SU_B_07

[i] Yes, welcome Mrs. [name], [name] is my name. I am Fieldworker for our project “Specially Unknown”. We are very happy to have you with us today. We are all very excited about your life story. You have the floor.

[r] So hello, my name is [name]. I am married and I still live in Herne. I come from Guinea, I am 23 years old and, yes.

[i] Okay, thank you very much. It’s about your life story, what you’ve experienced so far and what you can remember. You can determine the order yourself.

[r] Yes.

[i] We can start with childhood. The flight reasons, the experiences you have gathered here. Yes, you are free […].

[r] So, from my childhood in Guinea, I had […] with my mother. Actually, I have a brother, an older brother, and my father always worked in Macenta. This is a village in Guinea. He worked there until 2012. And that’s why I only lived with my mother. And yes, we were quite happy and he always came to […]. Sometimes he had holidays and came home for a month or two. And we also went to school […]. My school in Guinea is called Sainte-Therese and later I was in Sainte-Marie. They were all private schools and […].

[i] What is the primary school called?

[r] Sainte-Therese.

[i] Okay, and where? In which city?

[r] In Conakry.

[i] Okay.

[r] This is actually the capital of Guinea.

[i] Guinea, West Africa. Yes, Guinea, Conakry, which municipality?

My school?

[i] Yes.

[r] In Ratoma, respectively Bambeto.

[i] Could you tell us something about your parents? What did they do for a living? What is their profession?

Yes, my parents were both civil servants.

[i] Hmm hm.

[r] Well, my father worked at the tax office and my mother at something like the tax office. Similarly. Since both studied economics. And yes, my brother was like me at school.

They’re talking about their brother right now, how many are you, or how many siblings do you have?

[r] I have a brother.

[i] Okay.

[r] A big brother, he still lives in France at the moment.

[i] You are only two?

[i] I have a brother.

[i] Only one brother?

[r] Yes, exactly.

[i] Ok, yes, nice. And your family, where do they live?

Oh, my mother is still in Guinea, my father too, and my brother currently lives in France, in Strasbourg.

Yes, maybe we could start with childhood. We are there […]

[r] Um. As I said before, we were my mother, my brother and me. My mother is a […] Well, she was very sweet. And that’s where we lived together. In the morning we all just went to school. And my mother [went] to work. And then, in the evening, she picked us up and then we were actually at home. And there were always such good times with her. I love my mother very much. We were always together, people always even said that she was my sister, something like that. And, yes, everyone was even afraid that if I got married, I would go to my husband with her. So, yes, and my brother, he is […]. He left Guinea early. In 2008 he flew to France. He was 18 or even 17 I think. He continued his studies there. Then I stayed in Guinea with my mother. When my brother was still in, when my brother flew to France, then my mother and I were of course very sad and always thought, yes, he will still come. Sometimes we even forgot that he was gone. When I was supposed to fly to Germany afterwards, I was afraid that my mother would stay alone. And, yes, we were very close to each other, my mother and I.

Okay, your brother, what’s the feeling, did you spend school together? I mean, were you at school together or how was your everyday life or the relationship to her own brother?

Yes, my brother, he loves me so much. He always said that I was too small. Even when I was having fun, he would say to my mother, “No, don’t yell at her. Come to me, you can even beat me for it. Don’t do anything to her, she’s too small. And he is also very sweet. We were at the same school, but later he was in Hamdallaye Secondaire and I was in Sainte-Marie.

[i] It’s a kind of secondary school and it’s after primary school.

[r] Exactly.

[i] That’s why you went to separate schools.

[r] Exactly.

[i] Okay, and how was home?

[r] So, at home.

[i] Yes, with your brother.

[r] Ah with my brother. Hmm, they usually say that brothers and sisters always fight. But with my brother there were often little quarrels, so that’s quite normal, but otherwise he was even my sister, my brother. He was everything to me and he always protected me and always loved me and everything was great at home. It was just great. I still miss that.

[i] Okay.

[r] Yes.

[i] We see that they grew up very sheltered.

[r] Yes.

[i] And friends outside the family?

[r] So [as] friends, I only had the children of my neighbors. And to school, too, I had girlfriends there. Hmm, yes. I already had two, three. We were actually in Bambeto. But there were four families like that and they all had daughters too, we had the same age. And that’s why we were friends, so from childhood until now we are still friends.

[i] Free time, how did you spend your free time?

[r] Films, a lot of films. [Aminatou laughs] Yes.

[i] Watched from a distance!

[r] Exactly. And when I was a child, I danced a lot, for school, even at home, maybe you know the show called “Parade”. Every Saturday there was 30 minutes of music. And I danced to every music. Just danced 30 minutes every Saturday without a break.

[i] This is sport.

[r] Yes, exactly and for school too. It was like that, it was like that at the end, every year, we had such a […] party, for all the students and all the students and all the […] everyone who had good grades. We had a lot of activities there. Theatre, dance and so on and so forth I always danced, even when I didn’t want to. Then my teachers always said, “You have to dance, you can do it. Just do that!

[i] Like Michael Jackson […].

I wouldn’t say that. But actually it is.

[i] Um, also maybe favourite places?

[r] In Guinea?

[i] Yes.

[r] So in Guinea, um, I say something else that shocked me a bit. Last time a friend here asked me, “Where are you from?” I said, “From Guinea.” He was googling and just like that, he only saw ugly houses. I wanted to say once that there are very beautiful places also in Guinea. and yes, in Conakry even I was always […], there is a […] such a garden. Such a […] playground for children. The place is called “2 Octobre”. It’s a date, but that’s the name of the place. That’s in …. what’s it called again? Dixinn, I think. So we just say in the city. “En Ville”, that’s what it’s actually called and it’s called “2 Octobre”. Second October, actually.

[i] One calls the place yes “Jardin d´enfant”. The garden of the second of October.

[r] Yes, exactly. And there I was often with my mother and played. Otherwise I also liked to stay at home with my mother.

They told a lot about their mother, what about their grandparents?

[r] Oh, unfortunately you were already deceased when I was born. There was […] I only had my grandfather. So it was my mother’s father. From my mother. And he was in the village. In the village, in Gaoual actually. I was always there, sometimes two or three times like that. During the holidays I went there. And we spent a very nice time with him and he has also gone away from us now.

[i] Okay, usually you say “grandpa”. Her husband.

[r] Yes, hmm, he was “my husband”. Nehh.

[i] Your treasure.

Exactly, yes he always said to me: “When teenagers say, come with me. We should go out or something, say no. But if they give you money, take it.

[i] Ok, just for laughs, for fun.

[r] Exactly.

