The third project meeting took place in Germany and was hosted by Georg - Büchner -Gymnasium Seelze.
Participants
The Romanian team (Mariana Hudrea, Simona Dicu and Flavia Costin plus their pupils) arrived on Monday 30 November followed by the remaining teams the next day;
Alasdair Watts and Colette Bourgeois from France, Huseyin Öztürk and Rafet Akay from Turkey, Monica Meneghelli and Patrizia Tommasi from Italy, Jola Prodanowska and Dorata Boryczko from Poland. Altogether 16 foreign pupils attended the project meeting from these five countries.
Accommodation
All staff were accommodated at the Hotel Waldersee in Hanover and pupils by host families. Teachers all expressed satisfaction regarding the choice of the hotel which offered excellent value for money. It should also be pointed out that staff had very positive feedback from pupils concerning host families.
Wednesday
The official meeting began on Wednesday 2 December. The head teacher Mr Gerold Muller greeted participants in the school auditorium with a short speech before a group of musicians offered us a rousing performance of some songs they had specially prepared for the occasion.
We were offered a brief tour of the GBG in groups and all were struck by the pleasant working atmosphere that pervades. Pupils remarked in particular how agreeable it was for works of art to be exhibited around the building.
We returned to the auditorium where the ‘serious business’ of the conference could begin. The Polish, Italian and Romanian groups presented films they had made interviewing immigrants. The two French pupils made a presentation, illustrated with photographs and a short video, of the ‘Jungle’ in Calais where hundreds of illegal immigrants, mainly from Afghanistan, are currently based with the expectation of somehow, or anyhow, crossing The English Channel to reach the UK. There followed a lively exchange of views particularly from those German pupils who have been studying this question in their English classes having watched the British film ‘It’s a Free World’ (on last year’s programme of activities) and the French film ‘Welcome’.
The first morning’s activities concluded with the opportunity for pupils and teachers alike to observe classes. Teachers noted the ease and the frequency with which the German pupils participated in class.
In the afternoon we were taken on a guided tour of Hanover and the day concluded with an evening meal for teachers at the “Ständige Vertretung”.
Thursday
Thursday was devoted to the question of German immigration. The political scientist Franziska Woellert from the prestigious ‘Berlin-Insitut für Bevölkerung und Entwicklung’ offered us some fascinating insights into the question illustrating her talk with graphs and statistics.
We were then introduced to three groups of immigrants (mainly parents) representing the different waves of immigration to Germany over the last thirty years; two Gastarbeiter (from Spain and Turkey), two ethnic migrants (Aussiedler from Kazakhstan and Romania) and two so-called economic migrants from Poland. Teachers and pupils were divided into mixed nationality groups and each group given the task of interviewing their immigrant. In the afternoon, groups had an hour to prepare the presentation they would make to the plenary session that followed. Pupils appreciated having the chance to express themselves in English at such length and share knowledge gained from ‘their’ immigrant with fellow participants.
Friday
Friday morning concerned the Turkish question. Wolfgang Mertens and Till Winkler started by showing us a film that they had made the previous summer starring our Turkish colleague Hüseyin Oztürk.
Hüseyin spent the first eleven years of his life in the town of Vlotho about 60 kms from Hanover before his parents decided to move back to Turkey. The film showed Hüseyin returning to the town of his childhood rediscovering places and people he hadn’t seen for over twenty years. The film was very moving and taught us much about how uprooting an experience emigration must be.
A round table discussion involving two parents of Turkish origin and chaired by Canan Topcu, a former pupil of GBG and now successful journalist working for the Frankfurter Rundschau, dealt with the Turkish question. The debate was animated and informative with many pupils, particularly those of Turkish origin, joining in to relate their experience of living in Germany.
In the afternoon pupils were given free time. Teachers in the meantime were shown an excellent film made by the Romanian team of the second meeting in Baia Mare.
Plans for Bursa
We then got down to the business of discussing plans for Bursa. The first item on the agenda was the dates. We agreed that participants would arrive on Tuesday 25 May and that the official programme would begin on Wednesday 26 May and conclude on Friday 28 May with participants leaving on Saturday 29 or Sunday 30 May.
We discussed activities for the meeting in Bursa. Hüseyin explained that he would build his programme around the theme of immigration while also offering teams an opportunity to discover Bursa and Istanbul. Between now and May our pupils will prepare presentations on news items related to the theme of immigration or emigration covered by the media in our respective countries. These will be shown in Bursa. It was also agreed that we would continue the tradition at each of our meetings of placing pupils in mixed nationality groups, this time with the task of producing posters promoting the underlying message of tolerance and anti-racism that has been prevalent throughout the two years of our project.
Saturday
The official programme concluded with a visit to the Museum of Emigration in Ballinstadt where pupils learnt the importance of Hamburg as a port from which millions of Germans, East Europeans and Scandinavians left Europe in search of a better life in the ‘New World’.
