Father´s escape

That night he took a suitcase and on foot crossed the border tinto Holland. He made his way to the coast, took a ship or ferry to England and from there he embarked on a ship to Colombia.

The ocean trip took approximately three weeks. The ship stopped in Cuba and went through the Panama Canal. There were other German and Polish Jews on the ship.

He arrived in the port of Buenaventura which is located near Ecuador and is one of the hottest and most humid cities. The extreme tropical weather made  life for the immigrants very uncomfortable, at first.

My mother and I followed in February 1938. From Buenaventura we went immediately to a place called Cali, where we lived for a year, but the weather was too hot. Then we moved for a few month to a coffee plantation, where my father wanted to work.

My parents had extreme difficulties earning a living, because for them it was difficult to learn Spanish. My mother could not cope with the climate and a doctor told her to move to a place in a cooler climate.

Journey of Julius Oster starting November 1937. He arrived after three weeks of travelling.
(B1)