In this study, twelve citizens of Leipzig were interviewed about their daily lives within the East German transformation process. The author describes how and with what consequences citizens in the new federal states engage with the new social system. The most important empirical finding is a surprising stability of everyday life throughout the process of upheaval. While the actors have a guideline in the midst of the confusion, they cannot always expect that their life-established and therefore not easily changeable daily routines will fit with the new institutions.