On Christmas Eve 1971, there was a horrific air crash in Peru, with 92 people on board, only one of whom miraculously survived, and all the rest died, the lucky 1/92 was Julianne Copke.
After the air disaster, people were curious, how did a 17-year-old girl who fell from a height of 3,000 meters and survived for 11 days, crossing the Amazon rainforest alone, and was finally rescued? But Julianne has remained silent and has not explained to the outside world. So the media began to speculate, even spread rumors, fabricate, and make up all kinds of stories. It wasn't until 40 years later that 56-year-old Julianne finally picked up a pen and wrote a memoir about the crash: "Her Crash and Her".
11 days, which is only a small percentage of a person's life, can be said to be fleeting. Similarly, these 11 days occupy only a small space in this memoir, in which the author writes more about her parents, family, relatives, and thoughts on life. For the curious part of people, the book naturally gives the answer.
Julianne encountered a plane crash is unfortunate, she can escape death and lucky, everything has to be traced back from her native family, her parents' genes, her education and her own experience are all reasons why she is not dead.
Julianne had a very peculiar upbringing, her father Hans Wilhelm Copke was a biologist, and her mother Maria Copke was a leading figure in Peruvian ornithology at the time.
Juliane's parents were strong, even a little stubborn, and adventurous. Julianne's parents, both German, met at Keele University. When Hanse graduated from university, it was difficult to find a job in Germany after World War II, so he decided to move to another country to study biology, and he chose Lima, Peru, where the Amazon rainforest is located.
Mary resolutely followed in her fiancé's footsteps, which was unheard of for a young unmarried lady to make such a bold move at the time, but no one could persuade her at the time.
But the journey to Lima was not smooth, and it could even be said to have been arduous.
Maria was studying for a PhD before graduating, so Hans decided to go to Lima himself and meet his fiancée after graduation.
But for various reasons, Germany does not have direct transportation to Lima, and Hans does not even have a passport, let alone a visa. Hans tried his best to start from Germany, cross two continents, pass through Austria, Italy, France, Spain, Brazil and finally reach Peru.
The journey was not easy, Hans experienced a fall and fracture in Austria and hospitalization, was captured in a concentration camp in Italy and escaped from prison, crossed the border over mountains in France, was found smuggled into prison in Spain hiding in a salt boat, and crossed the South American continent on foot in Brazil for a year and a half before reaching Peru.
He has hitchhiked and rode on airplanes and ships, but more often relying on his feet, with a love for ideals, step by step towards the goal. The hardship of the process, it is estimated that few people can carry it, and this perseverance is estimated that few people can learn.
It was such a father who became Julianne's role model. Whenever she felt lost, desperate, and on the verge of being overwhelmed by fear after the crash, she recalled her father's arduous and long journey, and his story proved well that as long as she was not defeated, she would gain something, whether it was a sergeant's checkpoint, a missed boat, a mountain that had to be climbed, or tens of thousands of kilometers on foot, she could not let herself be defeated by them.
In the end, Julian's parents came to South America, and with unfamiliar life and language barriers, everything started from scratch, looking for a job, getting married, having children, and settling in Lima, Peru. For Julian's parents, Germany is home, but for Julian, Lima is home, she was born in Si Changyu, and she has a deep affection for her.
As the saying goes, "a dragon gives birth to a dragon, a phoenix gives birth to a phoenix, and the son of a mouse will make a hole", what kind of parents have what kind of children. It is such parents who have carved their genes into their daughter's bones, so that one day when she faces the threat of death, she can think calmly and calmly, and retreat from a dangerous place.
If you can survive the fall from a high altitude, it is Julian's life, then the next 11 days of surviving in the dangerous Amazon rainforest can be said to be completely based on Julian's knowledge reserve and firm will, which is also inseparable from her parents' usual education of her.
The Kopke family lives in the nature reserve of Pucalca, and Julianne grew up in an area very similar to the rainforest environment, which she calls the "Rainforest Girl". Julianne often followed her parents on field trips and adventures between the ages of 8 and 12, and she knew animals and plants very well, and accumulated a lot of wild survival knowledge, which played a huge role in her survival after the air crash.
When Julianne woke up from the crash, she remembered that her father had told her, "If you get lost in the rainforest and find a current, stay next to it, follow its trajectory, and it will lead you to other people." Julianne did exactly that and succeeded! She survived, with her own abilities and efforts.
Stephen Covey said: Winners can do what losers cannot, even if they are not willing, but for the sake of ideals and goals, they can still overcome psychological obstacles with perseverance.
Recommended reading.