Flowers from Lili, later

Some flowers flourish, others never really do last.

After cutting the root, some never can get used to the new soil or water, the new air and environment.

The same is true with people.

Some have roots too much in their community to be able to take their culture with themselves and flourish in other places or countries.

I have met many emigrants. Some never could could get used to the best places and cities, always felt out of place, and even some went back to the old from were they have run away.

Others did adapt as fish in the water, and did make better even that those living their for long time, because they did work harder, to achieve their integration and felt more and more belonging in the new place.

And me?

It depended a lot how I was looked at, but I knew from the beginning, I have to work a lot harder, longer, in more difficult conditions, and `i took that for normal. I knew it was no way for me to return to a communist country, from where we escaped.

I did try as much as I could, but without really blending, to adapt.

Without understanding all of the new culture, I found as well as I could new friends, and each time, but without any effort to do that, I found others who also, for a reason or other felt or were de-placed. Or alone. Or, what? Different a bit from the others around.

Perhaps I never had strong roots, after the war when my family was ripped away by the Nazis. My roots, new almost, formed inside me. I did carry some of my family's culture but inside me. It did not disturb my adapting to where I found myself.

Even like this, in some places I flourished more then in others.

I did not know when I arrived in London that I will flourish so much, here! That is an unexpected great joy.

Yes, never too late.