2020/2021
Collection 16

Crossing the Border Every Day

1955–1959; West Berlin, West Germany; East Berlin, East Germany(1)

Can you imagine going to school in a different country than the one you live in? My saba(2) Adam Pilarski did that six times a week.

Adam moved to Berlin in 1955, when he was seven years old. He moved there because his father was a diplomat for Poland and was stationed in Berlin. But Berlin was cut in half. There was West Berlin, and there was East Berlin. My saba lived in West Berlin but would go to school in East Berlin. Poland had a Communist(3) government and was friendly with East Berlin, so Adam had to go to a school where he would be taught “politically correct things” by East German teachers.

From 1955 to 1959 Adam and his little brother, Gienek, would take the subway to their school. It took an hour for them to travel to school each day. Often people would ask them if they were ditching school, because it was uncommon for kids to go on that subway between East Berlin and West Berlin. Adam would say that he goes to school in a different city and country. Most people didn’t believe him and would say, “You have an exam in math today, don’t you?” When the subway would cross the border, there would be soldiers who would search the train for bad characters. They didn’t search Adam or his brother, because they were kids.

Going to school in East Berlin was hard at first for Adam, because he didn’t speak the language. He remembers that on the first day of school he wore a hat, and when he got to school the guards started shouting, “Mütz ab!” Adam didn’t know what those words meant and later told his parents that people had yelled at him. The next day his parents took him to school and clarified that he had to take off his hat before he went inside. Adam also didn’t understand his classroom teacher. But by the end of first grade he understood German and the rules.

In school Adam learned the usual things like math, German history, and science. But he also learned a lot of political things. At that time there was a lot of propaganda saying that West Berlin was a horrible place with lots of crime. The kids would ask Adam, “Wait! You live there? Is it really so bad?”

Adam would say, “No, it’s really much nicer. The stores are nicer.” The teachers talked to Adam’s parents and told him not to volunteer that information. Adam also was taught how evil the West was, especially America. His English textbook had a story saying that the American children would go door-to-door to ask for breakfast because they were starving.

Adam left Germany in 1959. In 1961 the East German government built the Berlin Wall, which fully separated East Berlin from West Berlin. But before the wall was built, my saba would cross that border regularly.

Katie Pilarski; New York, USA

1. Although the city of Berlin was 100 miles inside East Germany, West Berlin was part of West Germany.

2. Saba is Hebrew for “grandfather.”

3. In a Communist system, the government controls farms and businesses, and often limits individual rights.

This photo of Adam was taken around 1955, at the time the above story took place.
Photo compliments of the author's family.

This copyrighted story may be copied and/or printed for limited classroom or personal use. To reprint this story in an article about The Grannie Annie, please contact The Grannie Annie Family Story Celebration for permission.

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