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A Pioneer Childhood - Heike Jahns
Everyone remembers their childhood. Some of us did this, and some of us did that.But, everyone did exactly the same where Heike Jahns grew up! Everyone was a pioneer, and that's how it was in the GDR!
And, Heike Jahns looks back upon this time with pleasure. The pioneers were life both in and out of school, and the fun began in the very first class. It was there that all the children were ceremoniously accepted into the organisation, and from then on the wearing of the uniform became a part of everyday life. And, Heike Jahns still remembers how proud she used to be in her white blouse and blue scarf.
And, Heike Jahns especially remembers Wednesday afternoons. These were activity afternoons, and everything was provided and organized by the pioneers. There were visits to the cinema, dancing lessons, theatre workshops, musical evenings, and every other kind of club imaginable, and mostly at no cost at all.Everyone was in with a chance, which of course, made it easy for families to manage. But, there was sport, too. And sport was especially encouraged. And, encouraged, too, were the camps.
And, these were every child's dream. Summer with friends in the country with everything laid on.
There was good food, and activities from morning until night. And, not only that.Camps were the perfect place for making new friends. There were children from not only the GDR, but, other socialist countries as well.
But, of course, the evenings were always the best. They were the perfect way of ending each day, and, the pioneer songs which were sung round the fire after dark were special and full of wonderful emotional feelings. And, these were the moments of magic.
But, it would be wrong to believe that the pioneers were only good fun. There were dull moments, too. And Heike Jahns remembers Mondays as being the worst. Mondays were Flag Days and started at seven in the morning. There was an assembly in the school yard and everyone was there. And then, after the unenthusiastic singing of one or two songs and the reading of notices concerning achievements and coming events, allegiance was sworn to the flag. Flag Days were not a nice way of starting the week!
But, of course, the pioneers were there to provide a pattern for life, and so a system was needed. Primary school children were known as pioneers, and their uniform was a white shirt or blouse with a blue scarf. And then, in the 5th class, the children went up to the Thälmann Pioneers and the blue scarf was swapped for a red one. Ernst Thälmann, by the way, was the chairman of the German Communist party before the 2nd World War.
And, success was very important for all pioneers. Achievements were recognized in the form of badges which were sewn onto uniforms. And, each time a new badge was achieved, it was awarded with ceremony.
And, ceremony was a very important part of pioneer life, and the most important ceremony of all was the going-up to the highest. At the end of the 7th class, the white shirt was exchanged for a blue one. Childhood had now been left behind, and everyone was now a member of the Free German Youth (FDJ). The perfect conclusion of a wonderful period as a proud pioneer!
But, there's a sad irony in this childhood story. It's a story that can never be repeated. Neither Heike Jahns's grandchildren, nor her great-grand children will ever become pioneers. Heike Jahns's childhood vanished into a past that will never return. The pioneers no longer exist – and – even more dramatically - nor does the country she grew up in! The GDR, as everyone knows, is now part of the German Republic. And, whether that's good or bad, is a question for history!
But, the past was the present at the time, and Heike Jahns remembers it well!
Vocabulary
achieved (to achieve/achieved/achieved) - vollbringen
allegiance – Treue
awarded (to award/awarded/awarded) – verleihen
badge – Abzeichen
childhood – Kindheit
GDR – (German Democratic Republic) - DDR
grew up – (to grow up/grew up/grown up) - aufwachsen
laid on (to lay on/laid on/laid on) - organized
sewn (to sew/sewed/sewn) – annähen
sworn (to swear/swore/sworn) -
schwören
Questions Heike Jahns
In which class did the
children become pioneers?
Did Heike Jahn's first
uniform have an orange or red tie?
Why were Wednesdays always
special?
For what were pioneer
summer camps perfect?
Why were Monday mornings
boring and dull?
What did the pioneer
children become in the 7th class?
Who was Ernst Thälmann?