[i] Okay, do you remember anything else he said about the place, about experiences?

[r] Well, my grandfather, um, yeah, actually, he was always for religion. He was very religious and always something […], you always have to pray and know everything about the Koran. He always liked that we read it together. And he always woke me up very early so that I would go and pray. And it was always that religion was something of um […]. When he was in Maka? What is that called?

[i] To Mecca. R[r] Yeah, that’s right, he used to talk about it. And always the Koran, again and again, again and again. Yes.

[i] Yes, he always talks about the Koran. And religion, to what extent does religion play in education, has religion played [a role] in education?

[r] Yes, so a […].

[i] Hmm hm.

[r] Well, that was always my father’s task actually. He always called, “Were you at the Koranic school today? And it was always like that, we always had to go there, we had to pray, we had to […] So my mother was actually always to work. And she had taken care of the school. And my father actually took care of the religion in the Koranic school and praying.

[i] You said they were in school?

[r] Hmm hm [Yes].

[i] And you had teachers.

[r] Yes.

[i] Teaching that gave lessons. But in Koranic school you had Koranic teachers.

[r] Yes, exactly.

[i] Could you make a comparison?

[r] To school?

The way you were received there, the relationship, the pedagogy, if you tell us something.

So very strict, they were very strict, you always had to […] learn first and memorize also and sometimes write. In Arabic.

[i] So we’re talking about learning the Koran here, Koranic school.

Exactly, you should write yourself what you actually read. But those were levels and in the beginning you have to learn the alphabet so to speak and then words and then we say sentences again and then learn to write and yes. And sometimes they even beat you when you haven’t learned by heart. That was in the Koranic school. Actually at school too, it was almost the same, they beat us and punished us if we didn’t learn well. Or if there were things you should learn to read by heart, if you didn’t do that then you will be beaten or punished.

[i] Punished, yes?

[r] Exactly. For example, in the ninth grade I had a French teacher. I made a mistake, I had a very good grade. When we wrote the first exam. I would have really had only zero. Not a good grade at all. But then it was very strict and it was like this, he always beat me when I wasn’t at school. He always asked: “Where is Amina? My friends said, “She’s sick or she’s not here.” And when I came, he always asked: “Where have you been? “No, I wasn’t there, I forgot we were supposed to come today.” And since I wasn’t [there], he hit me. And I was always afraid to tell that to my mother, then she wouldn’t have allowed it. That’s why it was so strict. But there were also teachers who were quite nice.

I hear from it that you experience things you never pass on. But [of those] their parents don’t know either. They told me about the brawl [the blows] […].

[r] No, no, no. No, so my mother is such that she loves us and loves us and protects us in such a way that if she had learned that, I don’t know what she would have done to my teacher. And honestly, that’s why I didn’t say anything.

[i] In retrospect, are you glad you didn’t tell me? Or do you say pfff yes?

Now that I speak French well and write without mistakes, I say it wasn’t okay, the way he might have forced us to learn. But if I had told my mother, maybe she would have, no idea, if she had complained to the law or the police and that would have caused problems. So now I think it was good that I didn’t say anything.

Is that also something that many young people take upon themselves to simply […]. You’re afraid it’s going to cause you problems, and you conclude that there’s nothing to say but a solution.

Yes, so there were three of us, me and two other friends of mine. We had a good grade in this exam and it was like during the break that if we had French again afterwards, we didn’t even eat. We were always reading. We were always afraid that he would ask us something and that we didn’t know that and that he would hit us again or, I don’t know, if he would do something bad. And everybody was afraid of him, but nobody told us. So just once a friend of ours complained to other teachers and he was there. Then these teachers had asked him, “Why are you doing this? He said: “I’ll never do it again”. Then he came to us and he said: “I said there that I wouldn’t beat her anymore, but I’ll do it anyway. If they say it again, I say I don’t do it. But I’ll beat them anyway.” And so we knew we couldn’t do anything.

[i] That’s the French teacher.

[r] Yes, in the ninth grade.

[i] Are there nice memories of the teachers where you can say […]?

[r] Yes. Very many. Yes, so in sports, for example, we always […] also sometimes didn’t always go outside school, to very nice places to do sports. Sometimes we would walk all the way and there would be teachers who would give us something when we had a nice [good] grade or tell [a] nice story. For example, the history teacher. He’s gone now, too, but he was great. He always told such nice stories and that was super nice.

[i] You mean he died.

[r] Yes.

[i] Okay. Yes, experiences in school.

[r] Hmm hm.

[i] The neighborhood.

[r] At school or at home?

[i] They are free.

[r] Yes, in school, I had it, so in primary school I was so quiet that I didn’t say a word. And I never talked to boys. Only with my girlfriends maybe or something. But then, in the stage after, what’s it called again here? After primary school?

Yes, that’s the secondary school. So, depending on the system, that’s the grammar school, the secondary school, the comprehensive school.

Yes, I think we can say Gymnasium. And now I had other friends. We had all grown up [togethe[r] and they had forced me to speak. They were always there. They’d always talk to me and they’d always take my stuff and I’d say, “Yeah, give me that back and stuff. And then I was always talking, I was always dancing, I was always playing, and I still have those friends. We are still friends. And it was really nice and at home too. As I said, I also had the daughters of my neighbours as friends. So that was actually like a second family for me. I was always with him or with the others. It was super beautiful.

In elementary school, how I sanded it up, you were very quiet, very reserved and what did your classmates do then? Did you ever get any feedback?

No, so what interested me was just school, just learning, good grades, and that was it for me.

But the time, how was the time for you? Primary school.

[r] Quite […] um, let’s say, strange. I always wanted to see my brother. And he was always then: “No. I’m, um […] now.” I don’t know. “No longer a child. You must also find your friends. And some of them even named me after his name. His name is Bhoyi and they always said: “Bhoyi”. I said, “No, it’s not me.” “Yes, but I don’t know your name. I always just call you that.”

[i] Okay, and then in the secondary school or [in] high school, they would […]

[r] Yes, like […]

[i] Did they open up more then?

Exactly, as I said, yes, I was always dancing and that’s how many people got to know me. And I was always at all activities at school and, yes. I was open, had more friends and yes it was nice.

Was there an occasion, or why, for her to be enthusiastic about dancing? Or was there any activity before that they practiced and then suddenly discovered dance for themselves.

[r] No. So I always danced. I’ve been talking about this show here, and that’s since I think I was three or five. That was very early. That’s when I started dancing. I like dancing. I still like it, but now I don’t have time for it.

[i] Hmm hm.

[r] Hmm.

[i] Yes. That’s […]. They had this nice time in high school.

