Story 33 of 52 /// A man with a plan

My father knew well in advance, like twelve months before, that we would be moving. He really put thought into what me and my siblings needed in order to have a soft landing in Germany.

His conclusion was that language was crucial in order to settle in, so he came up with a plan. Every week, he gave private lessons in German to me and a good friend of mine. He invited her to make the experience more fun. In Germany, I entered 5th grade in Hauptschule. A couple months in, there was a reading contest. I won. I won the reading contest, despite only being in Germany for less than a year.

My father was also thinking ahead about my return to the Polish education system in the future. So I had to attend weekend lessons at the Polish embassy school. For my brother, this meant he had to learn to read and write in two languages at once. It was really tough for him. My youngest sister was only three years old at the time we moved. Thanks to her young age she learned the language very naturally.

About this Series

This story is part of our 52 Stories initiative: a collection of real, lived experiences from global families and international children navigating life across borders. Every story in this series is based on true events, highlighting both the beautiful breakthroughs and the complex, often hidden challenges of the relocation journey.

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