Stir in a spoonful of vanilla extract and sweeten to taste.

To serve, heat gently with milk to taste.

The whole process takes about an hour, largely unsupervised, and you can keep the pitcher in your refrigerator for a few days, reheating as you like. Explore local markets to find spices in bulk — you’ll have a travel souvenir or a new local haunt, and you’ll save money, too.

Authentic Style

You can also boil the mixture together with milk for a strong, creamy drink that is much closer to real Indian chai masala. Caveat: India is still on my travel wish list, so feel free to chime in with your own recipes or tips if you know better! But I can guarantee this tastes fantastic.

You can crush or grind the same spices used above. Out of curiosity, I recently picked up a packet of masala chai mix at our local Indian market. The word online is that these pre-packaged spices might be stale, but this shop is well-regarded and busy.

This style is best made to serve immediately. Double or triple the recipe if you’re serving more than one.

Bring 1/2 cup of water to a boil.

Masala chai mix

Add 1/2 teaspoon chai spice mix (or to taste — our mixture’s ingredients begin with black pepper and ginger, so it is very spicy). Boil 1 minute.

Add 2 teaspoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon tea powder (powdered tea reportedly holds up better and produces better flavor than tea leaves when boiled vigorously like this; we had some Ethiopian tea powder on hand). Boil 1 minute.

Add 1 cup of milk. (Some swear by using only half-and-half or whole milk to be really rich and creamy.) Bring close to a boil.

When the mixture is almost boiling, remove it from the heat for a few moments. Then put it back. Repeat this process — a dance of almost boiling, removal, return close to the boil — 5-7 times.

Steep, covered, off the heat for two minutes.

Strain the mixture and enjoy.

Boiled chai masala is richer in taste and more expensive to make, with the milk or cream, not to mention the personal effort. You can make it while doing other kitchen chores — I’ve been known to brew it up while emptying the dishwasher — but it’s also wonderful to be contemplative about it. Mixing up this spicy goodness can be nourishing to the soul, as well as the body. Breathe it in, connect and enjoy. Namaste!

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Feature photo by Breathindigital. Above photo by Tambako

According to statistics provided by the dating website Beautiful People – where you must be rated by other members and found attractive enough to join – the British are uglier than pretty much anyone else on the planet.

Yes, the Polish, Russians and Germans seem to give the British a run for their money, but British topped the pops as not only being dipped in a bath of fug, they are truly beyond repulsive. A whopping 85% percent of British women and 90% of British men were rejected by members of the opposite sex for inclusion in the dating pool.

Even the British seem to agree.

Says RickyBee in a comment to a similar story on TVNZ:

We’re mostly heinous. It’s a combination of things: our miserable faces, horrific school food, the weather, an addiction to out of town shopping malls, scraped up dog-burgers, chips, litres of coke, complaining, a big streak of nastiness and stupid hair”

Or as Matador’s resident Brit Paul Sullivan says, “I am a dirty minger.”

Leave it to the British to come up with a word for ugly that comes from the Gaelic word for septic vagina.

Binge Drinking A Recurring Problem

Looking more deeply into the problem, it may also have to do with the massive binge drinking the British have so desperately tried to eradicate in recent years by closing pubs early or banning loud music

Not simply because of the toll consistent binge drinking takes on the body or the many nights spent face down in a ditch, but because Britain is a country with a permanent case of beer goggles. There’s no real need for Britons to spruce up their appearance in order to, as we Americans like to say, get some.

How Can You Be One of Them?

To see what the British are up against, I took a quick mosey off to Beautiful People and browsed through photo after photo of the most beautiful people in the world in order to devise a few tips to help you gain acceptance into this elite club.

For Men: All photos should be shirtless with rippling chest shaved and well greased. Always pose with the ever attractive “thumbs up” sign.

For women: Your breasts or hair – whichever feature is better — should be the main focus of your photo. Make sure to pout for the camera.

Both sexes can be greatly helped by wearing sunglasses or making sure photos are slightly blurry and taken only from the neck up.

Oh yes, and one final tip? Don’t be British.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

The definition of beauty changes greatly from person to person. It can be mind over matter. Or beauty can be best when at its most pure and natural. Other times, our attempts to make ourselves more beautiful backfire, and we find the opposite of what we want.

What does beauty mean to you?

Feature photo by Foxtongue. Photo above by kevin.j.

Back in 1859, an inventive young Frenchman called Jules Leotard began larking about with poles, ropes and rings suspended above his parents’ swimming pool. After several months of crashing and splashing, he’d perfected his new art, and on November 12th he performed the world’s first flying trapeze act at the Cirque Napoleon in Paris.

His party trick − which involved leaping between three trapeze bars and somersaulting in mid-air − drew hoards of admirers worldwide. Female fans turned giddy at the sight of him, with several allegedly proposing marriage. At London’s Alhambra Theatre he swung directly over a gasping party of banqueters, sporting a skin-tight, one-piece garment which he’d designed himself to allow free movement − and a big eyeful of muscle. The “leotard” was born.