[r] Hmm hm [yes]. It was nice with friends with good teachers and good activities. So much, much to do. Everything good at home and that was super nice.

Was there any event where they said, “Oh, that happened in that time”?

[r] Hmm hm, when I was little.

[i] Primary school or high school?

[r] So the elementary school. Um, there was, for example, a friend who was really bad to us. He ate everything we had brought with us or took our money. And he was older than everyone else. And once, I think, he hit me. And that was the only time the director saw me. He said, “What are you doing here?” and I complained. But I just started talking, then I was afraid that he would find me there again and then know that I said everything. That’s why I left it there. Then he even took stones and threw them at me. And I just went home. But after that he didn’t do anything to me anymore. He only ever had my girlfriends and everyone else […]. He was very mean.

[i] Yes, you have experiences like that and that happened in the Gymansium or […].

[r] Primary school.

[i] Primary school.

Exactly, it was very quiet, so I think he did it.

[i] Um, just your everyday life, how did it go in the family?

[r] Ahh, in the morning, I didn’t want to have breakfast because I always had stomach ache, then stomach ache. So I always got up and then got ready. Then, primary school, that was in the same neighborhood as home, I could go there alone or with my brother. But then, yes, then to school and then back home again in the evening, learn a little, then to Koran school and then sleep at home. That was actually […].

Koranic school, what times, if you are out now in the morning, then to school.

[r] I think that was from about 4:00 to 5:00 p.m., until 7:00 p.m..

[i] Hmm, um, in the evening, when it’s time to go to bed or the time with the parents at home, how did you spend the time?

Well, I had, in the evening for example, I had my own room. But I almost never slept there. I was always in my mother’s room. And there was a show every Friday where they told stories, “Compte et Legende”. Taali is said on Fula. And I always heard that with my mother. And then we slept. And then in the morning back to school and she to work and back home in the evening then the Koran school and then sleep again.

That is, the man who told these stories. According to many, especially Fula, who just tell that in the evening mostly the parents have told stories.

[r] Exactly.

Yes, something about the history, the culture.

[r] Exactly. But since my mother didn’t live in a Fula town, with her sister, but no Fula was spoken there. That’s why she didn’t know such stories on Fula. But she knew them in Maninka. And I speak Fula, so she couldn’t tell anything and there was this show, there they had also spoken Fula, so she had told us that. Yes.

[i] Yes, were there also, for example, solutions to conflicts? If there were any. What was that like? How did you find a solution or at least some approaches?

What were the solutions between my brother and me? Or…?

[i] For example. So in the company. How did they perceive that themselves? What’s it like when two people clashed? Didn’t they find a solution?

No, the parents are very strict. If you can’t do something, then you can’t do it. If you do it anyway, you will be beaten or punished in any case. Since we knew that, we [did] few things that we weren’t allowed to do.

[i] And at school? Like when there were conflicts with girlfriends, when there were misunderstandings. How were they cleared up?

I actually didn’t have any problems with girlfriends. We were always quite good together. And always together. Therefore, there were no conflicts.

[i] Yes. Now to society. Can you describe to us the society, the environment in which you grew up, can you describe to us?

So everyone was quite nice. In the morning, for example, everyone came. On weekends, for example, I had to go to the market to buy things so that we could cook. And then I had to go to my new neighbors. Everybody said “hello” and everybody was so, always satisfied, that’s why there was a problem for me in Germany. It’s always like that when you meet someone else, you have to say “hello”. And we said “hello” to each other and if there was a ceremony or any event, everyone would come to somebody and help to cook and do all the things. And if a child does something bad for example and a neighbor sees it, then he can punish it or tell him: “Dunmust stop now”. And then the child hears too. He knows that they are not his parents, but he stops. Say we’re all like one family, so sometimes we say, “He’s my brother,” or “She’s my sister,” but it’s not like that [here]. She’s just a neighbor. It’s like a big family, actually.

[i] Okay, that was good. I might want us to get to know each other better. They get up in the morning. When they set out, who do they see, is there entertainment, what do people do? Describe it to us.

[r] So in the morning in primary school. On the way I always met friends from school. And also my neighbors. And like I said, they always said hello to us. “Hey, hello”, even if people know, they still ask if you go to school and I say “yes”. And I also meet friends and we go together. And in the end we are a group. Then we go in and sometimes we eat together in the morning because there is also a woman who has sold something. There we sometimes ate together before we went to school together.

At school, were there uniforms? Or was everyone allowed to wear everything, like in Germany, where there are no uniforms. How is it there?

There is such a thing in Guinea and you have to wear it in any case. And my school was a Catholic school, which means that you can’t wear this uniform as you like. For example, shorter skirts or shorter dresses were not allowed. You were not allowed to wear that. It had to be long.

[i] Conakry? You have many things. They lived in Bambeto.

[r] Exactly.

[i] Bambeto is very famous. What makes Bambeto special?

What is Bambeto to me?

[i] Describe Bambeto to us.

[r] A part of town where many people [live] are the Fula. So that’s where Fula is spoken. And it’s very friendly and very nice, but lately, for political reasons, there are fights or wars, so to speak. Since people always complain. And the complaints are not only verbal. Stones are also thrown onto the street and they then say, for example, that there should be no traffic, that everyone should stay at home and nobody should drive on the street. That is why it is so. It’s famous and everyone says that there are so many problems there. But otherwise, it’s quite nice. This is my home. And all the people are actually quite nice. That’s why we actually ask ourselves who these people are on the street. With this problem we do not know how it came about.

That means Bambeto is very famous for resisting the government, which means that the majority of the people come from Bambeto. Or it’s a meeting place for the resistance, because you hear a lot and you don’t know “Liberty” for the resistance. Sayings about Bambeto.

Yes, so actually, at the beginning, many have there, let’s say their feelings there, their injury or, they have demonstrated on the street. They said, “No, we don’t want that or that.” But sometimes these people aren’t on the street and we see it. So that means that all those who want to complain come to Bambeto and demonstrate there as well. That means not only people who come from Bambeto, but everyone else. Let’s say that is like a meeting place.

And then we went on. Primary school, grammar school.

[r] And that’s where I changed schools. So to Sainte Marie. This is also a Catholic school. And there I was completely new and without friends. But that didn’t take long. Then I made friends and it was nice to study there, to go to school.

[i] That’s from the seventh to […].

[r] No, that’s from the eltften to the Abitur.

[i] Yes, no longer the secondary school. So the grammar school. Until the Abitur.

[r] Exactly.

[i] In […] mediate.

[r] In um, that’s in Dixinn.

[i] Dixinn?

[r] Exactly.

[i] Dixinn is also a commune.

[r] Exactly.

