A city full of opportunities

Several years ago, Tessa Enright moved to Dresden, leaving Arizona, where she had met her husband while studying business marketing. After two challenging years in the Saxon capital, she initially returned to Arizona to complete her bachelor's and master's degrees in German studies. However, her desire to live in Germany remained. When her husband was offered the opportunity to take over his father's company, the couple made their decision. They would move to Görlitz at the end of 2016.

How to make you feel at home

Tessa was thrilled from the start: “I saw that I had so many opportunities I wouldn’t have anywhere else. In Berlin or Dresden, I’m just one of thousands, but here I can make a difference.” And she put that into practice immediately. After arriving in Görlitz, Tessa initially looked for an English-speaking group where she could connect – but without success. So she quickly founded a regular meeting group that gets together once a month, circumstances permitting. The effort has paid off: “The friends I’ve made there are priceless,” Tessa says enthusiastically. She has met people from all over the world who connect with each other in English. The feeling of being alone is long gone.

Görlitz – Place to be

Far more intriguing than the question of how and why Tessa moved to Görlitz is what motivated her to stay in the border town, leave her familiar surroundings behind, and build a life far from the States. Tessa can only rave when answering this question: "As an American, I'm completely captivated by the old town, by its history, by how old everything is here. You just don't find anything like this in Arizona." Even today, she enjoys strolling through the picturesque old town or relaxing in a café on the Lower Market Square. "Not only that, but I also love the proximity to neighboring countries," Tessa adds. An attribute that undoubtedly makes Görlitz unique. Thirty minutes to the Czech Republic, five minutes across the Old Town Bridge to Poland. A stone's throw away. It's easy for her not to miss the sunny weather in Arizona and Mexican cuisine too much. Especially since she's learned to cook her favorite dishes herself.

There's a lot to be done

Görlitz certainly isn't perfect in every respect. Like any other city, it has its quirks and imperfections. But that's precisely where Tessa sees the potential. "Görlitz is for people with new ideas, for those who want to make a difference, who want to create something new." In English, she adds, "There's a lot to do, but that's good for people like me who want to help." Because Görlitz is a small city, everyone can find their place here and discover new opportunities to become part of it. Tessa has already achieved this. Today, she works in the cultural and tourism sector and offers translations from German to English. She also runs her own blog, where she uses travelogues and striking photos to try and convince her readers of the city's high quality of life. She already is!

Text: THE PARTNERS

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