Almost too good to be true!
Danuta Termin has lived in Görlitz since 1994. When she talks about her life, her story sounds like the perfect script for a happy life. "Görlitz offered us a new perspective and many opportunities, and we seized them. Where there's a will, there's a way," she says, summarizing her journey from Upper Silesia in Poland to Görlitz.
First, they had to find a way to keep their love alive. Her boyfriend had found a promising job in Frankfurt am Main, and it was clear that a long-distance relationship could only be a temporary solution. They both had families in West Germany, and of course, in Poland as well. Görlitz seemed like the ideal location between their two families. After her husband found a job in the construction industry in Görlitz, they both decided to move to the city on the Neisse River together. Arriving in Görlitz sounds like child's play when you hear Danuta Termin say it: making new friends, learning German—no problem at all. Speaking of children: Danuta was pregnant, and the baby was born in Görlitz. Friends and members of her church community helped her find a place in a daycare center and later in kindergarten. Danuta was then able to complete a year-long internship at Carolus Hospital, primarily to learn German. Her colleagues were very supportive. At the same time, she managed to have her nursing qualifications recognized in Germany, and so the internship led to a permanent position, first in the surgical outpatient clinic, and from 1998 onwards in the newly established emergency department, where she still works today. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Danuta Termin completed advanced training as an emergency nurse in the department. "That was a particular challenge, especially because of the German language," she recalls, looking back on this qualification with palpable pride.
What makes her happy in Görlitz? The quality of life, the many destinations for excursions in the surrounding region, the existing infrastructure, especially for a family with two children. She greatly appreciates the general relaxed atmosphere, particularly because she hasn't forgotten how hectic the place where she grew up was. And then she raves about how much culture and history Görlitz has to offer and how wonderful it is to have become part of that history. With her husband, who has since entered the real estate industry, she acquired an apartment building dating back to 1860 in 2005. However, it wasn't until 2009 that the first tenants could move in – "still an incredible feeling, to be helping Görlitz shine again, so to speak, with this contribution!" Danuta adds.
What makes her particularly happy today? Having a wonderful job, enjoying nature at Lake Berzdorf, and above all, having two grown children who both want to stay in Görlitz – her eldest daughter already works as a nurse in a doctor's office, and her younger daughter is training to be an electronics technician for industrial systems in Görlitz. And there's one thing she doesn't want to leave unmentioned: how wonderful it is to see German and Polish families living side by side and together. That wasn't as commonplace in the early nineties as it is today.
And what's on her agenda at the moment? “It definitely won’t get boring here,” Danuta replies, because the family has started a second real estate project, including renovations. Could she imagine returning to Poland or moving somewhere else? “Absolutely not, I don’t regret anything and I don’t miss anything here,” she answers spontaneously. The way her face beams makes one thing clear: Yes, Görlitz makes you happy!
Text, video & photos: THE PARTNERS