Teams returned home on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December.
A word of thanks
On behalf of all teams I wish to thank our German colleagues for producing such a rich and varied programme that none of us shall ever forget.
Alasdair Watts
Project Coordinator
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Interviewing Immigrants
Project meeting- Germany
Interview with Irina Schaad
• 44 Years old
• born in Kazakhstan
• has been living in Germany now for 19 years
Historical Background of Germans in Russia
In the 18th century Catherine the Great needed more workers for her land in Russia. Catherine the Great had a German Background and the economic situation in Germany was not very good. Therefore many people from Germany moved to Russia to find jobs and to work on the fields.
For more than 100 years the immigrants from Germany lived and worked in Russia, but they still spoke German and lived in German communities where only Germans lived.
Beginning of World War II
When Hitler invaded Russia, during Stalin's dictatorship, Stalin was afraid that the Germans who lived in Russia would assist the German troops. That is why he decided to make the Germans leave Russia and move to Siberia and Kazakhstan as a punishment where they were forced to work in labor camps.
Stalin was very cruel and arrested and murdered many people in Russia, too, when they seemed to be against the government. During this time Irina Schaad's grandparents were killed.
In the new countries where they were forced to live now, Germans did not use the German language in public anymore, because they were hated and mocked because of Hitlers politics.
Irina Schaad was born in Kazakhstan and learned the German language from her grandmother, who still spoke German as did many other older people.
When Stalin finally died, people got the opportunity to start a life in freedom and decide on their own. Unfortunately they did not know how to behave and how to use their newly earned freedom.
Irina's Arrival in Germany
When Irina arrived in Germany she was 25 years old and already had a 3 months old child. Irina and her husband were both well qualified. Her husband couldn't find a job corresponding to his qualifications, so he worked in a factory. Today he is very happy in his job, but he has more problems speaking German. Irina herself worked for an insurance company and did a training course to do her new job. She stopped working for 3 years to have another baby and bring up her child. After 3 years of maternity leave she went back to her work. Now she is in charge of the new recruits and apprentices and has many responsibilities.
When she arrived in Germany she suffered a cultural shock, because many things were different. Her parents had brought her up in a very strict way, so she had always done what her parents told her to do. In Germany children are more free and talk back to their parents. In school they can eat and drink in the classroom. And young couples live together before getting married.
Interview by Roxana Serba, Saskia Sack, Audrey Miege, Christiane Staub, Ibrahim Ozdemir, Lukas Thum, Sascha Remus, kayleigh Kirwan
José Carrascosa
We have interviewed José Carrascosa who has been living in Germany for almost 50 years. José was born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1933. His mother died when he was a baby, he only had a father and a sister. He emigrated because it was a difficult period for Spain because of the civil war from 1936 to 1939 which ended in Franco's dictatorship. Spain was isolated from the rest of Europe. The most important reason to leave Spain was that his personal freedom was restricted because of corruption in Franco's regime. After he finished his military service, he decided to emigrate. He chose Germany because of the propaganda in Franco's dictatorship. Due to the connection between Franco and Hitler during the Second World War, the image of Germany in Spain was a positive one. José thought that Germany had a great landscape with beautiful blond girls. Before leaving he prepared himself by studying German on his own. He had to decide whether to buy a dictionary or a coat and he chose the dictionary. That shows his will to integrate into German society even before he arrived in Germany.
He came to Germany by hitch-hiking and reached Frankfurt in one night. In Germany he got some problems, for example to find a flat or a job. At first he lived in a hostel and shared his room with other immigrants. Then it was easy to find a job because workforces were needed and Spanish people were well liked. While doing several jobs and traveling through Germany he got good impressions of the country. Germany was different than he had imagined. People were always on the run and the lifestyle was faster than in Spain.
In 1958 he came to Hanover where he wanted to work as surveyor but he only got a job as builder. He started working at Volkswagen in Stöcken in 1959.
José lived together with German workers to improve his language skills. In 1961 he married a German teacher. The only problem was his father-in-law because he had prejudices against foreigners. He has two children: a daughter and a son. The daughter is a German citizen and speaks Spanish, and the son is a Spanish citizen and doesn't speak Spanish.
José still has a Spanish citizenship but loves both Germany and Spain. He is well integrated in German society and he sings in the church choir and he knows almost everyone in the village he is living in.
Interview by Boga Petruta, Christian Galert, Sarah Waldhauer, Christian Betke, Nils Düppers, Alice Arduini, Janina Babst, Halil Ibrahim Sunac
Renata Kurowska
Renata is an immigrant from Poland. She came here in April 1989. She used to live in Poznan, where she studied zoo technology. The reasons for her emigration were economical and personal. She traveled by car to Berlin before she moved to Hanover. At first she did many illegal jobs but she didn't want to work as a laborer so she started a course after which she had the opportunity to work in an old people's home, where she has been working for 12 years now. Her job is a pleasure for her because she always wanted to help other people. She is also very satisfied with the salary, which is very high in comparison with Poland.
