“Ostalgie” is a term used to describe a nostalgic longing for the East German state and all of its trappings. Contrary to popular belief, while most East Germans were grateful to be intergrated into the West, it hasn’t been a smooth process and the struggle continues today. Former East Germans often feel that their culture and traditions were obliterated in favor of the capitalist West. Also, the East German states continue to be on average poorer and less prosperous than their Western counterparts. Symbols of the East are everywhere, from Trabant rental services to the growing presence of “Ampelmann”, the ubiquitous crosswalk guardian here in Berlin with his origins in the East.

As a child of the Cold War whose uncle was stationed in West Berlin for the better part of the late 70s-early 80s, I am intrigued by the fact that I am living in East Berlin. Our U-Bahn stop, Rosenthaler Platz, was a “ghost station”, where trains from the West would pass through but were unable to stop. The Wall is everywhere, and the meandering path was confusing for me until I remembered that West Berlin was a literal island. The prevalence of Vietnamese and Chinese restaurants in our neighborhood seems out of place, until I remember that these were allied nations with East German communist state. From the Soviet Brutalist architecture to the remnants of The Wall and the towering Fernsehturm, it has been exciting to finally be here and see the Forbidden City with my own eyes.