A job can take a person to many places. Some might live in Oxford while commuting down to Pontiac or Rochester.
For some aspiring for a career in acting, it means pulling up stakes and moving to Southern California.
And for some like J’rg Linke, it can mean an even lengthier travel.
An engineer working at the time for Ford, the German-born Linke received an opportunity to work in America on a two-year exchange.
Traveling to work in America that first time was a life-changing experience for Linke (whose name is pronounced ‘Yerg Link-a?). He was born in 1967 in Malchin, Germany, back when it was East Germany. He grew up about 125 miles south in East Berlin.
‘I took an opportunity that three to five years before, was completely out of the question due to the political situation,? recalled Linke, who now works for Chrysler in Auburn Hills.
The political situation was something Linke frequently became acquainted with as he traveled from his house to school. His path went right along the Berlin Wall, which separated East Berlin (controlled by the now-defunct Soviet Union) from West Berlin (controlled by the U.S., France and Great Britain). While it might seem amazing to those accustomed to living in a country like America, for Linke it became a normal part of life.
‘It just became another fence,? he said. ‘You looked over the fence and knew you couldn’t get there. You eventually accepted it as such as a child.?
The tearing down of the Berlin Wall began in late 1989 while East and West Germany formally reunited in 1990.
Linke described his childhood as ‘worry-free,? a normal one where he and his sister and parents would do family activities when not working or going to school.
While America and Germany might seem vastly different, Linke has found similarities between the two. Michigan, a state famous for its German heritage and its town of Frankenmuth (known as ‘Little Bavaria?), actually has weather similar to Germany. Both have four seasons.
But he also sees noticeable differences.
‘Here in America, if something’s not forbidden, it’s allowed as long as you stay within society’s guidelines,? he explained. ‘In Germany, it has to be specifically allowed. Otherwise, it’s forbidden. That gives you freedom in America, and that’s one of the reasons we came over here.?
By ‘we,? of course, Linke refers to himself and to his wife, Kelly. The two met through a mutual friend when Linke was working in America for Ford. The two then became best friends, and Linke found himself soon returning to Germany with the end of his two-year exchange.
With monthly phone bills of $1,500 for international calls, Linke jokes that he married Kelly because ‘it was cheaper for me to marry her than it was to keep the telephone going.?
Before they married on April 30, 1997, they saw each other every 10 weeks. After getting married, they faced a choice: live in Germany or in America. Kelly was willing to live with Linke in Germany but after weighing their options, they chose America.
‘In general, living in America is easier than doing similar things in Germany,? said Linke, a licensed pilot who finds it easier to fly here than back in Germany. ‘It’s very difficult to put into words. It’s more of a feeling. You call it freedom and unless you get out of the United States, I don’t think you know what your freedom is.?
For many immigrants to America, learning English can be a task. Linke had a head start on it, courtesy of studying both English and Russian while growing up. He also had private tutors while in America on the exchange program.
‘For the first half year I had significant headaches because I had to work double time, learning a language and doing my job at the same time,? he recalled. ‘It’s a little bit stressful but you get used to it.?
In fact, Linke has now moved from having to think in German and translate into English to where now he thinks in English’a sign that he’s achieved fluency.
While Linke doesn’t push German his children, he plans to use it more once they get to school.
Right now, their children (Chad, 5; Anja, 3; and John, 18 months) already speak some phrases and can count.
Children are curious by nature, and Linke often finds himself teaching their children new words when they ask him, ‘What’s that in your language??
The Linkes have lived in Michigan for about 10 years, and Linke likes to stay in touch with his sister, who now lives in California and with his parents, aunts, uncles, nephews and grandmother back in Germany through phone calls and e-mails.
Currently, he is a permanent resident (meaning he can stay in America indefinitely) but is in no hurry to become a U.S. citizen.
‘We’re talking about it but right now there’s not an immediate urgent need,? he said. ‘It’s more of a family focus right now.?