When Renata first came to Germany she was very impressed by the beautiful landscape, nature and the infrastructure. She easily integrated into German society and always had a friendly relationship with other people. What she really liked was the anonymity in the big city and the way people behave. Despite of being away from her home country for many years she considers herself as Polish. As a result she refused to have a German passport. She visits Poland very often.
Piotr Kurowski
Piotr is Renata's brother. He has left Poland when he was 17 years old. It was in 1977. He has emigrated because of economical reasons. Piotr has finished his studies in Berlin. Then, he wanted to start a political career. At first, he used to work in a German Embassy. Because of his marriage with a student, he couldn't continue working as a politician. As a result of this decision he has started to work as a construction supervisor. He was doing that job for about 20 years. Now, when he is retired he has the opportunity to travel all around the world.
Piotr's first impressions when he came to Germany were very positive. Germans treated him in a very respectful way and as an equal part of their society. So he thinks that Polish people are well integrated and accepted due to the similar cultures of both countries.
All in all, we can say that both our guests are happy in Germany but they have never forgotten their Polish roots. For family reasons they are always looking forward to visiting their homeland but they are not planning to go back there for the rest of their lives.
Interview by Natalia Pawlik, Vanessa Seifert, Patryk Urbas, Markus Baumeister, Justine Laboret, Sarina Neumann, Claudia Fischer, Maria Frangou
Lotte Henz
During the Comenius project we interviewed five immigrants in mixed international groups in order to find out the specific experiences, motivation for immigration and their general views on integration.
Our group, consisting of Armin Bernsee (Germany), Paul Craciun (Romania), Florina Fanea (Romania), Jan Helle (Germany), Huseyin Karagoz (Turkey), Esther Klann (Germany), Saskia Pabst (Germany) and Adelina Steer (Germany), interviewed Mrs Lotte Henz, an ethnic German from Romania who emigrated to Germany after about ten generations of her family had lived in Romania.
She was born in 1961, is married and the mother of two children.
Mrs Lotte Henz emigrated in 1985 at the age of 24. Her motivation for emigration was family reunion and she moved to Hanover because her husband was offered a job in this area. Actually the decision to emigrate to Germany was made by her parents when she was four years old, but it took them 20 years to receive the permission.
Regarding her family history, her ancestors were settled among with a group of Catholic Germans in the South-West of Romania in order to protect the borders from the Ottoman Empire in 1783. There they formed a German community with their own churches and schools. Within this community, the German minority preserved their culture, language and traditions.
Mrs Henz said that they had no problems integrating into German society due to the facts that she spoke the language and that she was introduced by friends and relatives. That is why she considers herself special and privileged.
Thinking of her home country, she only gets nostalgic during Christmas time. Though she keeps in touch with Romanian friends and she is still interested in local politics. Mrs Henz only uses Romanian to communicate via e-mail with one Romanian friend. Also, she did not teach her children Romanian, because she did not consider it necessary. Her children only know some Romanian songs and proverbs. Still she cooks Romanian food from time to time.
She does not want to return to Romania as changes took place and there are no more family members left to visit.
Mrs. Lotte Henz pointed out that she was raised with the belief that the German minority in Romania was better than other minorities which lead her to form prejudices. But by coming to Germany her mentality changed by integrating into German society.
”I now look at the person and not at the place they come from.“
Mr. Sahin
Kemal Sahin was born in 1947 in Germany. His father came from Yugoslavia and his mother was from Germany. After their marriage they lived in Germany for a few years. He passed most of his childhood in Turkey. In 1964, when he was 17 years old, he went back to Germany. Three years later he had to go back to Turkey for military service. In 1971 he married a Turkish woman and they went back to Germany together to get work. At the beginning he had many different jobs, for example as a technician. He has got two children and three grandchildren. Today he is working for a mosque and there, he guides some tours, for example for school classes. This organization is called “Sura”.
When he came to Germany he had many language problems and so it was difficult for him to integrate.
Here are some aspects which he thinks are important for a great integration:
1. to respect the foreigners
2. to socialise with other people so prejudices can be banned
3. to be able to speak the language
In his eyes the integration starts nowadays. When he came to Germany there was no real integration for immigrants. He also thinks that equality is one of the most important preconditions for integration. In our interview he said that the integration has to start early, for example at school or kindergarten. He thinks that teachers have an important role for the children during their integration. His point of view is that religion plays a big role but it's not everything for a great integration. He expects that language is the base for communication. Everyone should be able to speak to the foreigners. He mentioned the danger of a “parallel society”. One reason for this is that the children only know their mother tongue because their families just watch the TV channels of their home countries.