[i] Okay, which means you came to Ratoma,

Yes, to Dixinn and I always went with my mother. Since she also works like that, she had to […]. So she had to. She always left me there and picked me up in the evening.

[i] And on the way back? How did that go? Did she pick her up again?

[r] Exactly. I waited for her there, and if I didn’t feel like it, I always took a taxi. Because sometimes she had to work longer and I didn’t want to stay there. That’s why I took a taxi.

Yes, and then, they got their high school diploma. Hmm.

[r] Yes. And then the university starts.

[i] What about the Abitur? What do you think […] ? How did you celebrate that? How did you […] ? Do you have any memories?

[r] Um, yes. So I was with my girlfriend. And was […] we had all passed. And that’s why my parents, my girlfriend, my girlfriend’s parents were happy and then we celebrated, let’s say at home. We didn’t have such a party, but they were all together and happy. That’s how it goes. No big deal.

[i] Okay. Yes then, they were then in the matriculation exam.

[r] At university. Please?

[i] Matriculation exam, so that’s the Abitur. What’s the next step?

[r] The university has started. I studied economics and finance there. In a private university, too, called UNC. University Nongo Conacry. And, yes until then, three years. And I had a bachelor’s degree, so to speak.

[i] Yes.

And after that, I already knew that it was the case that studying in Guinea wasn’t quite as good. And so valuable, that’s why I wanted to continue. First, I thought, my Master and then when I arrived in Germany, I said to myself: “Okay, I’m in Germany now.” And there were a lot of things they did, so I couldn’t go straight to university. And I didn’t want to stay home and wait. And that’s why I started studying computer science and then it went on like that. Sorry.

[i] Computer Science in Germany.

[r] Exactly.

[i] Ok. But… At some point they made up their mind or plans [were] made?

[r] Hmm Hm.

How do they come to Germany or how do they study abroad? Which people stood up for them.

My mother. She did everything. She did it, she just did everything, she supported me in all the things we should do. Always going to the embassy or the language course. Also the waiting. She always gave me hope. She always said, “Yes, wait, your visa is still coming”. I actually wanted to learn English. And I wanted to go to Ghana because we speak French in Guinea and in Ghana it is good to learn English because they already speak English and German. She always said that I should wait for my visa because when [I] go to Ghana the embassy might call and give me an appointment. So that we can talk then. So still for the visa. Then I waited and then this happened and I got my visa.

That means parallel to the application for the visa to Germany there was also this alternative. And then at some point there was the positive news that everything was okay and they got their visa.

So that was a big surprise because I had already started doing an internship. So honestly I had lost hope. I thought to myself, “Okay, I’m staying in Guinea”. I liked my life in Guinea, so it wasn’t a must to fly to Germany and I just wanted to do my master and study, so I started doing completely different things. We had even started to make a series, respectively to shoot, because I also love movies and acting, that’s actually my hobby. And one day they called me: “Hello, yes Mrs. Dilallo, yes exactly, you have, so you wanted a visa”. And then they told me I had to go to the embassy. I asked myself why, because I had already handed in all the papers and documents they needed. And then I arrived and they told me that they were doing a study. Since they have already learned that there are people there who were already corrupt. And who did all the things then that people who already had a visa stayed again. That was my case. I had already had a visa for three months and that was just hidden. And then the ambassador asked me: “Why are they still there? I said, “I don’t know.” Nobody told me that I had a visa. And he even […] asked me if they might want money from me. Or something like that. I said: “No, I don’t know why… he said maybe people are waiting for me to lose hope even more so that they could get a lot of money from me. I said okay. And then he said, “I can do it today.” I said “What?”. “Yes, you can have your visa today. I just need, I just need that. You just need to bring this and that and that.” And it was always like that that people always got their visa on Fridays. And that was a Wednesday. I never thought it was possible that day. And then about four so they had called me again and they said I should come. Then I came and they gave me my visa. And then I went to my mother. She was at work. That was next door and then I said: “I have my visa”. She says, “Please, that can’t be, not today”. And I said: “Yes. Look at that.” And everyone at work was so happy. They all knew me because sometimes we drove together. I had helped them because there was a lot of traffic jams. Sometimes I had hoped for her and everyone was quite happy, but when we drove home, I was already quite […]. I didn’t want to go to Germany anymore. I didn’t want to leave my mother alone. I actually didn’t want any more and she said: “No, you just go to university and then you come back. And then she cheered me up. Hmm. Yes.

[i] That means the feelings came up.

So on the day I was supposed to fly, we drove to the airport together, with all my friends. It was so crowded. And usually the companions had to have one of those […]. They weren’t allowed in. But my mother did everything. She said, “I only have this day with my daughter. I have to stay with her until she’s on the plane.” Then we went in together. And she said we must not cry. Well, we should be satisfied. That’s why. Yes, but despite that we cried. But then I actually had to leave so that I wouldn’t miss my flight. And then I flew. But after that we talked on the phone every day. And yes.

[i] And the farewell was for them [… ] ?

[r] Very difficult. I was always with my mother even when I […] went on holiday somewhere to my grandmother, the sister of my grandmother. She always said: “You have to go back”. I was never alone anywhere for more than a week. Without my mother, I always had to go back. Sometimes a month was planned, two months. But I was always home a week later. So it was very hard to leave her and to know that we might not see each other for at least a year. And. But fortunately I was not alone in Germany. I arrived, I have a friend of mine with whom I was in this catholic school. I found her here and she was also alone. And she was quite happy to see me. And then, she had already found friends here, so it was like home. I never felt alone and had always talked to my mother. That’s why.

Were there any memorabilia they got from their mother?

[r] Yes.

[i] Can they present it to us or have they lost it somewhere?

[r] So she had given me one of those scarves. I believe that. She had bought it in Morocco or I don’t remember which country it was bought in. She had never worn a sweater or anything like that in Guinea. She had, if it was, so sometimes it’s also a bit cool in Guinea, she always wore that. And then again in the closet. And that’s what she gave me. I meant, “Yes, you have to keep that, you only have this when it’s a bit cool”. Then she said to me: “No, you must have this from me. Then I’ll always be with you when you have that. Then. But unfortunately someone took it home. I don’t have that anymore, but I have another one. I don’t know exactly what that means. Somehow a […] whatever you wear of her and I still have it at home and I wear it. In the beginning I even slept with it. So that I could feel that she was next to me. Since we always slept like that.

[i] And […].

[r] Yes. So she lost her mother and she kind of has a scarf with which she prays from her and that was almost 25 years ago now and she still has the piece. And she’s still praying with it. And when I was in Guinea, I prayed with it too. And I know sometime I will get that too.

