Refugees with Attitudes

Alex – Tibet

Alex was Tibetan. Along with Danny, he was one of my best friends in the asylum Siedlung 2, Crivitz, or the ‘Crivitz Dschungel Heim Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’ (as the press called it in those days). One day, during a conversation, Alex let me know that he had two children. The eldest was 2 years and 3 months old when he left them. He had now been here for 16 years and his eldest child was now turning 18.

“I left them to come here and work and support them.”

Crivitz was closed and we came to Parchim. In 2006, I also left Parchim and left the friends there. In 2011 I got a call from Parchim and they told me that Alex was dead.
I went to Parchim to meet the head of the home and tell him that Alex had two children and they should be notified. The head of the home tells me it’s none of my business. After 2 months of online research, I finally reached the eldest son.

“Are you Alex’s son?” I asked him. “Yes, he is my father and he told us that he will come soon.” “Your father is dead,” I replied. – “No, no, get my father on the phone for me,” he said.

Alex died after more than 25 years here in Germany without ever seeing his children again.