Jale Yasan, Farina Meyfarth, Cem Yada, Tobias Leidig, Cecilia Moratelli, Ramazan Ozfidan, Berkay Tutuk, JasminaTews
Interview with Irina Schaad
• 44 Years old
• born in Kazakhstan
• has been living in Germany now for 19 years
Historical Background of Germans in Russia
In the 18th century Catherine the Great needed more workers for her land in Russia. Catherine the Great had a German Background and the economic situation in Germany was not very good. Therefore many people from Germany moved to Russia to find jobs and to work on the fields.
For more than 100 years the immigrants from Germany lived and worked in Russia, but they still spoke German and lived in German communities where only Germans lived.
Beginning of World War II
When Hitler invaded Russia, during Stalin's dictatorship, Stalin was afraid that the Germans who lived in Russia would assist the German troops. That is why he decided to make the Germans leave Russia and move to Siberia and Kazakhstan as a punishment where they were forced to work in labor camps.
Stalin was very cruel and arrested and murdered many people in Russia, too, when they seemed to be against the government. During this time Irina Schaad's grandparents were killed.
In the new countries where they were forced to live now, Germans did not use the German language in public anymore, because they were hated and mocked because of Hitlers politics.
Irina Schaad was born in Kazakhstan and learned the German language from her grandmother, who still spoke German as did many other older people.
When Stalin finally died, people got the opportunity to start a life in freedom and decide on their own. Unfortunately they did not know how to behave and how to use their newly earned freedom.
Irina's Arrival in Germany
When Irina arrived in Germany she was 25 years old and already had a 3 months old child. Irina and her husband were both well qualified. Her husband couldn't find a job corresponding to his qualifications, so he worked in a factory. Today he is very happy in his job, but he has more problems speaking German. Irina herself worked for an insurance company and did a training course to do her new job. She stopped working for 3 years to have another baby and bring up her child. After 3 years of maternity leave she went back to her work. Now she is in charge of the new recruits and apprentices and has many responsibilities.
When she arrived in Germany she suffered a cultural shock, because many things were different. Her parents had brought her up in a very strict way, so she had always done what her parents told her to do. In Germany children are more free and talk back to their parents. In school they can eat and drink in the classroom. And young couples live together before getting married.
Interview by Roxana Serba, Saskia Sack, Audrey Miege, Christiane Staub, Ibrahim Ozdemir, Lukas Thum, Sascha Remus, kayleigh Kirwan
José Carrascosa
We have interviewed José Carrascosa who has been living in Germany for almost 50 years. José was born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1933. His mother died when he was a baby, he only had a father and a sister. He emigrated because it was a difficult period for Spain because of the civil war from 1936 to 1939 which ended in Franco's dictatorship. Spain was isolated from the rest of Europe. The most important reason to leave Spain was that his personal freedom was restricted because of corruption in Franco's regime. After he finished his military service, he decided to emigrate. He chose Germany because of the propaganda in Franco's dictatorship. Due to the connection between Franco and Hitler during the Second World War, the image of Germany in Spain was a positive one. José thought that Germany had a great landscape with beautiful blond girls. Before leaving he prepared himself by studying German on his own. He had to decide whether to buy a dictionary or a coat and he chose the dictionary. That shows his will to integrate into German society even before he arrived in Germany.
He came to Germany by hitch-hiking and reached Frankfurt in one night. In Germany he got some problems, for example to find a flat or a job. At first he lived in a hostel and shared his room with other immigrants. Then it was easy to find a job because workforces were needed and Spanish people were well liked. While doing several jobs and traveling through Germany he got good impressions of the country. Germany was different than he had imagined. People were always on the run and the lifestyle was faster than in Spain.
In 1958 he came to Hanover where he wanted to work as surveyor but he only got a job as builder. He started working at Volkswagen in Stöcken in 1959.
José lived together with German workers to improve his language skills. In 1961 he married a German teacher. The only problem was his father-in-law because he had prejudices against foreigners. He has two children: a daughter and a son. The daughter is a German citizen and speaks Spanish, and the son is a Spanish citizen and doesn't speak Spanish.
José still has a Spanish citizenship but loves both Germany and Spain. He is well integrated in German society and he sings in the church choir and he knows almost everyone in the village he is living in.
Interview by Boga Petruta, Christian Galert, Sarah Waldhauer, Christian Betke, Nils Düppers, Alice Arduini, Janina Babst, Halil Ibrahim Sunac
Renata Kurowska
Renata is an immigrant from Poland. She came here in April 1989. She used to live in Poznan, where she studied zoo technology. The reasons for her emigration were economical and personal. She traveled by car to Berlin before she moved to Hanover. At first she did many illegal jobs but she didn't want to work as a laborer so she started a course after which she had the opportunity to work in an old people's home, where she has been working for 12 years now. Her job is a pleasure for her because she always wanted to help other people. She is also very satisfied with the salary, which is very high in comparison with Poland.
