In the Summer of 2018, my family took a trip to Germany to visit my father’s parents and our cousins. We left for about a month and traveled from Southwestern Germany to Northern Italy. The picture above was taken in Osterburken, Baden-Wuttenberg. Baden-Wattenburg is one of the 15 states in Germany and is known to be the largest. My father’s cousin, Ditma, had a place there, with a large house and several warehouses. He started a business for home maintenance and basic repairs in the early 90s, and since then has been very successful. He is wearing a bright green shirt, next to my father, who also has a green shirt and glasses on.
It was pretty fascinating to be up close with Ditma’s business, and his sons who both held important positions as well. His sons are pictured behind the lady with a red shirt, Ditma’s mother. On the left, with a blue shirt, is Michael. On the right is Phillip, who is currently racing Go-Kart among the best in Germany. His girlfriend, Emily, is standing in front of him with a blue and white dress. She places even better in national Go-Kart racing, where she has placed top 5 in all of Germany. My brothers and I got the chance to race them, but it was over in a matter of moments.
What made the trip to Osterburken special was seeing the change that had taken place there. We had gone there once before in 2010. Back then, my brothers and I would be driven in tiny wagons by Phillip in his tractor. We tried badminton and rolled up and down the hill near their house. We hiked in forests, and never stepped inside until it was pitch black out. I would pick berries deep in the forest and collect them for a cake and put snails on any wall I could see. At the end of the day, we would eat the cake, baked by my grandfather who has been a baker since he moved out at 13. I also remember looking up to Michael and Phillip, who were both starting high school at the time.
It was because of these drastic changes that I was able to reflect on myself. Seeing Phillip and Michael grow into hard-working students and help their father in their family business made me ask myself what I wanted to pursue in the future. It was ultimately the first time I had deeply considered what I wanted to do, and it troubled me at first. Ditma holds very high expectations for his sons, and so does my father for me. That said, I really enjoyed our day at Osterburken not only because of family but also because it offered a new perspective on my own future.
Nice post! It's jarring, sometimes, to see how nostalgia can make you reflect and think about your future, but it can be super helpful when thinking about big decisions like what you want to do. And I know being around family can accidentally lead to self-reflection about your future. I have cousins who live around here that I talk to on occasion, and I get to learn about their lives and what got them to where they are now. I would say that having family like that in Germany is much cooler though!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like such a fun trip! It's always interesting to visit family because you don't get to see them that often so you can always notice how you've changed. I like seeing my cousins every summer and we always have a lot to catch up on.
ReplyDeleteI like how you not only described your family trip to Germany, but also described its impact on you. Visiting relatives, I've always wondered about the lives they've been living while I was living mine. Like me, they work, study, and live in a community, so it's interesting to see how you wondered and reflected on yours as well.
ReplyDeleteJust from reading this I get a very clear image on how much family matters to you. I love how you take time to make sure that us readers understand who each person is and I enjoyed getting to learn about them. Also the emotion that you gave expressing the importance of the change in the area and how much it had mattered to you and still does.
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