Part 55: The Challenges Of Rural Football Despite the recommendations and advice from the central assembly, the development of a joyful socialist youth life proved to be extraordinarily difficult. Everything was lacking.
Part 54: A Stormy Bike Ride Through The Night The school year flowed by without any noteworthy events. In early summer, I occasionally treated myself to a few relaxing swimming lessons with a few classmates in the well-maintained municipal saltwater pool.
Part 53: The Birth Of A Musical Passion In the fifth year after the war, living conditions had improved somewhat. In the cities, too, no one had to starve anymore, but food rations on stamps were still very modest.
Part 52: The Affair With Odysseus When I proudly started the new school year on my bike at the beginning of September, the fruit tenant had already set up his stand at the point of the field path where he could keep an eye on as many trees as possible.
Part 51: A School Year Full Of Experiences I made good progress in class, but sometimes I had trouble with math. If I didn’t understand something, I ran to the dormitory with my classmates and did my homework there. In the community, I was able to close the gaps in my knowledge.
Part 50: A Daring Operation And A Brush With Death A few days later, when I came home from school, there was great excitement in the house. Änne lay in bed burning with fever. The children were crying and standing helplessly in front of their mother’s bedside. I suspected what had happened. Hilde had performed an abortion despite the considerable risk. Probably the fetus had …
Part 49: A Lesson In Unexpected Hunger Aunt Else finally moved from the city to our village. Her husband had returned home shortly after the war emaciated and terminally ill, only to die after a few weeks.
Part 48: Battling The Elements For Education As announced in the timetable, the bulging subject matter fell mercilessly upon me. After a brief time, it became clear that I was one of the weakest students.
Part 47: A New School Experience The school building radiated a pleasant atmosphere. My class was furnished with three rows of folding benches and a locker, as was common. The large, multi-level blackboard covered the entire front wall.
Part 46: A Nature Walk On The Way To School In late summer, right in the first days of September, I set out for my first day of school. When I left the house early in the morning, swallows were already gathering in long rows, chirping excitedly on the power lines.
