der Ossi

The word Ossi is the, often derogatory, term for an east German person. I must admit that before I came here, I was slightly apprehensive about being in East Germany. Most of this was my own prejudice. All I knew about East Germany was that Dresden was firebombed out of existence, bananas were a luxury, and everyone speaks Russian.

Another part of my apprehension was the West Germans. It's like in the US, when everyone says that people from Arkansas are so inbred that the entire state only has 3 last names. Or how we joke that California girls (while unforgettable) are superficial, fake-tanned, and perpetually searching for “the after party.” We all sort of know that the people aren't like that, but we joke about the stereotypes because we all know them and it's all just in fun.

I told one German that I was going to East Germany and his next questions was if I had ever learned any fighting sports. I've also watched the movie “Goodbye, Lenin” more times that I can count. Needless to say, my thoughts one East Germany were not the best.

I got to Neubrandenburg about 24 hours ago and really expected to find 1950's style Soviet tenements everywhere. I'm still waiting. I walked out of the train station and was ready to practice my Russia alphabet skills, but everything is in German. I figured I'd have to ask an old woman in a head scarf for directions, but I haven't seen one yet.

I didn't realize I was prejudiced against the East Germans until I found myself always looking around to have these stereotypes confirmed only to have them disproven by the hour. I asked one German girl how long she'd learned Russian, and she doesn't speak a stick of it. I found myself comparing the prices of bananas in the store here to back in Radolfzell; they're the same price. It is shocking to realize you have a prejudice, and it's also really hard to unlearn. I honestly have to say that I still sort of expect the people to be corrupt or lazy like all the West German jokes and films portray them, and this is going to be hard for me to stop expecting.

I don't think I'm going to give my first impressions on Neubrandenburg just yet because I've realized how biased it is. I mean, this is a cool city. My roommates name is, I think, Zoltan, and there is a tattoo convention next week in town. I promise not to get inked. But all things considered I really don't think I could give unbiased social or cultural commentary at this point. Give me some time to stop expecting a parade of tanks and ICBMs to come rolling down the street first.

However, I have to say that some stereotypes are at least partially based in fact. When I got into the cab, the three girls that picked me up started speaking Russian in the backseat. And when the cab driver wrote the receipt for the ride, he wrote it to say that we paid more than we really had so we'd get reimbursed more. Some of the stereotypes are fun and funny, but I'm more wary about how the others that I've learned will affect me.