This rainy Canada Day is a fitting time to write about the anniversary of my arrival in Canada, twenty-four years ago! I was just fresh out of high school in my small hometown at the footfills of the Bavarian alps in Germany.
I am from Marktoberdorf, about 100km South-West of Munich, near the Austrian and Swiss borders.
It’s really very beautiful there. Beautiful, and rural ….
As I was looking through photos just now, I found this one of the big hill that I biked down every morning to get to school … down was easy!
So, I was out of high school, and my first big relationship break-up had left me devastated and rudder-less, when I found out about a job opportunity as an au-pair in Halifax. It was a six-month commitment, what did I have to loose? So off I went …
The eldest of my three brothers, Thomas, lived in Munich, and came to the airport to see me off. I had never been on an airplane before. I had never been so far from home. And I did not speak English … Luckily, I had no idea of the abyss I was jumping into!
Long story short, I learned the language, and I ended up staying with the family for three years. By that time, I had fallen in love with Halifax, and – much to my poor mother’s heartache- decided to stay.
And I am very happy that I did! Happy 24th anniversary to me :)
I love this story. I have known you for so long but know so little of your history.
It’s interesting to see that of course my daughter is now doing a similar thing (see today’s post)!