Dad’s Journey

It was the late summer of 1989, and the world was shifting beneath our feet.

My childhood began in the quiet towns of East Germany, where the rhythm of daily life was punctuated by the hum of a divided nation. As a boy, I watched the world beyond the Iron Curtain with a mixture of curiosity and yearning, dreaming of the places I could only glimpse on maps and hear about in whispered stories.

When I turned twelve, the winds of change blew harder than ever. My family made a decision that would alter the course of our lives: we would leave the familiar streets of our hometown and seek a new beginning in the West. The journey was far from simple. We crossed three countries—first slipping into Czechoslovakia, then navigating the rolling hills of Austria, and finally stepping onto the soil of West Germany. Each border we passed felt like a small triumph, each checkpoint a reminder of the courage it took to chase freedom.

Arriving in West Germany as pre‑teens, we were strangers in a land that was both familiar and foreign. The language sounded the same, yet the cadence was different; the schools were larger, the opportunities broader. My parents worked tirelessly to rebuild our lives, finding jobs, a modest apartment, and a community that welcomed us despite the scars of our past. In those early days, I learned the resilience that comes from starting over—how to make friends in a new classroom, how to navigate a different school system, and how to keep hope alive when the future seemed uncertain.

High school became a turning point. Surrounded by classmates who had grown up in a free West, I discovered a passion for learning that stretched beyond textbooks. I excelled in history, fascinated by the very forces that had reshaped my own family’s destiny. It was during these formative years that an unexpected opportunity arrived: an exchange program with a high school in the United States.

Leaving Germany again—this time voluntarily—felt like a full circle. I boarded a plane bound for America, carrying with me the stories of escape, adaptation, and perseverance. The United States greeted me with its sprawling campuses, diverse cultures, and an openness that reminded me of the promise I had chased as a child. I spent a year immersed in a new education system, forming friendships that spanned continents, and experiencing the everyday freedoms that many take for granted.

That exchange year didn’t just broaden my horizons; it cemented a belief that borders are lines drawn on maps, not barriers to human connection. It taught me that the courage to move forward—whether across a continent or within one’s own heart—creates the foundation for future generations.

Today, as I look back on that summer of 1989 and the subsequent chapters of our family’s story, I see a tapestry woven from threads of bravery, adaptability, and hope. Those experiences have shaped not only who I am but also the values we pass down to our children: the importance of seizing opportunities, the strength found in perseverance, and the belief that wherever we go, home is built by the people we love and the journeys we undertake together.

Our story continues, and every new page is written with the same spirit that carried us across three borders in pursuit of a brighter tomorrow.