There are times in life when we cross paths with strangers that often affect us in profound ways. These chance meetings may shape our perspective of the world around us or even alter the course of our entire lives. Yesterday I had such an encounter and it came in the most unexpected way.
It came from the washing machine repairman.
Last week my entire family was infected with a nasty stomach bug that left us all very sick. The children are still too young to know how to handle themselves when sickness arises and it left us with a large abundance of bedding to be washed.
As fate has a way of doing things, our washing machine broke down at the worst possible time. We were left with a mountain of puke-covered sheets, pillows, blankets, and clothing. This is not a pleasant thing to have around the house, but luckily we were rescued by my mother-in-law and her washing machine.
It wasn't until yesterday that Samsung was able to send a repairman out to the house to get us back in operation. Given that my German isn't as good as it should be, my wife had been in contact with the firm and she called me beforehand to warn me that they were on their way.
“Careful,” she said. “The man is Russian and I don't think he wants to spend too much time there, make sure that he tries everything to fix it and not just give up right away.".
In Germany, customer service is nothing like it is in the states, the consumer has to fight for everything, and my wife knows I do not have German level negotiating skills to deal with these types of situations.
I wasn't worried, though. I was not about to let this guy leave our house without us having a functional wash machine and I made it my duty to make sure that he would get the job done.
When he arrived I told him right away that my German was “Nicht so gut” and he immediately relaxed. “English?” he asked. “Yes, please!”. I was relieved.
We connected right off the bat. In this part of Germany, it is rare to find others to conversate in English with and there aren't many other nonrefugee immigrants either.
He and I are two foreigners, from different parts of the world, trying to find our place in a new country. Only for him, he has had to find his way alone. Due to German law he must spend his first two years here alone satisfying countless requirements before they will allow him to bring his wife and three children here from Macedonia.
He shared with me his entire journey, his hardships with German culture, and his desire to return home. For him, though, he has no choice. It is not safe for his family back home and he is making the best for his family by bringing them here to Germany.
There was no refugee status for him, there is no “war” there anymore even though it never really ended. He gets no tax relief for being a working man with a wife and kids because they don't live here. Just him.
He chuckled nervously when he to told me that his taxes were paying for immigrants and families who didn't work or speak German and he was here alone doing his best. There was a sadness in his eyes as he spoke.
He shared his struggles with having darker skin and a funny last name, even though he wasn't one of “them”. He could not imagine how someone would give up the dream, as he called it, in America for a boring, bureaucratic, strict Germany.
I explained to him that my experience was entirely different. I have a German last name, German wife, and German children. I love the order and respect of the German people. Our small community has strict cultural norms that protect our children as well as the village we live in.
His opinion wouldn't be swayed and I was not trying to sway it. His experience was his own and it was real. Mine was different, I was welcomed here and in fact, I was invited. It is easy to become swept up in the politics of immigration and miss stories of hardship such as his.
While living in Munich, the Macedonia man had witnessed a brutal attack on a German woman by (non-Germans) and it scared him so much that he requested a transfer through his job up North where these attacks are less common. He is happy here now and smiled when he said his apartment is cheaper too!
By the time he was finished fixing the machine, I was sad to see him go. Even though our experiences are so different, we had a strong connection based on our circumstances and it made us happy to share them with someone who could understand. It was a truly moving human moment, one that I will not forget. I am thankful to be humbled by this man's experiences and reminded of how lucky I am sometimes and for this, I am truly grateful.
