the unmelting pot

Life in Germany moves at a much slower pace than in America. Everyone has time to cook dinner, and most days we take a break in the afternoon for coffee. This is both refreshing and disconcerting for me, who was used last semester to days where I rarely had time to grab food on the go between school and work. However, it means that I am speedily making my way through the books I brought with me, and actually have time to keep a daily diary for the first time in...years?

Last week I job shadowed a Social Worker who works mainly with young people who are immigrants or come from immigrant communities. It was fascinating. Much like the southern US where there is tension between "natives" and hispanic immigrants/migrants, there exists here cultural/racial/religious tension between native Bavarians and the turkish/moslem community. Bavaria is an extremely conservative part of Germany. Bavarians consider themselves Bavarian first, and German second(and only really when talking to internationals). Bavaria is something like 80% Roman Catholic, and that culture is deeply ingrained in everything from food to school schedules. It is no wonder that that comes into conflict with the also deeply proud and culturally defined Turkish immigrant community here. 

However, it saddens me to see this country, which has worked so hard on creating tolerance and acceptance after the horrible events of WWII in many ways fall back into the same old ruts. Germans are a proud people, which is part of what makes them distinct and beautiful, yet pride is dangerous. After nearly 60 years of the Guest Worker program being in affect, the government and social organizations have only in the last 5-10 years started to address the issues that arise when two completely different cultures and religions collide. On one side of Ingolstadt we visited a middle school with a 5% immigrant population. On the other side of town, near the neighborhood where I work, the school is almost 100% immigrant. The segregation is in many ways voluntary for both communities--many Turkish families see themselves as Turks first, Germans second, and there are families who have lived here for 3 generations who still speak only Turkish. Nevertheless, it is segregation. 

Moreover, this voluntary distance between cultures and peoples only serves to hurt the children who are growing up in an increasingly globalized world. At the KinderCafe last week there were children from Russian, Turkish, and Kazak backgrounds. As long as everything went well they were friends--helping each other learn new german words, sharing food and cleaning tasks-- but at the first sign of trouble or conflict, they immediately broke down into family/culture groups. Gangs are a serious problem for the older ones. There is little hope for the bright future that the German public education system(fantastic and nearly free through the completion of University) offers. 

In Germany there are two choices for Highschool. If one has good grades, one can go to Gymnasium and be on track for University studies. If one has poor grades(or poor german and english speaking skills) one goes to Hochshule to learn a career. Most of the kids I work with will barely make it through Hochshule, despite their obvious intelligence, because they lack the motivation, language skills, and familial support to make the necessary grades for Gymnasium. In this, Germans--whether native or immigrant--are doing their children a gross disservice and participating in a vicious cycle that keeps immigrants from every fully integrating and contributing to the greater society. 

However, there is hope. The woman I job shadowed was an inspiration. She saw her job as working AROUND the beaurocracy and contradictions inherent in the system because her goal is to help these children. She is very good at her job. I can only hope that there are more social workers like her.