Interviews with refugees

Today some of us met with refugees who have fled their countries in the past year or two in search of safety. Those of us who have completed German 4 were given the opportunity to interview them as a part of the project that the GAPP program is doing on diversity. We weren't sure what to expect from the interviews, but we prepared questions in advance, keeping in mind the gravity of the situations many of these refugees fled from and attempting to focus mainly on how their lives in Germany are now. 

Most of the students began learning German upon their enrollment in ADO little as 10 months ago. Because of the importance that the school has placed on the refugees learning German as well as their immersion in the language, though, they seemed to be as good as or better than those of us who have been studying it for the past two years in America. 

When I asked what means or services are available to them and their families to learn German, many first replied that they had no family with them, and then said that school was their resource for learning the language. I think that the realization that many of these students are alone here was one of the most eye-opening things for me. I can only imagine the bravery it took for them to come so far away from home by themselves, even if it was their option.

 When one of the teachers asked them to explain why there were no girls in the class (there is one, but she was sick today), they simply told us that the journeys they endured to get to Germany were very dangerous- too dangerous for women and children.

Many of the boys I spoke with said that they spoke Arabic, a little bit of English, and some German. I asked what their plans for the next 5 years were, and they all replied that they would either find work or go to Berufsschule, which is like technical school. 

I was pleasantly surprised at how open the students were to answering our questions and how quickly we were able to fall into friendly conversation. 

More than anything else, I was reminded today that the people we hear about on the news day in and day out are not just numbers. They are not just points on a map. It's so easy to forget this -easy to remove ourselves- but the fact is that each and every one of them are real people with loved ones, dreams and aspirations, and lives as fully complex as our own.