When Renata first came to Germany she was very impressed by the beautiful landscape, nature and the infrastructure. She easily integrated into German society and always had a friendly relationship with other people. What she really liked was the anonymity in the big city and the way people behave. Despite of being away from her home country for many years she considers herself as Polish. As a result she refused to have a German passport. She visits Poland very often.
Piotr Kurowski
Piotr is Renata's brother. He has left Poland when he was 17 years old. It was in 1977. He has emigrated because of economical reasons. Piotr has finished his studies in Berlin. Then, he wanted to start a political career. At first, he used to work in a German Embassy. Because of his marriage with a student, he couldn't continue working as a politician. As a result of this decision he has started to work as a construction supervisor. He was doing that job for about 20 years. Now, when he is retired he has the opportunity to travel all around the world.
Piotr's first impressions when he came to Germany were very positive. Germans treated him in a very respectful way and as an equal part of their society. So he thinks that Polish people are well integrated and accepted due to the similar cultures of both countries.
All in all, we can say that both our guests are happy in Germany but they have never forgotten their Polish roots. For family reasons they are always looking forward to visiting their homeland but they are not planning to go back there for the rest of their lives.
Interview by Natalia Pawlik, Vanessa Seifert, Patryk Urbas, Markus Baumeister, Justine Laboret, Sarina Neumann, Claudia Fischer, Maria Frangou
Lotte Henz
During the Comenius project we interviewed five immigrants in mixed international groups in order to find out the specific experiences, motivation for immigration and their general views on integration.
Our group, consisting of Armin Bernsee (Germany), Paul Craciun (Romania), Florina Fanea (Romania), Jan Helle (Germany), Huseyin Karagoz (Turkey), Esther Klann (Germany), Saskia Pabst (Germany) and Adelina Steer (Germany), interviewed Mrs Lotte Henz, an ethnic German from Romania who emigrated to Germany after about ten generations of her family had lived in Romania.
She was born in 1961, is married and the mother of two children.
Mrs Lotte Henz emigrated in 1985 at the age of 24. Her motivation for emigration was family reunion and she moved to Hanover because her husband was offered a job in this area. Actually the decision to emigrate to Germany was made by her parents when she was four years old, but it took them 20 years to receive the permission.
Regarding her family history, her ancestors were settled among with a group of Catholic Germans in the South-West of Romania in order to protect the borders from the Ottoman Empire in 1783. There they formed a German community with their own churches and schools. Within this community, the German minority preserved their culture, language and traditions.
Mrs Henz said that they had no problems integrating into German society due to the facts that she spoke the language and that she was introduced by friends and relatives. That is why she considers herself special and privileged.
Thinking of her home country, she only gets nostalgic during Christmas time. Though she keeps in touch with Romanian friends and she is still interested in local politics. Mrs Henz only uses Romanian to communicate via e-mail with one Romanian friend. Also, she did not teach her children Romanian, because she did not consider it necessary. Her children only know some Romanian songs and proverbs. Still she cooks Romanian food from time to time.
She does not want to return to Romania as changes took place and there are no more family members left to visit.
Mrs. Lotte Henz pointed out that she was raised with the belief that the German minority in Romania was better than other minorities which lead her to form prejudices. But by coming to Germany her mentality changed by integrating into German society.
”I now look at the person and not at the place they come from.“
Mr. Sahin
Kemal Sahin was born in 1947 in Germany. His father came from Yugoslavia and his mother was from Germany. After their marriage they lived in Germany for a few years. He passed most of his childhood in Turkey. In 1964, when he was 17 years old, he went back to Germany. Three years later he had to go back to Turkey for military service. In 1971 he married a Turkish woman and they went back to Germany together to get work. At the beginning he had many different jobs, for example as a technician. He has got two children and three grandchildren. Today he is working for a mosque and there, he guides some tours, for example for school classes. This organization is called “Sura”.
When he came to Germany he had many language problems and so it was difficult for him to integrate.
Here are some aspects which he thinks are important for a great integration:
1. to respect the foreigners
2. to socialise with other people so prejudices can be banned
3. to be able to speak the language
In his eyes the integration starts nowadays. When he came to Germany there was no real integration for immigrants. He also thinks that equality is one of the most important preconditions for integration. In our interview he said that the integration has to start early, for example at school or kindergarten. He thinks that teachers have an important role for the children during their integration. His point of view is that religion plays a big role but it's not everything for a great integration. He expects that language is the base for communication. Everyone should be able to speak to the foreigners. He mentioned the danger of a “parallel society”. One reason for this is that the children only know their mother tongue because their families just watch the TV channels of their home countries.
