Life in Winterberg

Despite my newfound perspective, self-doubt still clouded my mind. I still felt isolated, like being a stranger not belonging there. My mother’s overprotectiveness didn’t help either. My life was school and home and caring for my two younger sisters. There wasn’t any time or opportunity to make friends.

Speaking of school, in the 40s West Germany was Catholic and Lutheran and our public school was Catholic, and we were in the minority being Lutheran. Unfortunately, out pastor didn’t want us to be exposed to Catholic religious practices, so he decided to have us separated in class. All grades were in one classroom, because we were only a few students in each grade.

The separation made me feel uncomfortable. I wanted to belong and make friends. I found myself asking: “Where do I belong? What am I doing in this town and in this school separated from the other children?” Looking back, I could never understand why this had to be done. The children could have been together in grade-related classes and separated only for religious studies. Check out the rest of my entry at http://annerosv.com/life-in-winterberg/