And the piece you’ve lost now, is there any way you can get it back?

[r] Yes. I wanted to get that because I, well, that was kind of because my mother did it for me […]. But then. That has another Tanta of mine and she took it for her baby, so my husband, since I got married now, said here in Germany. My husband had told me to leave it that way because she took it for the baby. It should also go well, so to speak. It should stay that way.

I’ll come back to that, to her husband as you met him. Okay […] then you came to Germany. Um. Your first impression?

[r] So in Germany. First of all. That was already at the airport. I wanted to get my luggage out. At first I didn’t know that the door was closing. If you ever go out. I am simple. I had three suitcases. I was in front of it. I took a piece and went out with it. Then I went back and the door didn’t want to open anymore. And I had to wait for someone to come so that I could go in. And take my luggage again. And then he tells me: “A woman has come”. And she told me that I was not allowed to go in. I tried to explain that my things were still in there. But she didn’t want to understand that and then I just went in. And there was also security and they told me that I had to toss another coin into it so that I could get a car so that I could put all my stuff in it. And go out. But I didn’t know how it all worked. It was actually like another world for me. There were only things I didn’t know. And that was really stunning and trains, buses. I didn’t know how to take that, how to walk here or here. I couldn’t even notice where I was, but as I said. So the girlfriend had shown me everything. Later I could do everything. But in the beginning it was not so easy.

[i] How was the feeling that day? At the airport. Conakry. They say goodbye and get in.

Yes, and I, [excuse me], I think what helped me was that I met a friend of mine who was supposed to fly to America, but we had the same plane. First to Paris and from Paris to America. And she did all the checking or changing in Paris […] and she did everything. She helped me. And she helped me, she didn’t leave me alone either. That’s why I didn’t have time to think. I had always told things so that I would laugh. She used to say, “Yes, you don’t know it, let me show you how.” And, yes, that’s why I didn’t stay there to cry and think about my mother.

[i] Such a distraction for you.

[r] Exactly.

[i] What is her name?

Her name is Mariam. She lives in America, but which city do I not know anymore?

[i] Now. A message for Mariam. What she did for you. Tell her a few words.

[r] So she already knows that I was very happy to see her first, because she was already in America. And I say to her, “Thank you for everything.

[i] Yes, dear Mariam. Did you hear that? Yes. Okay. And then on the plane. Was that during the day? Or at night? When are you […] ? I think 18 o’clock is how we [flew]. The departure was at 18 o’clock.

[i] In Conakry.

[r] Exactly.

Everything is still bright.

[r] Yes, a bit […] In Guinea it’s easy.

[i] How does it feel? Were they sitting at the window? Or outside …? Couldn’t you see anything?

[r] Hmm. No, I couldn’t see much. So. I don’t think so. So the departure. We should be at the airport at 18 o’clock. But the departure was about 20 o’clock. So it was dark and we couldn’t see anything outside.

In Conakry there was no light? No electricity?

Not so much.

[i] Yes ok. So you went from Conakry?

[r] To Paris.

[i] You flew off around 8 p.m.?

[r] 5 o’clock.

[i] Arrived now or?

[r] Right in Paris. I had to wait there again until 3 pm. Since I didn’t know how to do that, we didn’t look very good at the ticket either. Normally I should wait only two hours, but since my ticket was changed from Frankfurt. I was supposed to fly to Frankfurt. But since my girlfriend was in Herne she said Düsseldorf would be a bit closer. And that’s why the transfer time changed. So from 5 o’clock I had to wait until 15 o’clock. In Paris at the airport. And I was quite tired. This friend of mine, she also had to go to America. She was also gone. And I sat there alone. But luckily I had Internet. There I have a cousin of mine online [spoken]. Then I wrote him: “I’m in Paris right now and I have eight hours to wait here”. And he said, “I can pick you up and show you a little Paris if you want”. I said, “No. I’m at the airport. I can’t do that.” Then he said: “Go to this company and tell them you want to get out. If they say no, they should give you a room because you can’t sit there for eight hours.” And that’s what I did. And they said they can’t give me a room. But I was allowed out. If I promise then that I will be back in time. That’s what I promised. Then my cousin came and we left together. And there I saw the Eiffel Tower, Paris […] and everything important. And then at 14 o’clock I was there again. But I was still on the phone with my brother. I had completely forgotten that I had to take another plane. And that was very close, that I still took my flight.

[i] But you didn’t miss your flight?

[r] No, fortunately, but it was very close.

[i] Before her acquaintance or, what’s his name again?

My cousin.

[i] Before your cousin picked you up, what did you experience there that you don’t usually know?

[r] I was very tired, I was asleep. And I wanted to talk to mine [?], but I didn’t see you online and since she had given me a SIM card she had bought from, in France. But that didn’t work anymore. I tried calling with it, but it didn’t work, I was online. I looked to see if she was online. That didn’t work. And yes, I only wanted one thing, to talk to her there, but unfortunately I could not. And I was afraid that things [?]

[i] Lost go?

[r] Exactly.

[i] Ok, then you have […} and the cousin picks you up. And they’re driving now.

[r] In Paris.

[i] Yes.

Once we went out for dinner, I didn’t know McDonalds. I ate one of those hamburgers. Um, so I had a hamburger and fries. And ice cream, too. It was a bit cold, but still. And after that we went out. Then we walked on the street Champs-Elysées. It was super nice and then we went to the Eifel Tower. That was a big surprise. I didn’t expect to change trains in Paris and then visit it. And that was actually once […] goes. Very nice in Paris. Everything was super beautiful.

[i] What about the language? We are in Paris, you have now […].

[r] French.

[i] French and how do you feel?

We asked a boy for directions, he said something, but I only heard “susuuuuu”.

[i] Way too fast.

Exactly, they speak very quickly and […]. So, children also speak in a very special way. That’s why. I did speak French, but not like these people. Not like the French. I[i] Hmm hm, her accent.

Exactly, the pronunciation. It was different.

[i] Airport, Champs Elysées.

[r] And then to Germany.

And then you came back, were there any time bottlenecks or was it planned so that everything would run smoothly?

It worked very well, as if we had planned it all. Very good, honestly. It was very easy, we visited everything. Then back to the airport and then I took my flight. And then my cousin was already gone, he wasn’t allowed in.

[i] Not so fast.

[r] Hmm hm.

First we stay in Paris. Are you by train, by bus, RER […] what you say.

In Paris I called my cousin, then he arrived, we went out, there were buses at the airport. That was Charles de Gaulle. It’s very big. First we took a bus. So that we get out of the airport first.

[i] Hmm hm.

