She couldn’t afford the life she wanted for her son in the US. Moving to Germany changed both their futures | CNN

Living within walking distance of the mountains of Bavaria, Molly Williams never misses an opportunity to go hiking. She has hiked all over the Alpine landscapes around her home in southern Germany, in pretty Allgäu near Munich, as well as the trails of the Dolomite mountains in northeastern Italy. Today, she feels at home in this corner of the world. But 15 years ago, having never visited before, it was unknown to her. She’d grown up in Michigan and was living in Portland Oregon. That didn’t stop her taking the leap to move here with her son, then aged eight. “When I look back, I think I must have been crazy to take that leap,” Williams tells CNN. “But it really has proven to be one of the best decisions of my life.” She now feels a sense of calm that she never experienced while living in the US. She’s married to a German and her son, now in his early 20s, is thriving. Williams works for a global industrial company. “I feel like there’s a lot of noise in the United States,” she says. “And here, things just feel more real and grounded.” But her move wasn’t an overnight success. Williams experienced problems settling in during her early days, but now feels