Birgit Erath – London Calling (P.1)

In 1979, Birgit Erath was 18 years old and lived with her family in her parents' house in Waldmössingen, a small, quiet town in the Black Forest. She had just completed her apprenticeship as a textile saleswoman at Boutique Clair in Schramberg and subsequently worked at Hofmeyer in Oberndorf. But although she enjoyed her job, she felt that this couldn't be all there was to it. She dreamed of a future in the fashion world—perhaps even in a larger city where trends were born. But one thing was clear: Without English, almost nothing would work.

Back then, End In the 1970s, she basically had two options for learning the language: either the traditional route via a language school, or going abroad for a year. The local language school seemed boring, too monotonous. She felt the need to get out – out of the village, out of her familiar surroundings. She wanted to experience what life in a big city was really like. And so the decision grew within her: she would go abroad.

America was also being discussed – many young people were drawn there at the time. But her father was staunchly against it. He had served as a submarine crewman during the war and was later an American prisoner of war. His memories of that time were marked by bitterness. In many conversations, he urged Birgit not to go to the USA. He didn't have a good image of the Americans – too strict, too cold, too foreign. Birgit respected his feelings and abandoned the idea.

Instead, she chose England—more specifically, London. Naturally, the Beatles played a role, too. Like so many of her generation, she was captivated by their music and the attitude to life they embodied. London was cool, creative, vibrant—and closer than New York.

In the autumn of 1979, Birgit arrived by train at Victoria Station. The noise, the crowds, the black taxis and red double-decker buses – all of this overwhelmed her at first. But she also felt: A new chapter was beginning here.

She was staying with a doctor's family on Edgware Road as an au pair. Her main duties were helping with the housework and caring for the family's enormous St. Bernard. At first, she barely understood a word of English, but over time, she adapted to the language, to living with a new family, and to London's unique rhythm.

She learned to love the city—its rough edges, its diversity, its idiosyncrasies. It was a formative time in one of the most dazzling periods in the city's history: London in the late 1970s, between punk, pop, and post-hippie culture.

When she returned to Germany a year later, she was no longer the same. More confident, more cosmopolitan, and with the feeling that she had truly experienced something. Her English skills had improved significantly – and even though a big job in the fashion world wasn't waiting for her immediately, she now had the most important tool: the courage to explore new paths.