[r] Seen, then we took a train, a train. Then we went to […] let’s say Paris downtown. And there we walked so that we could see everything very well. Then into this McDonald’s where we were – that was downstairs, in the basement. I didn’t know anything like that. I didn’t really know, that’s why we went there, we ate. We took a lot of photos. And then we went out, um, then we walked again and then we went to the Eiffel Tower, then we took a lot of photos there, and then we went back by train. Then we talked a bit to the airport. And then he was gone and I had to go in. And there was also a problem, I didn’t know where I was. […] Yes, I searched. And in the end […] I asked and fortunately everyone had spoken French. And yes, luckily I had finally found where to take my flight to Germany.

[i] Okay, Paris. It went from Conakry, Paris, Eiffel Tower.

[r] Yes.

[i] You have seen many things.

[r] Exactly.

[i] Okay, after that, where did you end up?

[r] I’m at Düsseldorf airport.

[i] Airport.

[r] Exactly.

Was there someone there to pick her up?

[r] Yes, but that’s where you wait outside. I have to get out of the plane first. From the plane, bus […]. So I was still, I had never taken a plane before. I didn’t know how it worked. That’s why I just walked out. I followed all the others and asked a woman where I could get my luggage. Since I already spoke German and she said: “Come with me and I’ll show you”. Then she told me where to wait and I waited there for a long time. My suitcases were not there. I even thought that I had lost them. Then they finally came and they were three and very heavy, very big and the problem was how I could go from there to outside. My girlfriend was waiting for me, but outside. She couldn’t get in because the door from outside didn’t open. And there I wanted to take these things first, but I didn’t know that you need a coin for the car. Put it in the car to get the car out. Then I tried to ask, so I asked a security man. Then he said, I have to go to the bank, um, have coins, because I only had cash, notes. And I didn’t know how I could go there. First of all, on this bank I don’t have, I think that was the savings bank, but I didn’t know that the savings bank is a bank. Or something like that. So I just took a suitcase and went out with it, saw my girlfriend and “hello”. I said, “Wait for me here, I’ll go get the others.” And that’s when this door closed. I couldn’t get in anymore. And then luckily a woman came, the door opened. Did we do a little bit[…] so that I could go in. But in the end I was able to go in. Then I took my two other things and went out.

[i] Yes, that’s right. That’s already in the Federal Republic of Germany.

[r] Yes.

[i] Can you tell us your first impression?

[i] It was like […] uff, okay. It starts like this. How does it go on?

[i] With the language, how was that?

So [r] Um, it’s, maybe strange, but I liked, um, German the first day. When I just heard “Guten Morgen”. It went on like this and like I said, I like so many good shows. And even in Guinea I had attended a German course and at home I had watched videos on Youtube. So, videos in German, in German, there was a man who also came from America, who also wanted to learn German, so they hadn’t spoken so fast. And there I could learn a lot. Therefore, the language, I could not speak very well or fast, but I could actually communicate. If I wanted to say something, then I could somehow explain it, even if it took ten minutes to understand what I wanted. But yes, after my arrival, I definitely had to go to a German course. And that’s not so easy for us students either.

Your impression, that was now with the language. What about the weather […] ?

[r] Weather […], well.

[i] We only have two seasons.

[r] Yes, I was like this at the end of January, I arrived on January 28th and I think it was March, actually, it didn’t have to snow anymore, but I went out sometime, I was walking because I was supposed to take my subway, then I hadn’t even noticed that it was white everywhere and then I took a break. Did I take a break and then “What is it?”. It’s everywhere, um, so […] It was snowing. That’s why it was wonderful. Um, my subway […] and I definitely have to take a break and look at this snow and at that time I also had my German course in the Asta Bochum and there I had, they had a room in the forest. You have to go through the forest to end up in this room. And when it snows […]

[i] In the university center, right?

Yes, exactly, and when it snows, it’s super beautiful and beautiful in the forest, honestly. I was there. I almost missed my bus. I had always looked, looked everywhere. It was beautiful. But it was very cold.

[i] Also touched?

[r] Yes. [Both laugh]

It’s always easy to see on TV. But yes, then you have to touch it.

Yes, and then everything was cleared up with the accommodation or did you do it afterwards […] ?

[r] Yes, I was with this friend. We had shared the rent. And I was there at the beginning. It was planned that we would then find a larger apartment and somehow live in a shared flat. But one more point, when you come here to Germany, it’s very hard to find an apartment on campus. So, this dormitory at the university. That’s very difficult, you have to wait two or three months. Sometimes six and if you don’t have [one] somewhere, then you have to, I don’t know where to live. I was just lucky or I don’t know, it’s also very hard. It’s such a point, and it’s real […].

Was it planned from Guinea so that you could stay with your girlfriend?

[r] Yes, yes, it was planned in such a way that I would go there first and then we would find an apartment together.

[i] The [girlfriend] was here long before you?

[r] Yes.

[i] How many years approximately?

[r] Yes, two or three times already.

[i] Yes, then you are […] Was that planned in Bochum when you enrolled?

[r] No, in Bremen, but this friend of mine, as I said. I didn’t know anybody in Bremen either, so I came here [here] for the time being and it was planned that I would only stay here for a month or two and then travel on to Bremen. I wanted to go straight to Bremen and she said to me, come here first, see how things are going here. If I were […] Well, if I were you, I’d stay here to see how things were going and then I’d go to Bremen. And yes. Then I said: “Yes. Yes okay, you are there, you know how everything works. I go to Bochum first, Herne actually. And then I arrived here, started a language course. Had a girlfriend there. Yes, everything was fine. I saw no reason to go to Bremen. I said again: “Okay”.

[i] Yes, Bochum is attractive.

[r] Yes, and everyone is, let’s say so, um, friendly. That’s why I stayed here.

[i] And yes, they have made a language kusz here.

[r] Yes.

Did you get to know different nationalities? Or how did it work out?

[i] Yes, many Chinese, a friend of mine, her name is “Sad”, she comes from Greece and another also, from Bulgaria […].

[i] From Bulgaria. Hmm hm.

And many who come from China or many who come from China, I think, are from here. Many Chinese. I don’t know. Well, I don’t know the difference.

[i] You are from Asia then or?

[r] Actually, I don’t know exactly from China or where exactly? But Asia actually.

[i] Good.

And some from Cameroon, too, but that was only at the end of my language course, because I was always the only black one at the beginning, always, always.

[i] In class?

Yes, it has always been that way at the beginning.

[i] Okay, yes [… ] and with the city, Bochum what did you get to know in Bochum?

[r] Um.

[i] I mean, cultural or […].

First of all this one, this Ruhrpott.

[i] Ruhrpark or?

[r] I meant Ruhrpott.

