For Erkan Saka’s sake who kindly put a link to this new blog I should add a little detail to my latest post: the quarter where my immigrant great-grandfather started his business in 1898 and where he lived until his death in 1939 is now one of the centers of the local Turkish population*. So I use to tell my children that our people were the first Turks in town.
I sometimes talk to my Turkish friend Necattin, whose father came to Cologne around 1965 about our mutual experience of being offsprings of immigrants. He of course denies that I am his equal, because my great-grandfather “only” immigrated within Germany. But he listens well when I tell him that my great-grandfather walked two days from his village 60 miles south of here, whereas it took Necattin’s father only three hours with Türk Hava Yollarι from Ankara.
The history of the worldwide migration from village to town is still unclear to most of us. Why did they all walk out from the beauty of a rural setting into the ugliness of modern cities? I am sure that the reasons why my great-grandfather and Necattin’s father went must have been pretty similar. I will try to find out more about both men.
*somewhat around 10% of the 120.000 inhabitants of Remscheid
Monday, February 9, 2009
Among immigrants, being an immigrant myself
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Amazing! I didn't know that you had a Turkish background. Of course, I just discovered your blog tru Erkan's blog (I should say tru John Updike!) I saw that you have other blogs, but I don't understand the titles. I'll ask my son who reads Martin Luther in German. He might enlighten me.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting to go to the past, and dig our roots. So many of us, no matter where we live, come from immigrants. Quebec was a French colony before the English took over. Now it's French Canadian.
Sad about the business falling apart. But it certainly survived a respectable number of years. Hope the Runkel family will find other outlets, as you did.
All the best to you and yours.
This is only because I forgot to subscribe by email with the above comment. All the best.
ReplyDeleteClaudia, you got me wrong, and it is my fault. the Turks came after 1960, the German "immigrants" after 1860. I tried to compare two movements that are 100 years aparts. I did not make it clear enough for somebody from America, sorry. My Turkish connections date back to a stage in 1971 where I worked for two months in Istanbul and became a lifelong friend of the coutry.
ReplyDeletePlease, don't apologise. I'm afraid I do not have much historical knowlegde on the background of European countries, except England (we're part of the Commonwealth) and France (Quebec, where I grew up, was a French Colony at one point.)
ReplyDeleteThat's why I find it interesting to read blogs of different countries, and to see how people live. As I said before, we all belong together, and can get along, when we get to know one another.
All the best.