A Young Man With His Mother’s Blessing

Photo by Stephan Silver

Fast forward nearly 100 years, and “flying” had become a global phenomenon. Safety nets were introduced in the 1870s, and the sport was no longer regarded as a purely male pastime. Where previously it was all about strength, women performers brought a new emphasis on grace and posture − and a few more sequins to the leotards, which were now worn by both sexes.

In the early 1950s, a boy from Boston ran off − “with his mother’s blessing” − to join the circus. Entranced by the unique aroma of “the popcorn, the peanuts, the elephants”, and a certain “charming young lady trapeze artist” named La Norma, 15-year-old Tony Steele asked for a job at Gil Gray’s circus in Gainesville, Texas, having taught himself on swings and mattresses at his local YMCA.

Of his debut performance, “the first thing I remember is ‘oh, ahhhh, eeeee!’” Like Leotard, he had all the girls screaming. By 1962, the shrieks were louder than ever, with Tony’s death-defying three-and-a-half somersault breaking world records (until then, only a triple had been seen), and catapulting him to the top of his profession.

Tony Steele Today: Still Doing It

Though a little greyer, he still performs and teaches today, and feels “a divine calling to pass on everything I know before it disappears”. It’s a joy to talk to this impish 73-year-old, who can still manage a double somersault, and believes no one’s too old to start learning: “Trapeze will extend your life and make you feel happier. Many of my students are middle-aged women whose husbands tell them ‘You’re crazy.’ By the end of the classes they are addicted, and telling their husbands ‘Shove off and mind your own business.’”

Photo by Stephan Silver

Tony’s top tip for anyone wanting to celebrate the 150th anniversary is the new Festif show, running till March 2010 at Paris’s Cirque d’Hiver, formerly the Cirque Napoleon, where Leotard debuted his original flying feat. Anton Von Ostendorf, of world-famous headlining act the Bull Dancers, will transform into flying trapeze’s founding father, complete with moustache and nineteenth century airs and graces.

Or you could go one better, and try trapeze yourself.

I took a course of lessons at the Pavilion Theatre in Brighton, my hometown. (And no, I didn’t wear a leotard.)

Don’t live in Brighton, there are plenty of other places you can go to learn the lovely art of trapeze: You can find schools in London, California, New York, Sydney Australia, France and Hamburg, Germany.

Club Med also hosts trapeze classes for adults and children at 21 sites across the world:

So When I Do This, What Will I Learn?

This was “static trapeze” − you need considerable experience before attempting the flying kind − but nevertheless, there was very little keeping still. After mastering basic moves the “pike” and “hock” for ascending and descending the bar, we progressed to the “bird’s nest”, the “star” and the “mermaid”. Later came my favorite, the “spider”, where from standing, you jump your feet around the ropes, lower yourself, let go your hands and drop, arachnid-like, to a dangling position below.

It may be some time before I’m summoned to the Big Top − the only gasps I got were when my classmates saw me plummet head-downwards from a poorly secured “ankle hang” − and the bruises the ropes give an inexperienced newbie are far from glamorous. But the thrill of using every sinew of my body, watching the world from upside down, and being the performer, rather than merely the spectator, of an age-old circus act, had me eagerly hanging on for more.

I can’t wait to try flying trapeze, with its daredevil moves − “death somersault” and “reverse suicide” here I come! But for now, I’m delighted to be on the trapeze at all. As Tony tells me, “It’s the most fun you can have with your clothes on”.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Have you tried your hand (or foot or leg) at the trapeze? Tell us where, when and how it was.

Photo by jspatchwork. Feature image by Bradstreet.

Urban homesteaders can grow their own food and stockpile it for the winter, raise chickens, and yield rainwater for household purposes. Some families even practice making homemade crafts, like soapmaking, and use solar energy to power their greenhouses.

While there are some obvious restrictions, like climate and lack of space, nearly any family can create a home-based economy.

Urban Homesteaders Are Nice People

Community connections are an important part of this lifestyle: one of the rules of being an urban homesteader is being a good neighbour. The Dervaes family from Pasadena, California, suggest in their 10 Elements of Urban Homesteading to always lend a hand for free. Additionally, events focusing on jam making, wine production and other home-based activities attract people of like-minds from all over.

Photo by david owen

Urban homesteaders are also always willing to share their knowledge. Dozens of blogs like the Urban Homesteader offer a wide variety of resources for being self-sufficient, including recipes and crop cultivation tips. Cool off with homemade naturally sweet tea? Don’t mind if I do.

No lie, converting your modern home to an urban homestead is a tough move — one that requires patience and time — but the long-term benefits of living green are outstanding. Organic foods are easy on the body and easy on the planet. Using bio-fuels, taking public transportation, and growing your own crops are huge money-savers.

Plus the workload encourages the whole family to participate, so drag the kids off the couch and have them tend the chicken coops.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION:

Have you created a urban homestead? Share your experiences in the comments.

