“People say you can learn everything in Berlin, except German”


Human Wrongs Watch

Student Ayra’ story is part of the UN International Organisation for Migration (IOM) series: “i am a migrant“.*  Ayra’s country of origin is Canada and she currently lives in Germany – 6,534 kms from home.

 Ayra | Photo from IOM

“My name is Ayra Reyla, I’m 23-years-old and I came to Germany about a year ago in order to study. Originally, I’m from Guelph, Canada, a small town near Toronto.”

“I remember that I was a bit out of my depth with the metro system when I first arrived here. My father was with me and we then decided to take a cab from the airport to get to the hotel.”

“In Guelph, my hometown, there is a totally different vibe compared to here in Berlin. You can strike up a conversation with people more easily. Here in Berlin, people seem to be more introverted. However, I think this is probably not a cultural difference, but is more due to the size of the city.”

“In fact, I see few cultural differences between Germany and Canada. But I immediately felt very welcome in Berlin. Even before, when I visited Berlin as a tourist, I always enjoyed it. It’s somehow different from the rest of Germany. People say you can learn everything in Berlin, except German.”

“What I miss most from back home is the routine. Just knowing where everything is. And driving a car, of course! In North America, I learned to drive an automatic. I’m not very good at driving stick, which is why I don’t drive here in Berlin.”

“I was born in the Philippines and moved to Canada at the age of three. I can say that the Philippines are my home and that Canada is my home. But in the end, home is not a certain place for me, it’s the people I’m surrounded with. Here in Berlin, I have made so many friends and met so many great people that by now, I can also say that Berlin is my home.”

[Für die deutsche Version klicken Sie hier.]

*Ayra’ story was published in the UN International Organisation for Migration (IOM) series: “i am a migrant“. Go to Original. 

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“The fear is not of leaving, but of no longer belonging”

“As a migrant, I sometimes ask myself, when is the right moment to go back and help my country”

“I want to go back to school and get a good job so that I can be independent and take better care of my family”

“It was 4am on the day the smugglers loaded 300 people onto the boat. Many fell into the water – the smugglers called it a sacrifice.”

“We had to bury so many people in the desert. As I was digging the holes, I planned for mine as well.”

“It was difficult for me to forge my identity because I did not fit into society’s boxes”

To Be a Latin-American Migrant in Madrid

To Be an Egyptian Migrant in Rome (And Also Make Great Pizza)

To Be a Nigerian Migrant in Italy

Migrants in Italy: “Shame Is Keeping Us Here”

Not Just Numbers: Migrants Tell Their Stories

Libya: Up to One Million Enslaved Migrants, Victims of ‘Europe’s Complicity’

2018 Human Wrongs Watch

 


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