Jale Yasan, Farina Meyfarth, Cem Yada, Tobias Leidig, Cecilia Moratelli, Ramazan Ozfidan, Berkay Tutuk, JasminaTews
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Feedback- Paul
Nervousness. I think that is what I felt before leaving my house. Getting into the right mood was a hard job for me as it was my first time out of the country. Slowly excitement took over and all the tension dissipated as me and my family waited for the arrival of the whole group. Talking to my aunts and my mother was interesting as they showed another kind of nervousness, they were scared and excited at the same time. But as the group gathered the tension seemed to be erased. “Goodbye”, “Be careful” and “Take care” were the phrases used by our loved ones as we got into the van that took us to Cluj.
After a two hour drive to Cluj, we arrived at the hotel where we spent the night. It seemed that phones kept ringing and even now mothers, fathers and loved ones kept telling us to take care and have fun in Germany. It was only then when I realized that I was really going to another country. Thoughts kept coming and leaving my head. After the phone finally went to “sleep” it was my turn to sleep.
We woke up at 4 in the morning to get the plane. We got at the airport in Cluj at half past five with a smile on our faces. As time passed by we kept talking and changing impressions of the “adventure” that was about to unfold in front of us. Being the first time I travelled by plane, it was really exciting for me as I experienced the sensation of flying. I guess you can compare it to a car that drives at 800 kilometres per hour. During our flight we all kept talking, some of us tried to sleep and it seemed it was all in preparation of touching the German ground.
We arrived in Dortmund at about 8 o’clock, we took the bus to the train station where we took the train to Hannover, the city where we would discuss about immigration, emigration and integration. I guess at the train station was the place where we had a taste of German hospitality as a nice lady gave us some pointers regarding our trip to Hannover.
As time passed by when we travelled by train, we were getting more and more excited as we were preparing for the moment when we would meet our hosts. We arrived in Hannover at around 12 o’clock where we met them.
It was then when Armin greeted me with a great smile and I felt relaxed and almost like home. It seemed that somehow this new and exciting place for me slowly became like a familiar spot where I usually came to visit friends.
When we arrived at Armin’s home I was greeted by a man with a smile that was full of warmth and he introduced himself as Armin’s father. Because I was tired I went to sleep in order to be more active and more focused during the project reunion.
It was after my short nap when I really got to see how open Armin and his folks were. I was welcomed into the family as a friend and not as a stranger. So I have to thank the Bernsee family for making my stay in Germany an extremely pleasant one.
The first day of the meeting was another reason of excitement that took over us as we were the first group that presented their interviews. So after getting over the anxiety and butterflies that seemed to keep flying around in our stomach, we managed to deliver our introduction speech and the short film was seen by the participants. It was still on this day that the Polish and Italian group presented their work and we could all see that everyone worked hard for this conference. After that we were given a very nice tour of the school by out German hosts, consisting of Armin, Esther, Saskia and Sarah which we have to thank.
After the meal we had at school we left for a tour of Hannover where Mr. Albrecht and Mr. Winkler acted as our guides showing us Hannover’s beautiful architecture and history. After the tour we all went home and prepared for a nice evening out with everyone and some international bonding. WE all talked and exchanged opinions and impressions.
The second day a presentation of the situation of immigration and integration in Germany was presented to us. It was interesting as it presented statistics that some of us didn’t know about and as we tried to see how the integration problem could be solved we realized that we all had the same problem regarding integration of immigrants, the only thing that was different was the number.
It was on this day that we had a very interesting interview with Ms. Lotte Henz, an ethnic German (aussiedler) who lived in Romania until the age of 24 and after that she came to Germany. Hearing her story was really interesting as she told us that she had no problems integrating as she knew the language, but for other immigrants this couldn’t really apply. So she considered herself blessed and privileged for her smooth integration in the German society.
Again stage fright took over me as we had to present our interview to the participants again. But the international team that was made I think managed to deliver an interesting presentation of the interview.
On the third and last day of the conference we had to write a presentation of the interview, an activity that all the members enjoyed as everyone had their input and the product of this multicultural team was introducing himself with pride as a good result of a tiring day. After this group work the interview with a journalist and two parents took place regarding the integration of Turks in German society, the interview was multilingual and sometimes hard to follow but nevertheless interesting and informational.
On our last day in Hannover, we took a trip to the “BallinStadt” Museum of Immigration in Hamburg, where we could see the place where immigrants came into Germany and the emigrants left. The introduction was really informational and interesting as it was very thorough and presented by an immigrant. The museum was well organized presenting the evolution of the migration phenomenon in Hamburg. I found it all very interesting as it was new for me and it got me captivated. After a short visit in Hamburg we had to go back to Hannover as we had to leave for Dortmund and after that to Romania. We swiftly took off to catch the train and we were bound to Dortmund. I think it was then when homesickness really took over and we really felt tired for the first time in the last week.
