European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 07, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse In return he has helped a couple of americans get jobs on the Economy by telling to avoid the problems he had in getting residency and work permits. A it Echevarria keeps in close Contact with his rela tics in the states. He and his family ret uni to puerto Rico and new Jersey for vacations at least once a year and they plan to build a House m one place or the other when they return there. But they Are also building a House in Germany to be near his wife s family. And the Tut arc a i May die Here in an Saeei Den but they won t Bury me Here. Pm .100 percent american and i intend to go Graling Fairbanks stays in Germany both for work and for family. Although he , he is very close to his 13-Ycar-old daughter Sebrina. And wants to stay in Europe Long enough to see her graduate from College. A he also however has a successful career and a comfortable lifestyle Here. Fairbanks is an assistant supervisor at Rohm chemical co. In Darmstadt As Well As the safety officer and Union representative for his departs ment. After 14-Ycars with the company the 36-year-old american has just been promoted to level seven out of nine Levels among non management positions. He had spent most of his life moving from one place to another before he came to Germany As a Soldier and decided he would like to stay. A a i moved from Chattanooga Tenn to Birmingham Alabama then Back to Chattanooga where i graduated from High school. Then i spent about a year in Miami a he continued a and _ a a moved on to Southern University. Then i went to Kentucky stale University did two semesters there and moved to North Carolina. From there i came to i was ready to Settle Down a a a he looked american work system then the German and decided to try the German system because it offered More Job Security. At first Fairbanks worked at part time jobs supplied by. The German employment office and then he applied for a Job at Rohm. _. Both his then wife and his new company helped him fill out All the paperwork needed to get residency handwork permits. Fairbanks said the company also helped in a other ways he had never received formal Ger Man lessons and his German was still weak so the company gave him simple tasks at first. As his German improved lie was promoted into jobs a that required higher skills. As he Learned those. A he was promoted on Page 6 a a a Quot a. A a a a a a a a. Sas Scott a. Miliar Linda Walker stands on the Balcony of her Zwingenberg Germany apartment. The american tuned German citizen gave birth to twins after this 1990 photo was she belong by Randy Pruitt staff want dec a y All appearances Linda Walker seemed like a typical american teen Agar. May the daughter of a career -. Army father and a German Mother went to High school in Mandan . A Small town u,. By night she worked at the drive in theater fixing All american hot dogs and Popcorn. A a a a. A a. A. A a -. But things for Walker weren t so red White and Blue. For various reasons she did t feel quite at , to her was Germany she was born in Darmstadt in 1959, although her citizenship was american she grew up knowing the German customs the language the geography and the people. Today she a 32 years old the Mother of twins. And a German citizen. She lives in Zwingenberg Germany with her husband and has a Job doing maintenance and other work in a a Halle bad a a. A a a a a a a. A a. A. 1 a a. Public indoor outdoor swim mag Pool in nearby Bentheim. 1 a. -. / a a a a a a a live always thought of myself As German a she says in English grown Rusty from Lack of use. She laughs about words she a forgotten about her mid sentence slips from English to German after turning 16, Walker returned to Germany with her older sister Karen who was living m Heidelberg a. J a dad did no learn enough Money to Send us live children to College. My sister said that in Germany i d have a Chance to build up my life Quot she said. Within six months she landed a Good three years later she decided to change her citizenship ending the formalities of work per mils and other red tape required of foreigners. -. A a a or a site has no regrets. She a been a German citizen for 13 years v 7 7n Vav in a Tys had the feeling Ulfat this is 7 where i belong a she said.7 a a a. Walker added that its been 10 year since she returned to the United states. V a eth Only thing i v. Miss is the wideness of everything. I lore everything is so cramped \ \ to a a a a a she is also Quick to admit that americans Are friendlier than germans. A germans can lie stubborn and sometimes cold a she said. I differences aside there a Arning that binds her to the fatherland a sense of place hat brought her Back to Germany and made her did in this land because it Homeland a she is where 1 be a a. Sas Ken George april 7, 1991. Sunday 7 a Pace 5
