Our Great City

The reason the Busse name often gets mis-pronounced, is because Janis (a boy), Olaf and Ute are from Germany.

Three years ago they took the trip across the Atlantic and moved for the second time from Germany to the United States and now call Southlake their very beloved home.

Ute and Olaf met 20 years ago at one of the big Oil & Gas companies in Germany where both were born and raised. They dated for about four years before they got married. Half of that time, Ute was living in England and Olaf in Germany until their company accommodated their personal situation and managed their development as “dual career”, meaning they were trying to provide development opportunities and challenging assignments at the same location. “And we were very grateful for that,” Olaf underscores.

Their different jobs brought them on average every two to three years to different cities in Germany, Europe, and the U.S. They lived in London, Paris and very close to Manhattan in New Jersey. The longest time that they lived at one place was in Houston for more than five years, where their son Janis was born in 2000. He is therefore the only “real” American in the Family. Olaf says one of Janis’ favorite quotes is "I am not just a German and American – I am a Texan!”

After having had a very successful career for 17 years including the experience of the daily struggle between job and family to find the right work/life balance, Ute decided to ‘retire’ from the active workforce when the Busses’ moved from the northern part of Germany to Southlake in 2007.

The whole family settled in very well within a very short period of time. Soon after having moved into their house, Ute’s childhood dream of getting a Golden Retriever was fulfilled. She is walking her Golden every day in the park nearby, regardless of snowstorm or 100 degree sunshine. Ute got involved in Janis’ school on his first day in Kindergarten. “The Carroll Schools are amazing”, Ute highlights. Later she joined the Southlake Women’s Club (SWC) and discovered a new passion: Pilates. She tries to work out 4-5 times a week at ’Purely Pilates’ in Southlake. Through the activities with the Southlake Women’s Club, she is proud to give back to the community she lives in “and at the same time you meet remarkable women” Ute says “and I was able to establish very close friendships that – I am sure - will last forever”. Her initial involvement of lending a helping hand to local charities has expanded rapidly and she is now a member on the board and Vice President, Social, for the Southlake Women’s Club for the second consecutive year.

Most of Southlake’s citizens are not aware that the annual ‘Art in the Square’ is the biggest fundraising event of the SWC. Just through this event, the SWC has raised more than $1,000,000 in the last 10 years. “And every single cent is going back to the local community,” emphasizes Ute. She co-chaired the Kids Zone at ‘Art in the Square’ last year and is chairing this year’s ’VIP Sponsor Party’, a key event in Southlake’s social calendar at the Hilton Hotel on April 23rd. The big challenge is to organize an amazing event with very limited financial resources. “We have a very tight budget; every dollar we spend for the event itself won’t go to one of our carefully selected charities in NE Tarrant County. The need this year has never been higher in these challenging times,” Ute states. “On the other hand we would like to thank our generous sponsors and bring them and our beneficiaries together at this event. We want to craft a memorable evening in an appropriate frame to celebrate the enormous generosity some of our local businesses are demonstrating.”

The Busses’ are often asked how they like living in the States in general and in Southlake in particular and being far away from home. They all agree “we absolutely love it here.” After having moved nine times in the last 19 years, Ute especially feels she has finally arrived at a place she can truly call home and not just another stop on an ever-lasting journey.

However they still remember that it was not that easy to get settled in the U.S. “What would be your first impression, if one of the first contact with a foreign country is to go to the Social Security Office to apply for an SSN or the DMV to get your driver license, or to be told that you don’t have any credit history so you can’t buy even a cell phone – ignoring entirely the financial standing outside the U.S.?”- Olaf questions and smiles. “I still miss the German Autobahn and driving 120 mph legally. Imagine Dallas to Houston in under 2 hours!” Olaf says and at the same time highlights that he has never gotten a speeding ticket in the U.S.

On the other hand, they enjoy getting their groceries packed at Central Market and Kroger. “I was used packing my own groceries I have never been asked before ‘paper or plastic’, because you have to bring your own (cotton) bag in Germany – it’s customer unfriendly, but much more environmentally oriented.”  Ute loves the drive through dry cleaners or having the opportunity to shop around the clock – including Sundays - at the local supermarket.

Daily life has been very easy, people here are so friendly in Texas, they greet you in the street, even if you don’t know them. People call you “Honey and Sweetie,” even if you have never met them before in your life.

Following the motto of one of Janis’ favorite artists Miley Cyrus, Ute and Olaf try to pick the “best of both worlds”, raising and educating their 9-year old son. At the Busse house, German is the only language they speak, unless they have friends around (which is very often). They feel it is very important to keep up some typical German traditions e.g. a big German breakfast that lasts an hour and a formal dinner on Saturdays and Sundays.

Time will tell how successful they are. Although Janis is bilingual, he started to express that he feels more like an American boy than a German. “During the recent Olympics I always was rooting for the U.S. Team,” Janis is smiling. “My dad did not appreciate it.” Janis plays basketball with the Southlake Mavericks, swims with the Dragon’s at the Aquatic Center and hits golf balls at Timarron. “I love going down the black diamond runs in Colorado,” Janis describes his five year skiing experience like a pro, “these slopes are easier than the ones in Utah”.

Ute and Olaf are lucky that both their parents still enjoy traveling, so they are regular guests at the Busse residence and love spending time with their grandson. During the summer, they take Janis regularly back to Germany, so he can reunite with grandparents, cousins and aunts.

Something else the Germans are very well known for is their love and passion for traveling and having long vacations. “You rent your condo or house, rather than cut down on vacation time” Olaf explains the German mindset. “And we have carried over some of that to Texas.” Being an executive for one of the largest Oil & Gas Companies keeps Olaf very busy, therefore his family time during the week is limited. That’s why it’s even more important for him to spend quality time with them on weekends and vacations. Ute and Olaf have visited all 5 continents together and have traveled to 19 different U.S. states since they have been in the U.S. They have found a wonderful place where they leave their Golden Retriever (Elite Suites) and someone that protects their house when they are gone. Vacationing always means plenty of activities and all kind of sports like golf, swimming, sailing and skiing. Exploring more, teaching and learning about different geography’s, countries and cultures are a maxim they continue to peruse. “But it’s always good to come home. And home for us is definitely Southlake. I love living in this bubble,” Ute smiles.

So when you see the Busse Family out at Southlake Town Square or one of their many community activities, be sure to say Hi to our "Family of the Month" and tell them you read about them on OurGreatCity.com!