06/06/2023
This all started when I was sixteen, back in the seventies. My grandparents, who were born in Germany but had become US citizens, were planning a return trip to visit family. My parents asked if I wanted to go, and I jumped at the chance. I loved my grandparents, absolutely everything about them, and I was ready… I had been taking German in school for several years and was getting good at it.
We went for six weeks the following summer. We flew with Lufthansa out of JFK Airport in New York, on a Boeing 747. My grandmother took me upstairs to the lounge. I was amazed. There was white linen on the tray tables for food service. The seats were roomy. Passengers could smoke on board. That was ages ago, before cell phones and even before color TV. A long time ago, as I said, and for that six weeks, I was completely immersed in another culture. No one spoke English except my grandparents, and even they spoke German to me. Food was different, the Autobahn was a revelation and the cars were tiny and strange looking. Pop music was prevalent on the radio- and I was a fan of rock and roll... Faces, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Cream. There were no phone calls to or from home- post cards and letters were the accepted and common way to connect with each other. I wrote home about daily life, local festivals, family get togethers.
Those six weeks changed my life. I now knew there was a much bigger world waiting to be explored and I set goals to do just that. I eventually landed a job with a prestigious, international company from Germany and traveled the world. I was fortunate enough to live in Germany for a few years and took the opportunity to travel all over Europe. I shared these experiences with my daughter and she's developed her own deep connections overseas. I believe my grandparents would be glad.
