MIRRORED LIVES

Storyteller

Once there were two families whose lives were altered by national events. This is the setting that brought them together to the same house. Their lives looked like mirrored lives.

The mother of family Set wrote later to the mother of family Jet: 

When we saw your house for the first time, I told the realtor that I liked it so much. My teens loved it as well. I couldn't forget about the house, so after 2 weeks I asked if I could see it again. That time your hubby was there and we talked for a while.
I asked the realtor to send in an offer. I heard later that you had multiple offers that were much higher. I was a bit down at that time.
I went on to see many other estates, but came back to this house after a few months with a higher offer. By now, 50% of all real estate sales were foreclosures, which effected the prices of the other houses greatly. 

Fam. Jet took the offer, and when the two families met, an amazing scenario came to light.


Family Jet lived in one of the major cities of Indonesia. They had the Dutch nationality. At the time Jetty was 5 years old, life there became chaotic. Riots made the streets very unsafe. Inflation escalated to the point where one egg cost 50 cents (this was in the 1950ties). Jetty's parents decided to live in Holland, and escape the impending oppression of Islam. They went, as  thousands of others did, on big sea liners to Holland to begin a new life.

Pushing the button on fast forward, Jetty and her husband received their college degrees in the US and then went back to Holland. Nine years later they came back, with their three children to this country for the second time. 
After a decade she and her husband purchased a house in an all-American neighborhood. After many years, when faced with an empty nest, they thought it would be best to sell their house. You probably may have gathered by now that this part was my own story.

Family Set lived in one of the major cities of Indonesia as well. Twenty years before, they also lived in the United States. 
Life in Indonesia became very scary when she had to drive a long way to bring her kids to the Catholic school and riots of the Muslims began to make the streets unsafe. She never knew if one of those days she would make it (read: be alive) or not. 
So, even though her husband had a business there, she decided to move to the USA to escape Islam and have a safer life for her teens. After about a decade the economy in the US changed, and they were able to buy a house.


Isn't it amazing how after 50 real estate agents with their clients coming through one's house, and escrow falling through three times, that the buyer has similar life events happen to them as the seller?
How often does this happen?


PS don't forget to look at my new page ART NOTES

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