Aus dem Allende-Viertel: We just called her "grandma".
I come from Afghanistan. Germany has been a hope for me, for my health, dreams and a safe life. I have never been so accepted by a person as I was by my "grandma", whom I was lucky enough to meet in a refugee home. We had Christmas time then and all the children got presents. Unfortunately, my present was stolen and grandma saw me crying and looking for my present. Then she tried to help me and brought me a new present the very next day. She took me in like her own granddaughter and made me the...
52 Stories #25: The Living Library
"My favourite place is The Living Neighbourhood Library. There I meet very different people and exchange ideas with them. This allows us to improve our German, but above all to get to know each other. It's more of a space and can be in very different places in Treptow-Köpenick." (Aswad) A living library consists of people instead of books – people with stories. Here, you will meet old and new neighbours who are new to Germany and/or have biographical ties to East Germany. You can tell them...
Aus dem Allende-Viertel: "Am I cinema?"
It was about four years ago. Coming back from a walk, my husband and I were strolling down Salvador Allende Street, past Lidl. Lost in thought, I noticed, more unconsciously, a little boy, maybe seven or eight years old, strolling like us, coming towards us. Obviously he wanted to go back to the "Allendeheim", the shelter for refugees right behind Lidl. When he came closer, I looked at him with interest. "Am I a cinema or what?" the little guy suddenly asked when we were at the same height. We...
52 Stories #24: "Der Hauptmann von Köpenick"
"When we moved from Ukraine to Berlin in 1995, we lived in a camp near Erkner, a former barracks for the Soviet army. It wasn't special, it was similar to my student dormitory before: five floors, long corridors, the kitchen in the middle, showers and toilets. Then we had to go to Altstadt Köpenick, to the social welfare office. A boy who had been there for a while with his family accompanied us. I immediately fell in love with this old building. Then we soon went to the adult education centre...
Aus dem Allende-Viertel: On Arriving and Staying
I fled to Germany from Syria in 2016 because of the war. Then I lived directly in the dormitory in Alfred-Randt-Straße and stayed there for about one and a half years until we found a flat. During that time, I attended a welcome class to learn German. After a year, I knew German pretty well and started looking for an apprenticeship. But at first we didn't have internet at home and you really need support. It wasn't all that nice, but I kept going anyway and kept looking. And at some point we...
52 Stories #23: Köpenick's old town
"My favourite place is the old town of Köpenick. It reminds me of a beloved corner in Damascus." (Amer aus Köpenick) "My favourite place is the old town of Köpenick because of its atmosphere and the charm of the small alleys and old buildings that remind me of my city of Old Damas. In summer, lots of people sit on the banks of the Spree River, which flows around the old town to form an idyllic island. I love it!" (Marwa aus Köpenick) "My favourite place in Treptow-Köpenick is the...