As you can see from last week’s newspaper headline, the Syrian refugee situation is part of my CBYX exerpeince in Heikendorf. In the last two weeks Schleswig-Holstein (the German state containing Hamburg, Kiel and Heikendorf) took in 7,200 refugees.
As Germany has experienced war twice in the last one hundred years, a lot of the people know personally what it’s like to flee their homeland (Poland, Prussia), needing help and support. They remember the people in America who brought food and help to Germany during the time following the war and want to pay it forward to the refugees now. In watching the news or reading newspaper articles, there are often photos of refugees being met at the larger train stations by people smiling, holding large “Welcome” signs. Even at school we have “Refugees Welcome – Ihr seid willkommen” signs posted in the classroom windows.
The refugee route brings them first to Southern Germany where they are put on trains to the 16 German states. They are supposed to get their papers and clear up their identity when they first enter Germany but, as there are so many refugees, a lot don’t get papers until they reach the camps in each state. There are a lot of empty miltary barracks where a lot of the refugees are being housed temporarily, allowing them to receive medical attention, German language and orientation courses while permanent housing/relocation is determined.
German’s tend to be very organized. We heard this a lot during our time at Schloss Wittgenstein - “We will do it the organized German way, not the American way”. With the refugees, Germany recognizes this is where the bigger problem lies - all of the organization required to answer the questions “Where does the money for this come? Who will do this work?” The current refugee assistance systems are good, but the even larger numbers of refugees daily arriving adds complication and strain. Also, the Syrian refugees are different as returning to Syria is suicide – they cannot return. These refugees really need a home because they can't go home until the war ends, which isn't predicted to be soon. There are a few concerns that the refugees might bring the fight and prejudices with them from where they’ve just escaped, but for now the people of Germany are more focused on saving lives and helping these refugees.
From what I have seen at church, in conversations at school and with my host family, and in the media and press, Germany is offering a much needed and greatly appreciated helping hand, refusing to stand by and watch people die, offering their organized assistance to resettle refugees.
As Germany has experienced war twice in the last one hundred years, a lot of the people know personally what it’s like to flee their homeland (Poland, Prussia), needing help and support. They remember the people in America who brought food and help to Germany during the time following the war and want to pay it forward to the refugees now. In watching the news or reading newspaper articles, there are often photos of refugees being met at the larger train stations by people smiling, holding large “Welcome” signs. Even at school we have “Refugees Welcome – Ihr seid willkommen” signs posted in the classroom windows.
The refugee route brings them first to Southern Germany where they are put on trains to the 16 German states. They are supposed to get their papers and clear up their identity when they first enter Germany but, as there are so many refugees, a lot don’t get papers until they reach the camps in each state. There are a lot of empty miltary barracks where a lot of the refugees are being housed temporarily, allowing them to receive medical attention, German language and orientation courses while permanent housing/relocation is determined.
German’s tend to be very organized. We heard this a lot during our time at Schloss Wittgenstein - “We will do it the organized German way, not the American way”. With the refugees, Germany recognizes this is where the bigger problem lies - all of the organization required to answer the questions “Where does the money for this come? Who will do this work?” The current refugee assistance systems are good, but the even larger numbers of refugees daily arriving adds complication and strain. Also, the Syrian refugees are different as returning to Syria is suicide – they cannot return. These refugees really need a home because they can't go home until the war ends, which isn't predicted to be soon. There are a few concerns that the refugees might bring the fight and prejudices with them from where they’ve just escaped, but for now the people of Germany are more focused on saving lives and helping these refugees.
From what I have seen at church, in conversations at school and with my host family, and in the media and press, Germany is offering a much needed and greatly appreciated helping hand, refusing to stand by and watch people die, offering their organized assistance to resettle refugees.