Dear readers. With this story, I’m departing from my usual coverage about design, tech, & art. This story is about a personal journey, that of discovering my grandmother. It’s about her history which I’m trying to reconstruct. Read it if you like. In my next story, I will return to writing about design.

Wisdom from my grandmother I wish she could have told me

It’s never too late to connect with your loved ones

My grandmother and grandfather on their wedding day, ca. 1924, Zürich, Switzerland. Photo from my personal archive.

Growing up in a small Swiss village on the outskirts of Zürich, my family consisted of my mother, my two much older brothers, my grandfather, and me. I had no grandmothers. They had departed the world long before I was born.

In high school, I had the nagging sense that my world was inconsequential. I felt lonely. Too often, I said goodbye to friends traveling to places with exotic names for their summer vacations. Not us.

I wanted my world to be more momentous. I wanted to be a contender, not a bystander. I searched for a mentor.

My mother was too busy to notice my thirst for bigger things. She was wrapped up in her life and that was that. She could offer me no…