The next day when we arrived in Cluj, the phones started ringing again.
Overall the conference was a success and we all had to learn new and interesting things regarding the migration phenomenon in Germany, but we still have to start accepting all persons that immigrate to our country as we are all human beings that feel and breathe. We all have the same problems, but the difference is that they are on another level.
I have to thank Armin’s family for showing me kindness and accepting me into their home for a whole week, the Georg-Büchner-Gymnasium in Seelze for hosting the conference, the participants for taking a step towards integration, even if it is only a small one,. And last but not least to my form teacher for giving me the chance to participate in this reunion and the teachers that acted as our guardians in this trip.
Paul-Cristian Craciun
Romania, Maramures, Baia Mare
“Mihai Eminescu” National College
After a two hour drive to Cluj, we arrived at the hotel where we spent the night. It seemed that phones kept ringing and even now mothers, fathers and loved ones kept telling us to take care and have fun in Germany. It was only then when I realized that I was really going to another country. Thoughts kept coming and leaving my head. After the phone finally went to “sleep” it was my turn to sleep.
We woke up at 4 in the morning to get the plane. We got at the airport in Cluj at half past five with a smile on our faces. As time passed by we kept talking and changing impressions of the “adventure” that was about to unfold in front of us. Being the first time I travelled by plane, it was really exciting for me as I experienced the sensation of flying. I guess you can compare it to a car that drives at 800 kilometres per hour. During our flight we all kept talking, some of us tried to sleep and it seemed it was all in preparation of touching the German ground.
We arrived in Dortmund at about 8 o’clock, we took the bus to the train station where we took the train to Hannover, the city where we would discuss about immigration, emigration and integration. I guess at the train station was the place where we had a taste of German hospitality as a nice lady gave us some pointers regarding our trip to Hannover.
As time passed by when we travelled by train, we were getting more and more excited as we were preparing for the moment when we would meet our hosts. We arrived in Hannover at around 12 o’clock where we met them.
It was then when Armin greeted me with a great smile and I felt relaxed and almost like home. It seemed that somehow this new and exciting place for me slowly became like a familiar spot where I usually came to visit friends.
When we arrived at Armin’s home I was greeted by a man with a smile that was full of warmth and he introduced himself as Armin’s father. Because I was tired I went to sleep in order to be more active and more focused during the project reunion.
It was after my short nap when I really got to see how open Armin and his folks were. I was welcomed into the family as a friend and not as a stranger. So I have to thank the Bernsee family for making my stay in Germany an extremely pleasant one.
The first day of the meeting was another reason of excitement that took over us as we were the first group that presented their interviews. So after getting over the anxiety and butterflies that seemed to keep flying around in our stomach, we managed to deliver our introduction speech and the short film was seen by the participants. It was still on this day that the Polish and Italian group presented their work and we could all see that everyone worked hard for this conference. After that we were given a very nice tour of the school by out German hosts, consisting of Armin, Esther, Saskia and Sarah which we have to thank.
After the meal we had at school we left for a tour of Hannover where Mr. Albrecht and Mr. Winkler acted as our guides showing us Hannover’s beautiful architecture and history. After the tour we all went home and prepared for a nice evening out with everyone and some international bonding. WE all talked and exchanged opinions and impressions.
The second day a presentation of the situation of immigration and integration in Germany was presented to us. It was interesting as it presented statistics that some of us didn’t know about and as we tried to see how the integration problem could be solved we realized that we all had the same problem regarding integration of immigrants, the only thing that was different was the number.
It was on this day that we had a very interesting interview with Ms. Lotte Henz, an ethnic German (aussiedler) who lived in Romania until the age of 24 and after that she came to Germany. Hearing her story was really interesting as she told us that she had no problems integrating as she knew the language, but for other immigrants this couldn’t really apply. So she considered herself blessed and privileged for her smooth integration in the German society.
Again stage fright took over me as we had to present our interview to the participants again. But the international team that was made I think managed to deliver an interesting presentation of the interview.
On the third and last day of the conference we had to write a presentation of the interview, an activity that all the members enjoyed as everyone had their input and the product of this multicultural team was introducing himself with pride as a good result of a tiring day. After this group work the interview with a journalist and two parents took place regarding the integration of Turks in German society, the interview was multilingual and sometimes hard to follow but nevertheless interesting and informational.