I’m all for artificial intelligence and even look forward to the day I can have a nice chat with my toaster over a cup of coffee, but that doesn’t mean I want to spend my time listening carefully to voice recorded options.

Photo by Ernop

You know who I mean. That annoying (usually) woman who tells you to wait until you’ve heard all the options before making a choice. Normally, that’s good life advice. This does not apply when you’re trying to get through to AT&T to find out why your bill is suddenly twice what you think it should be.

Enter Get Human!

An online listing of hundreds of companies worldwide with information on how to reach them by phone and how to quickly dial through the voice messages in order to talk to a real live human being.

Brilliant!

Then we can all get back to the important things. Like stocking up on free iPhone apps, read a book or even wash your dishes,

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

The author’s wife, Yvonne, enjoying her childhood

I always love hearing my wife’s stories about childhood life in East Germany. Yvonne was 10 years old when she left for the West before the wall came down (yes, it was possible to leave — just very difficult).

Modern Schneeberg, where Yvonne grew up

I was finally able to visualize her stories on a trip to Germany in 2007. The DDR museum in Dresden is like stepping into a time machine — separate and fully furnished rooms of typical houses and offices rekindled strong memories for Yvonne and provided me with a glimpse into the past. (Another entertaining look back is the film Goodbye Lenin!)

After reading another traveler’s account of his brief visit to East Berlin in 1987, I thought I’d start peppering Yvonne with more questions about what it was like to grow up in the East. The below anecdotes are strictly from her memory, the way she remembered things. I didn’t want to mess that up with any research.

Childhood life in East Germany in the 80s

1. There were no bananas. You could only get them once or twice a year, and you’d only be notified of their availability by word of mouth. So you’d have to rush to the veggie store (not a veggie store as we know it — just cabbages, potatoes…anything grown locally) and stand in line to get your one banana per person in your household.

The ubiquitous Trabant (Kombi model)

To stretch the rations, Yvonne’s mum would quarter the banana, slice it thinly and serve it on bread to her and her sister.

2. You couldn’t buy strawberries from a store. If you wanted them you had to go and work in the fields picking them for hours. You were allowed to buy a certain portion of the ones you picked.

Yvonne remembers her mum telling her, “Don’t worry about picking, just eat as many as you can!”

3. Luxury items were priced way out of proportion to people’s salaries. A black and white TV might cost 10 times a person’s monthly salary; a 200g bag of coffee would cost around $20.

4. If you wanted to buy a car — most likely the ubiquitous Trabant — you had to wait years. Like, 10-12 years. So people who turned 16 (although you had to be 18 to drive) would put their orders in to get their mitts on a car when they were in their late 20s.

5. Yvonne remembers visiting the Baltic Sea twice in her childhood for vacation. They didn’t have much choice of where they could go. Holiday homes were usually linked and subsidized through work and you could obtain use of them once in a while.

6. You could only watch one of a few state channels, but radio waves know no walls (well, except maybe lead ones), so those close to the border were able to pick up signals from the West.

Luckily, Yvonne’s family was able to, so they had some access to the West’s news. Obviously, this was all very hush hush.

7. Every child was part of the Pioneers: Grades 1-4 were Blue Pioneers, 5-7 were Red Pioneers, and grades 8-10 graduated to the Free German Youth (FDJ).

When you first arrived to school, all the students would stand at attention and salute the teacher.

The teacher would say, “Be prepared!”, and the students would reply, “Always prepared!” before giving the salute, and then the day began.

Every 7 October, Yvonne — along with all the other Pioneers — would join in the parade commemorating the birth of the GDR. They dressed up in their Pioneer outfits, waved flags and flowers, and cheered.

Yvonne taking a bath in the sink.

8. Yvonne’s home had no bathtub or shower, only a sink and a toilet. She was fortunate enough to have a grandma with a bath, so once a week they would make their way there. Hot water didn’t just flow out of the taps though.

The water was heated by charcoal stove. A big water tank sat next to the tub with a little stove underneath where charcoal had to be shoveled in. The charcoal was delivered a few times per year by a big truck. They would leave a big pile of it and the residents had to shovel their portion of the coal into their allotted space in the basement.

Even at her own house without tub or shower, they needed to heat the water this way. They lived on the fifth floor, so Yvonne remembers having to walk all the way down to the basement with a couple of buckets and back up with them topped full of charcoal.

The fonder memories

It wasn’t all trying though. Everyone had a job, school lunches were free, after-school care was free, people were generally happy, necessities were extremely cheap, and there was more community spirit than there is nowadays. In those times, there were no Joneses to keep up with.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

For a beautiful photo essay on modern Berlin through an ex-pat’s lens, check out Paul Sullivan’s Berlin 20/20: A Photo Tour of a Reunited City.

To find out how Berliners are going to celebrate this November 9, check out Two Ways to Celebrate the Fall of the Berlin Wall.

Do you have any of your own stories to tell? Share with us below!