[i] Ruhrpott?

[r] Yes exactly and the language they speak as well. Ahm Ruhrpott does that mean?

[i] Ruhrpott, yes.

Exactly, and we had that in the language course and that was a bit funny. Ahm Bochum is also beautiful, there are many things. Ruhrpark too, as you just said, as you just said. You can shop in one place. Everything is there and is super beautiful. Even if you […]

[i] A shopping mile, isn’t it?

Exactly, in the Ruhrpark, that’s very nice. And Night Clubs too. So disco, that’s where you can go. There are apartments and it’s very nice. And also in the city centre, when it’s Christmas, Christmas market.

[i] After all, you were at a Catholic school.

Yes, that’s why, that’s why I know everything. And there is also an Afro shop here. That’s also very important, because if you want to cook something from Africa, Guinea, then you can just come here next to the station and buy it and that’s why I even got to know Bochum at the beginning. Afro-Shop Bochum and […] well.

[i] And then later, did you move out? [N] No, I always stayed here. It’s planned that I move to Cologne and then. But now that I live in Herne, actually in Bochum-Herne, it’s very, um, very quiet. There’s not so much noise everywhere and not so much, and not so many people, but, in Cologne actually, there are so many people at the station. Even at the station, you can’t walk like that, you always have to meet others, and always, so, excuse me, because you may have done something. That’s why it was too much for me. Too much for me and fortunately my husband came here and we are here. We live here together.

[i] Yes, that’s beautiful. Yes, from your husband you just mentioned, you mentioned your husband, did you meet him in Guinea or how did it happen?

No, so that’s a nice long story. It’s a long story, I met him in Germany, but we missed each other in Guinea, so to speak.

[i] You have to do that.

The day I was supposed to fly to Germany, it had to go back. So he was there to spend some time with his family. Only for two or three weeks I think, and he had to go back that day, too. And that’s where our parents met. I was already inside at the airport, in the waiting room, I was already waiting for my flight. And there my mother saw his mother and said: “Hello! what are you doing here? Um, so his mother said, “My son is flying to Germany today.” And my mother said: “Wow, my daughter too and she doesn’t know anything there. She has never left Guinea before. She doesn’t know how everything works. Please tell her son to help her. So that he should help her.” And then his mother said: “Okay”. Then they said hello to each other, my mother called me and she said, there is a man coming right there and he wants to help you, he will show you everything and he also flies to Germany. I was with this friend of mine, I waited and he was never met. We never saw him. So she already told me what he was wearing and, yes. And unfortunately he [couldn’t] fly that day because there was a problem with his passport. He was actually in Guinea to change his passport, and they carried it wrong. And that’s why he couldn’t. Then I flew. He already had my number, no I had his number. And he said, if I have problems in Germany, then I should ask him, because he had been here for eight years and studied here. Bachelor, Master, so he actually knew everything about studying and so on. And I was in Germany, I didn’t call him for two to three months, because everything went quite well. Well, then my mother always asked: “Did you call this man? The son of […] this lady. Have you called him yet? And I always said no. She said, “That’s not nice, you just have to say hello. And that’s just polite. You should.” And then, that’s why I called him. And afterwards he always called me. He was quite nice, he always called me. “Hello! do you have problems? is everything going well? And later, let’s say a few months later, he told me that I could go to Cologne to see where he lives. And I always had something to do. Always, always and one day there was a ceremony there. A ceremony like that. A friend of his had a daughter and so we had a little party. He called me and said that they were there, if I could go there too? I meant, yeah, okay and then I was there. Then we met and talked. And I found him very nice. And all his friends were also very nice. And that’s how it started.

[i] Well, I don’t want to say anything wrong, yes. Was it […] on the first impression or on the second? There is this love at first sight or […]?

So, in my head, he was a man, the son of our neighbor. That’s what I had always called him. I had never said his name. Always “the son of my neighbor”. Always like that and I think he had felt something, hmm hmm.

[i] Feel something?

[r] Hmm hm and, um yes, later it came like this, love. That’s why I’m crazy about him now, and I think it’s good that way.

Yes, so you found love here as well, fate has decided.

[r] Yes, exactly.

[i] That’s enough, yes?

[r] Yes.

[i] Okay, um, yes, now in Bochum.

[r] Hmm hm.

The neighbours, how’s that? What do you have? Germans, natives? Contact with the locals? I mean Germans without a migration background.

Not in the beginning. In the beginning it was quite strange. Since I was used to saying “hello” in Guinea and here people say “hello” and nobody says “hello” back. So fast smile, hmm and now so. In the beginning I always wondered what this was all about? So I should smile fast, I didn’t understand what that meant. But already now. I’m doing it the same way now without saying hello. Just smile. And now, where I live, I know my neighbours and they are also Germans and they are quite nice.

[i] Okay, um, do you have people from Guinea, besides your husband? Now from the community. Did you get to know the Guinean community?

[r] Actually not. When I arrived here, you had contacted me, but I didn’t really have time because we should always meet. And I didn’t know […] their goals weren’t so clear to me. That’s why, I said to myself, I’ll stay for now, see how everything is going here. I have to integrate first, […] see how everything is going. Before I belong to anything or support anything here.

[i] Okay, they used to always dance and like to dance.

[r] Hmm, yes.

[i] This could be called a hobby. And how is this? What do you do in your spare time?

[r] Um, now, so I spend my free time with my husband.

[i] So, your hobby is your husband?

[r] Yes, exactly, so to speak.

[i] Well, okay and is there also cultural, culture like that, I mean the mining museum is in Bochum and culture […] Do you have anything there? Did you come into contact with German culture?

I know the Alba Museum in Dortmund. Since I only made two steps here in Bochum. Two levels, that, this language course, I meant. And then I went to Dortmund, where I started taking a German course. That means PDN because I was faster. I found it here very slowly, it was three months per level. And in PDL it was just a month, two weeks. And that’s why I know places there. We made trips there. But in Bochum, yes, I know the German Mining Museum so well from outside, but I’ve never been inside.

Yes, that’s also the mining industry, in other words the LWL industrial museum. The Landesmuseum is also our cooperation partner.

[r] Okay.

[i] We were also there, now you say you live in Herne, which is also a neighbouring town of Bochum. In Bochum now there are places here or for me in the Ruhr area where you like to go? Or places where you don’t want to go at all?

I know where to go because I [visited] Cologne with my husband. He was in Cologne.

[i] Yes.

He lived in Cologne and we were sometimes, we were also together on the Rhine. Well, there’s a lot to do. [There] you can take a boat for a ride. Or just walking along the Rhine, it’s so beautiful. There are always people and yes it is always nice to go there. That’s where I like to go.

