Climate Migration and a Conversation on the Berlin Wall

A piece of the Berlin Wall

Today, we toured the city of Berlin. The tour was constructed around dialogue and focused on the theme of climate migration. Rose, our tour guide, and a woman who grew up in a village in Kenya, led our tour. She compared her village's access to water, food chain, and view of climate change and climate justice.

Her first few thoughts were introductions to Berlin as a home to a layered history, and how many rivers run through it. It’s a place that feels alive in both a historical and a natural sense. When walking by an overgrown part of town, she shared, she thought Berlin was messy because people often forgot that they need to co-exist with nature, especially in a city society. I’ve noticed Berlin feels much greener than Hamburg, which already has a good amount of nature integrated into its layout. But the comparison that hits home is with the United States. So many U.S. cities are lacking true walkability and accessible green areas. It makes those cities feel less interesting and less beautiful. You can also feel this difference in the quality of the air. It is often moggy and dry in my city, and here it is like a breath of fresh air; somehow it's lighter.

When stopping by a mural that narrated, "Money has no value, capitalism doesn't work," our guide shared that a new hydro-factory is being built in Berlin for Tesla Inc. She also mentioned how brands like Tesla claim to be ethical and completely sustainable, but like I said in previous posts, sustainability is important in the social and economic aspects, not just the ecological ones. In reality, this company is destroying communities. This is especially apparent in third-world countries like Kenya, where unwanted things are thrown away. This is an example of how capitalism permeates every part of our lives and constantly sets back sustainability practices. She shared that in her village in Kenya, big water companies buy the community's water, then sell it back to locals, in order to turn over a profit.

These communities need these resources, such as a clean source of water and the right to migrate. She began to explain the differences between Berlin's water source and her village. We made a brief stop at a water pump nearby, and she explained the cultural and historical impact of these green fountains. In WWII, often, water pumps or supplies were targeted, and because the city relied on this water, it was precious. Similarly, her village believes water is incredibly precious, and it is, because they often have to ration the water for the week as the surrounding villages take from the same water source. It is not just the men, wives, and children; it's also water rationed for the animals, such as camels. Often, it is the woman's job to give water to the children and the man to take care of the animals. This correlates with domestic violence, because men become angry and blame the women for the water crisis. So, clean water isn’t treated as a luxury in Germany; it’s just expected.

We even visited a fountain in the city that displayed a seemingly endless flow of water. At first, I thought it was beautiful, but then I found myself questioning it. It felt strange knowing that we use water for aesthetic purposes in certain circumstances. While some communities are carefully measuring out water to last through the week, others have enough to let it spill over sculptures without a second thought.

We ended the tour looking at some of the graffiti painted across the walls, floors, ceilings, etc. On the train ride over, I noticed Berlin had a lot more graffiti, and I loved it. Nobody prepares you for the amount of art on the walls in Berlin. Rose said that graffiti is a representation of what people are feeling; Similar to how art imitates life. I also noticed how the air is a little less fresh here than in Hamburg. There are also cobblestones everywhere, and people are always in a hurry (always walking, biking, or running).

The day continued, and we met after lunch at the Berlin Wall Memorial Center to take a tour and ask questions to an eyewitness. I felt as though I understood the history of Germany more fully after this experience, and got to take a look at the actual parts of the wall that were still standing. As we walked, we came across a sort of installation of metal bars sticking out of the ground. We were told that they represented the wall, but the difference is that you could easily pass through them. This was important to show the distinction because during the war, there was no way you could pass through any doors or anything. Now you can, in a way. If you do not know the history of the Berlin Wall, I'll break it down for you. First, a quick timeline. In 1961, The socialist Unity Party (SED) sealed off a wall around West Berlin. This is because the GDR (German Democratic Republic) wanted to create a single stable power and control the East and West parts of the city. This wall kept the two sides from interacting.

The witness to the Berlin Wall period and the fall of the wall was Susanne Schädlich, now a German writer and activist. We began to ask our prepared questions as a group. For a brief idea of what she was doing in Berlin....well, her book captures much of it, but what stood out most was her reflections on the questions we were asking. Most of our questions revolved around the differences between the two sides of the country. Susanne admitted that, as a child during the height of the conflict, she didn’t fully understand the situation. She only knew that her parents often disagreed, and that she wasn't allowed to talk about it.

She remembered hearing the same phrase from both sides: “You go back to where you came from.” She adapted to her environment because she had to, not because she wanted to. Even as a kindergartner, she was outspoken, but she learned early on to be cautious with her words and choose her friends wisely, because it was a matter of survival. One of the most surprising parts of her story came after the Wall fell (or at least parts of it). Her uncle revealed that he had been a double spy-reporting on his own family to the Stasi (secret police). Naturally, they felt deeply betrayed, and her family chose never to speak to him again.

When the Berlin Wall fell, Susanne was in L.A., after she had been living in the United States for a few years. She thought it was a joke at first, but eventually saw the news. It was a traumatic experience for her, to say the least. After spending so much of her life trying to escape the divide between East and West, hearing that the wall had fallen was both shocking and heartbreaking.

One thing she shared that struck me was her response when asked if she missed Germany while living in the United States. She said, "America put me back together again like Humpty Dumpty and all the king's horses." Her words highlight the idea of America as a refuge for those seeking asylum and emphasize how important it is for the country to uphold these values and remain a beacon of protection.

There’s so much more to unpack from this conversation. If you're ever curious, my contact email is below. Feel free to ask me questions about this experience or others.

Overall, I found this talk especially important, not just because of the historical significance, but because I genuinely enjoy learning how history shapes people’s perspectives and the institutions we live with today. It was incredibly interesting, and I’m truly thankful we had the opportunity to hear directly from someone who lived so close to the heart of the conflict. Overall, I’m glad this week took a historical turn. It gave me a deeper understanding of Berlin and Germany as a whole.

After a long, stressful day, we wrapped up with dinner and well-deserved free time. A lighter end to a dark day.

Check in tomorrow when we take the train back to Hamburg! Farewell, Berlin. I'll miss you.

Metal bars, representing parts where the Berlin Wall used to be.