Why I am a European

[Alex K]

I'm German, and even though we went mad and killed everyone, I found myself born a mere 34 years later, and somehow, almost everyone was friends with us, quite astonishing. France was just a 20 minutes drive away, and going there to get baguettes and such not an unusual thing to do. When I was 5 or so, my parents or someone told me that somewhere there was a border where they'd shoot if you try to cross. I was afraid when we crossed into france, I think they laughed when I asked whether there would be shooting. The fact that there wasn't is remarkable if you think about it. A few years later I watched the wall fall on TV in my pajamas. Now that I've receny lived longer than the time that has passed between my birth and the liberation of Auschwitz, I finally realize how short a time that is and how remarkable it is that the relationship between the European countries is what it is.