The fall of the Berlin Wall---Best day in my life

a huge ceremony

It is a regular Thursday midnight when I’m wake up by some loud noise; it is my neighbor Heinrich Tobias and his brother Gotthold knocking at my window crazily. It’s only 3 a.m. in the morning, how could he be so excited? I thought as I walk to the window tiredly. “Florian! You never know what is happening!! The revolution is begun; they are torning down the wall.” Before I walked over to the window he couldn't help began to yelling. I screamed out with joy cannot believe what I hearted. I tremble to turn on the radio he handed to me; every channel was filled with the event in Berlin " come on let's drive to the wall. It's a big day." Gotthold yelled. It was a normal cold, dry November day. Temperature is below zero degree, but I can’t feel any cold. We carry a thermos bottle of coffee, two sausages, extra warm clothes, sleeping bags, and a battery-powered radio. The two of us packed into my 10 year old second-hand Volkswagen bug and we drove off. We drove along, and listening to the radio, the only thing was Berlin. Heinrich and Gotthold start to singing in the back of my car and beating on my car chairs, if it was yesterday I will definitely stop them, but now even if they smash my beloved car into piece I will say nothing. Along the way, over two million Germans from both East and West were gathered in the street holding a large party. After one hour we finally reach the wall which took us 45 minutes more to get there because of crazy traffic jam. At one point in the wall, many people had begun to tear down the wall. Our dream is come true; we succeeded in carrying away a three meter tall slab. Others start to singing or dancing on the wall. And we surprisingly met people from other countries in Europe like, Spain, France and England: they had all left their homes and come to see the memorable day that the wall to be push down. Germans were drunk with joy. Everyone spoke in all sorts of languages and half languages. But none of these languages can press my happiness. Everything was out of control. Police on horses watched. There was nothing they could do. But we are not afraid of them anymore. And it is weird and excited that a day before, we would have been shot for being here , but now people were knocking off pieces to take home as a souvenir of an unforgettable night. It's my best day ever!

The wall of shame

Today is a normal as usual; I am eating breakfast with my parents. Suddenly there is an old man passes by my windows, he reminds me my grandparents who live in West Germany. My parents and I miss them very much but I cannot visit them because of the Berlin Wall. We want to escape from East Germany to West Germany for many times. These are some reasons of that, first of all, I really want to be with my grandparents and other relatives, and we have not met for three months because they are all live in West Germany. Then, people who are live in West Germany are freer. It means that we are under the control of the Socialism; until now we are not adapt and accept this institution. Like we do not have the freedom of speech, we cannot buy our private car nor do some private business. At last, the life of my family is getting poorer and poorer. There are not have enough goods and material in East Germany, also whatever you have a good job or not, the incomes are basically the same, so we want to move to the West Germany.

            Actually, my family has tried to escape, but we failed. We tunneled a secret way under the Berlin wall, but when we passed through this tunnel, unfortunately, the soldiers who defended this wall found us, and he hut my father. So we are afraid of escaping to West Germany, because maybe next time we will die for this.

escape from East Berlin

Fly ober berlin wall by hot ballon

I want escape from East Berlin! I have had this thought since the day the Berlin Wall has built. And I have to say that at first I really don’t have courage, especially knows that how those cruel polices threat that failure climber. But what Peter fetcher did on August 17, 1962 is really inspire me. This poor 18 years old boy was shot and left to bleed to death for 52 minutes!! I just couldn't control to roar. He is one of the most well know people at that time. And this event also caused an outcry from the press throughout the world, after that thousands and hundreds people tried to escape by climbing over the wall but there are up to one hundred died in the process, most were shot. During these person has my best friend. I spend a long period of dark time and almost give up my secret mission until June 26, 1963 when American president John F. Kennedy came to Berlin and have that unforgettable speech. I still remember clearly for what he said: “All -- All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin. And, therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words "Ich bin ein Berliner." Yes, I’m the Berlin man, a proud Berlin man I cannot give up! I feel blood rush and start to prepare for my escape. Due to some people even tried to make hot air balloon fly over the wall the purchase of light weight cloth was strictly controlled. And I don’t have trucks can ramming through the wall, or boat can across the river. I thought the most safety way to dig tunnels. Tunneling was hard work and took long months to complete so I persuade my neighbor Heinrich Tobias who also inspired by Kennedy’s speech to do it together. We dig the tunnels in deep secrecy every night to make sure East German soldiers would not discover them. And we spend almost 7month to build only 100 yards long. But we have confidence that we can do it. Until one day Heinrich left his glove beside the tunnel, leading to the tunnel's discovery and closure. I was wake up in the hospital the other day. Although my leg is broken and our tunnel is gone, I won't give up.