Multiculturellen Zentrum Trier

A quick note before I begin this post: for the next month I'll be using this blog as part of one of my courses here, so it might get a little boring(i hope not) for those of you who aren't my professor and aren't giving me a grade. Anyways...

Yesterday was my first day at the Multiculturellen Zentrum Trier which is both extremely similar and extremely different to the Evangelische Aussiedlerarbeit. They offer many of the same programs--language courses, integration courses, international meals, etc-- but the general office environment is completely different. It seems as if the MZT is always busy, not disorganized necessarily, more like humming. Most of the people working there are volunteers and the office is crowded and cluttered and friendly. 

In the small room where I sat while Johanna taught an integration and language course sat teenagers from almost every continent. Afghanis, Iraqis, Namibians, Brazilians...most of them under 18 years old. Over half had been in Germany less than a year. The course is specifically designed for Azyls-- young people seeking asylum or who come from war-torn areas, many of whom are also orphans. We talked about breakfast. The small room was barely enough for the large table and twenty or so chairs squeezed around it. Conversations in multiple languages bounced off the walls, or more often in some sort of mix between german and something else. 

During the break around 11 we all crowded into the kitchen for coffee...strong coffee. I took a sip and puckered my mouth, Johanna laughed. We have three different kinds of coffee, here she said, Fabian coffee, Abdulah coffee, and normal coffee. When Fabian makes the coffee i pour a little hot water in my cup to water it down. When Abdulah makes it, I pour a lot. Abdulah is from Afghanistan. He is 16 and has lived in Germany for 6 months in a house with other refugee teens. I don't know if his parents are dead or were simply unable to leave. One of the other Iraqi boys asked me which city was cooler, DC or Kabul. I said I didn't know since I'd only been to one, but that my father is in Kabul now, working and that I had heard it was beautiful, which made them laugh. It was strange to be literally looking at the consequences of american occupation in the face. 

The language/integration course for Azyls is fairly special considering that most integration courses are only focused on people who come to Germany by choice and plan on staying. Azyls often get lost in the cracks because they either do not have the time or the resources to take a long course, nevertheless they still need to know how to order food, fill out paperwork, and get around town. Today as I was reading some literature about the history and pedagogy of the MZT I found out that beyond this course, they also offer a class for people who because of caste and or conflict never learned to read or write. Before they learn german, they have to learn their own speech. German grammar is no joke, but when you don't even know what grammar is... I was really impressed that the people at the MZT had taken this into consideration and actually offering that sort of course. I think it shows a sort of attention to detail that reveals the depth of care and concern they have for foreigners or whatever sort who have come to Germany. They even have volunteers who go along with people when they have to go to the hospital or a government bureau to help them understand the paperwork and make sure that they get everything done correctly and aren't overwhelmed or confused, which is often a major reason why recent immigrants don't seek out the various forms of government aid available. 

One thing that particularly impressed me about the MZT was also their strong commitment to anti-racism and sexism. Of course, being a multicultural center they're all about tolerance...but they have actually organized and participated in large protests against the NPD(neo-nazi party) and also demonstrated against the policy of jailing illegal immigrants(I saw a poster that said kein mensch ist illegal which means "no person is illegal." i liked that.) Considering my own personal political views, I tend to get jaded or cynical when people talk the talk but don't actually, you know...do anything. It impressed me that the MZT was sort of attacking the problem from both ends-- promoting tolerance and integration through positive programs that help immigrants integrate and help the greater community to be more accepting while also taking a firm stance against neo-nazism and other forms or discrimination. 

Next Sunday I'm helping to organize an american breakfast at the MZT. Every month they have a different group cook traditional breakfast food and also give some sort of presentation about their home culture. Since the other language students who are on this trip have been doing presentations about America  and american culture in different schools around town as part of their coursework, Dr. Kennedy(my professor) worked it out so that we could do the breakfast this month. Of course, they don't sell grits or american-style bacon here, so we may have to improvise, but I'm pretty excited. I get to be in charge of figuring out whose going to cook what and then making sure all the ingredients get bought in time. Since no stores are open sunday and many aren't really even open saturday its going to be an adventure. I think it will be pretty fun to watch the beginning german students from app meet other beginning students from all over the world over the breakfast table. 

One thing I'm particularly excited about this trip is that I feel like I'll be able to do some more hands-on stuff than I did last month since, similar to american non-profits, the MZT seems to be constantly looking for volunteers. I may even get to help out with an english course!