[i] Hmm hm. Now to the community.

[r] Hmm hm.

[i] Is there anything where you could say it would be good if that were done? Or as one would say in French as “manques à gagner”. Something you would do for the improvement or, something that would do the Guinean community good?

Yes, first of all for integration. Helping people with their studies, actually, that confused me a bit. I said we have different systems and that maybe someone will tell us how everything works here when we get there. That could help because otherwise you’re completely confused. Confused at university and that doesn’t help. Then you lose time. Until you understand everything, a lot of time has passed. The community should take care of that, to have the people here who accompany […]. Actually. The […] are actually waiting [to be explained]. That’s how it should be done. Or something like that. You shouldn’t make those mistakes or something. […] this is what you had to do, in, out, in any case. So that you can study well.

[i] Mittlerweiler are you, how long have you been here in Germany?

In January it is, now it’s autumn, isn’t it? Um, it’s almost three years. Quickly […].

[i] Okay, um, I don’t know if the question is premature or something.

[r] Hmm hm.

[i] Say where you live, in Herne […].

[r] Yes. Well, now that I have a family here in Herne, I can say that it’s like home. Well, now I see my life here, too. Herne used to be just Herne, Herne for me. But now that I have my husband and we’re going to start a family, I think it’s a home for me now.

[i] Okay. Yes, how would you describe […] your own community here?

[r] My community?

[i] Yes, people from Guinea.

[r] Um.

[i] Maybe in Bochum or […] from your experience or what you heard?

[r] Well, most of the people I know are students and are actually fine. They don’t have any problems. They study and work at the same time, have a part-time job, yes. But, I sometimes see in the news that there are problems with the people from Guinea. But I actually thought that there was no such thing. Yes, we see that sometimes. And […] but in general, everyone I know is okay. All right, study, work. The war´s.

[i] Yes again to the Ruhr area. The Ruhr area is described as cosmopolitan, as a melting pot of cultures. What is your experience there?

Um, there is, I have already seen that there are sometimes cultural festivals. In Dortmund, for example. It’s such a big party just for there for Africans. There people dance and do […] even wear African clothes and that from the culture, I say that this is an extension of the German culture. […] Culture too? I believe the food. The food, I have, at the language course he told us, always under […] teacher, that there is this court, Gries[?] or this such a cultural court. And more about culture, […] I only know that music, perhaps Schlager, is also [cultural]. People [dance to] Schlager […] that there is a disco.

[i] So people, how do you see that? They say that you are open.

[r] Yes.

[i] Do you have […] Could you give us some feedback?

[r] Yes, well.

[i] About the people from the Ruhr area.

[r] Well, fortunately, the people here are quite open, if someone has a problem or a question, then we do everything to help. For example, at university, at the beginning, there were rooms where I absolutely didn’t know where they were. Once there was a person who just took me with him. Then we searched for 30 minutes and in the end we couldn’t find it. But she didn’t want to leave. She also wanted to go to class, but she actually wanted […] to help me find my room, and in the end, we […] found it together. I was shocked and told myself, why did she help so much?

Shocked or positively surprised?

Positive shocked. Yes, that was something before. But a friend of mine told me, it’s a man that when he gets on the subway, everyone takes their bags so tight. Maybe because they think he’s trying to steal something. I don’t think that’s very nice either. But in my experience everyone is so peaceful and quite nice.

[i] Yes, we are here in the Ruhr area, […] we are very happy about that […] But still, you hear from this party AFD, I don’t know if you’ve heard of it before. It’s a right-wing party. And I don’t know […] maybe you’ve heard of it, regardless of the AFD party or something like that? […] xenophobia or discrimination, experienced or heard?

Discrimination, perhaps I could give a small example. I don’t know if that’s discrimination, but I think prejudices, maybe you say what you mean, what you mean. Sometimes I just told a friend, on the subway, that’s not even a friend, an acquaintance, so I told him it was very warm right now. He just said that you come from Africa. I said: “Yes, and it’s warm”. “In Africa it’s only warm and normally you shouldn’t feel that. That’s nonsense. Because in winter here everyone wears jackets and stuff. They’re all here but they still say it’s cold. Also once I was at work and we were all there and I was the only black too and it was on New Year’s Eve. And it was a gastronomy, a service, then everyone else had served water or alcohol so to speak and they did […] service. One man told me that I should clean the toilet. All night long. I asked him: “Why did you only ask me? Everyone else is there, too. I had already told my boss that I didn’t want to do that. But still he asked me. Maybe tell me that it’s only because I was the only black person there.” These are little things, but they happen sometimes and sometimes they are so nice. But, yes, that happens sometimes. In general some people are nice but sometimes you meet others. People who aren’t that nice.

[i] Yes, they say the exceptions confirm the rule.

[r] Yes.

[i] Yes, um, I mean we have, they have […] I think […] What are you doing at the moment?

[r] Um, I am studying.

[i] How do you see your future?

A good job, beautiful children with my husband, and sometime in Guinea.

[i] Yes, Guinea is the keyword.

Yes, these things, I don’t know, we’re always together in Guinea and here, for example, on weekends you have to stay at home and sometimes you’re alone. But luckily I have my husband. I find that boring. In Guinea you could always do something, I could drive to my mother. And uh, maybe there are also many ceremonies or weddings or you have had a child. Then people have a party and every weekend there is such a thing. I actually like that.

[i] That’s what you miss here.

Yes, that’s what I miss and that’s why I think Guinea is so important to me and, as I said, I had such a good life there. To be honest, I miss that.

Yes, thank you very much for the story and you have the last word.

So, uh, what I can say now is that we can come here to study, to continue helping our countries. That we can also work here. But the authorities sometimes don’t make it easy for us. And maybe it would be good, not so wrong, that people say you have to have a work permit so you can work. You say okay. Then you go to the authorities and then they say you need a study certificate so you can get a work permit. And then you go to the university and they say no, they have to have a residence title first so that we can give you this certificate. Then where can you start? Where should you start when everyone is waiting for the other? That doesn’t go first and that has me quite […]

[i] Made trouble?

[r] Well, that brought a lot [needed] when I still had a lot of free time, couldn’t work. And after that, when I started university and had to work again, that’s actually to say […]. But yes, now I also thank him for asking me for my opinion. And that they do these studies so that we can be heard. So that it is also known that we are also in Germany. That Guinea is here too. So, thank you very much.

Yes, we have to thank you. It’s Saturday, 12 January 2019. In this sense […] we have a weekend, it’s Saturday and I wish you and your husband all the best.

[r] Thank you very much.

[i] Bye and have a nice weekend.