How I came to Frankfurt.

Here could be your story... how it was when you moved to Frankfurt with your family in 1976, and what you remember from that first time.

"I remember moving in with my family into an old rental house in Sachsenhausen, which was provided by the boss of the company where my father worked for 15 years until he became self-employed with his brother. The house and the surroundings, my first encounter with Germany, still evoke memories of that initial time and the feeling of foreignness whenever I pass by.

I still remember well when my family and I set off from our small village to a distant place. I was 12 years old and had to leave all my friends in the village behind.

When we arrived in Frankfurt am Main, I was shocked. I had imagined Germany differently. I often felt lost, as I didn't speak a word of German, and the people, as well as how they interacted with us, were completely foreign.

School was not any easier. The teachers were friendly, but the language posed a significant barrier. I struggled to understand the lessons and often felt isolated. There was only my family and the few new friends I made, all Turks, some of whom had been here longer. We hardly got to know any Germans. They approached us with reservations. I had the impression they were wondering what we were doing here, why we didn't want to live in Turkey, our homeland.

I learned the language surprisingly quickly, wanting to become part of this country. My parents recognized my ambition and even sent me to high school. Here, I formed new friendships with other young people my age who thought differently about us. I gradually neglected the Turkish friendships from the early days, as they were born out of necessity ..."