I worked at school even harder than before. After one year I passes the 1st Teacher Exam. Then two years later in October of 1948 I passed the final exam. Shortly before the division of the Berlin Senate into East and West. This turned out to be very fortuitous for me later on. When we fled to West Germany 13 years later my Teacher Certification was fully accepted in the West. One month later and I would have had to put in another 4 semesters in West to get re-certified. A twist of fate I am very grateful for.
I don’t have anything to report about my work at school. I got along well with my students. I don’t remember any details.
I taught at the 14th Primary School in the Regatta Street, where I was once was a student before going to High School.
I do remember something from the time of great hunger. A few years after 1945 the Swedish Donations started. The students received every day at break time either a chocolate bar or hot cocoa. Very important since many had to wait for evening the get anything to eat.
Later on they started with School Meal Programs. We teachers passes out plates of hot food. I still remember potatoes, sauerkraut and blood sausage. You could not remover that smell for ages. But it didn’t bother anybody. The teachers were hungry too.
Later on I was transferred to the 18th school on Oberschoeneweide. So I lost my two friends, Mrs. Dornfeld and Mrs. Holmtraud Klara. Mrs. Dornfeld soon moved with her husband to the West.
Mrs. Klara became a well know school director in the East. After retiring she became Volkskammerabgeordnete.
I am still in contact with Mrs. Dornfeld.
The loss of my friends was offset by a new love. I met my second husband, your father, at the new school.
At first I did not get to talk to him at all. He haunted the halls of the school as a lonesome figure. My colleagues told me that everybody left him alone because he was going through a divorce.
Many months later we had a teachers summer party with dancing. And there we discovered a sudden spark between us. We were married the following March.