On our last day in Hannover, we took a trip to the “BallinStadt” Museum of Immigration in Hamburg, where we could see the place where immigrants came into Germany and the emigrants left. The introduction was really informational and interesting as it was very thorough and presented by an immigrant. The museum was well organized presenting the evolution of the migration phenomenon in Hamburg. I found it all very interesting as it was new for me and it got me captivated. After a short visit in Hamburg we had to go back to Hannover as we had to leave for Dortmund and after that to Romania. We swiftly took off to catch the train and we were bound to Dortmund. I think it was then when homesickness really took over and we really felt tired for the first time in the last week.
The next day when we arrived in Cluj, the phones started ringing again.
Overall the conference was a success and we all had to learn new and interesting things regarding the migration phenomenon in Germany, but we still have to start accepting all persons that immigrate to our country as we are all human beings that feel and breathe. We all have the same problems, but the difference is that they are on another level.
I have to thank Armin’s family for showing me kindness and accepting me into their home for a whole week, the Georg-Büchner-Gymnasium in Seelze for hosting the conference, the participants for taking a step towards integration, even if it is only a small one,. And last but not least to my form teacher for giving me the chance to participate in this reunion and the teachers that acted as our guardians in this trip.
Paul-Cristian Craciun
Romania, Maramures, Baia Mare
“Mihai Eminescu” National College
Monday, December 7, 2009
Feedabacks - Project Reunion in Germany
I consider myself a very lucky student because I was offered the chance to go to Germany for a week. I am part of the Romanian team and I was very proud to represent my country. First I want to congratulate everyone involved, especially those who have organized this project reunion.
For me the whole experience, from beginning to end was a new one and unique.
Firstly, I had never travelled by plane, it was the first time and I was a little scared. But I realized that is not as scary as I thought, on the contrary it is very comfortable and pleasant.
Of course to get to Hanover we had to travel by bus to the train station in Dortmund and then by train. It was a long and tiring trip but worth the full effort.
I was accommodated by Sarah Waldhauer and I can say I felt like at home. Her parents are also special people and made me a great pleasure to be part of their family for a week.
The first days I visited Hanover and we went shopping and then we visited the school.
Each team presented the film with the interviews. All teams were very good and the presentations as well.
The activity that I liked most was that when we formed teams and got the interview and we presented the results. I was in the team who interviewed José Carrascosa. It was interesting to listen to his life story because I think it could represent, for all of us, an example of strength. He always wanted to be accepted in the German community and he always tried to improve his skills.
The interviews we had taken in our school had also been were very interesting. We found out about the difficulties the persons who leave their native country are being faced with.
I also liked the Hanover tour very much because we visited the most important parts of the city. Hanover is a wonderful place. Especially on the eve of winter holidays it is a very colourful city. In the Christmas market we could feel the magic and joy of the Christmas holidays.
Wednesday I had a special evening, which I will never forget. I was with Sarah’s parents at a Greek restaurant and I felt great and I thank them for those moments which they offered me.
Last but not least, we enjoyed very much visiting Hamburg and the Museum of Immigration. I liked it very much, because it reproduces very well the conditions in which immigrants lived and also what surprised me was that I could listen to each story.
In conclusion the project reunion in Germany was an experience I will never forget.
I thank once again Sarah's family and my form teacher for her trust in me and for this opportunity.
For me the whole experience, from beginning to end was a new one and unique.
Firstly, I had never travelled by plane, it was the first time and I was a little scared. But I realized that is not as scary as I thought, on the contrary it is very comfortable and pleasant.
Of course to get to Hanover we had to travel by bus to the train station in Dortmund and then by train. It was a long and tiring trip but worth the full effort.
I was accommodated by Sarah Waldhauer and I can say I felt like at home. Her parents are also special people and made me a great pleasure to be part of their family for a week.
The first days I visited Hanover and we went shopping and then we visited the school.
Each team presented the film with the interviews. All teams were very good and the presentations as well.
The activity that I liked most was that when we formed teams and got the interview and we presented the results. I was in the team who interviewed José Carrascosa. It was interesting to listen to his life story because I think it could represent, for all of us, an example of strength. He always wanted to be accepted in the German community and he always tried to improve his skills.
The interviews we had taken in our school had also been were very interesting. We found out about the difficulties the persons who leave their native country are being faced with.
I also liked the Hanover tour very much because we visited the most important parts of the city. Hanover is a wonderful place. Especially on the eve of winter holidays it is a very colourful city. In the Christmas market we could feel the magic and joy of the Christmas holidays.
Wednesday I had a special evening, which I will never forget. I was with Sarah’s parents at a Greek restaurant and I felt great and I thank them for those moments which they offered me.
Last but not least, we enjoyed very much visiting Hamburg and the Museum of Immigration. I liked it very much, because it reproduces very well the conditions in which immigrants lived and also what surprised me was that I could listen to each story.
In conclusion the project reunion in Germany was an experience I will never forget.
I thank once again Sarah's family and my form teacher for her trust in me and for this opportunity.
Petruta Boga
Romania
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