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...

WOMEN’S WELCOME BRIDGE is a website for women which is built by women. It connects refugee women with female volunteers living in Berlin. This website features offers; requests, appointments, and links to initiatives provided by and on behalf of refugee women. The website is available in German, English, Farsi, Arabic, French and Turkish as well. RZ: Can you tell us about your website? What is the aim of this project? WWB: On Women's Welcome Bridge, one can contact to another directly. Just...

It has now been a year since we lived together in a shared flat. Just as a bundle of motives brought us together, after 2½ years we parted ways again for different reasons. The tenant announced that he wanted to move in. In the flat-sharing community, Eshan and I then thought of looking for a new flat together for all three of us. At the same time, Maiko wanted to try something new and live alone. After I finished my training, it was also uncertain for me whether I would stay in Berlin at...

By Marisha Lange  At the beginning of May I began a three-month internship at a refugee shelter in the south-east corner of Berlin. In my first days at the shelter, I met people from Afghanistan and Azerbaijan, Iraq and Iran, Syria and Eritrea and Turkey. I was fascinated by the diversity of their languages and religions and cultures. I was captivated by their stories, but while I was deeply interested in their past, something in me quickly latched on to their present. The novelty of...