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Show After decade of freedom, Boone visits Berlin Wall ' ' V I ,ta r J I u v " 1 I 1 By GARY BLODGETT Sports Fditor When Boone Chen loured behind the iron curtain of Europe a few weeki ago, the sights he saw were almost too much for the 22-year-old University of Utah photo student who lives in Bountiful. "What I saw brought back memories of my early life in occupied Thailand, and what it would have been like without my mother's visions vi-sions of freedom," said Boone with tears in his eyes. "It was very difficult for me to look through the holes in the Berlin Wall and see the rundown conditions of East Berlin. It was as different as black and white. No one can comprehend freedom unless they have lived without it." Boone reflected on his early life in Thailand, waiting in line for the family's daily ration of food - just enough food to stay alive. "I saw people standing in line at the market place, waiting to buy food. It wasn't the same as the food lines in Thailand, but it brought back memories. I simply couldn't photograph the market place. There were too many bad memories." Boone related how he and his family fled Thailand when he was only nine or 10 years old. "Even at that age I could understand the difference between freedom and living under a controlled government. govern-ment. Born in Laos of Chinese ancestry, Boone and his family fled that country in 1977. He lived in a Thailand refugee camp for about three years before arriving in America on March 10, 1980 at age 12. v Boone took the mid-European tour with 22 other photographers in a class sponsored by the Division of Continuing Education, University Univer-sity of Utah. The class, labeled "Project Discovery," included four photographers from south Davis County. More than 700 roles of film - 32 roles for each photographer --were --were donated by Eastman Kodak Company. Boone said the tour began in Frankfurt, Germany, March 7 and lasted about three weeks. "Our goal was to take pictures of the Europeans, to capture on film their expressions of freedom and their way of life in both the communist and non-communist countries," said Boone. He said the Berlin Wall fell just a couple of weeks before the group arrived in Europe. "When the trip was planned, the wall was in place, and we had no idea that we would see history in the making," said Boone. "We had visas to visit behind the Iron Curtain. ' He said the trip was much more than any of them had expected. The pictures on thus page depict the happiness of the people - both East and West Berliners as they celebrated the fall of the wall. "Teen-agers were frustrated and confused, as well as overjoyed, with the new-found freedom," said Boone. The elderly who knew the value of freedom - were conservatively happy." "It was a wonderful but frustrating experience," said Boone. "I want to go back, but not until things get settled down." Meanwhile, Boone asked that this story be dedicated to his mother, who led him to freedom several years ago, and to his host parents, Dan and Mary Davidson of Bountiful, who have taken him in and supported him since he arrived in America. Pictures and chips of the Berlin Wall are sold as souvenirs. ... - - ! I N i ... ' " ) v' V Getting a helping hand, tourists and local residents climb atop wall. I r r : 1 7 L f i rl " j Photos by I I B00NE CHEN rTlc n. mmwm I V r , . .. jui ul jl ' J ' f j i r v ... 4 Xs f - - 1 Damaging wall on the east side was forbidden, but couldn't be stopped. jkV If f ti I ff I ' V 1 West Berlin boy slipped into East Berlin to chip away at the Berlin Wall (top). Large hole in the I 4 wall is looking from West to East Berlin (above), and West Berliners line up right) to chip their I own piece of the historic wall. l.J,.. V T 1 |