"I would just like to have one human culture"
Münster is full of interesting people with diversified life stories. Our reporter Beata Jaranowska has met an always smiling girl who agreed to share her story with us. Lydia Adakouru is 28 years old and comes from Uganda. She is participating in a social voluntary service in The South-North Component of the Weltwärts Programme of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). My host organisation is German Red Cross, which recently has started a cooperation Lydia's placement organisation - Stift Tilbeck.
Y4M: What is Uganda for you?
Lydia: I believe I don't belong to one home, literally, but Uganda is a safe home because you can have a home anywhere. Right now I have a beautiful Wohnung with nice roommates and that is a home for me but when I think about Uganda I think a definite home - no matter what
happens, I will always have a place there. I can always come back to Uganda if I don't like the temporary home (laughing) or my roommates become something strange (laughing).
Y4M: Many people from Europe don't know much about Uganda. What would you say about your motherland to a person who has never heard of it before?
Lydia: Geographical aspect - it's in East Africa, the culture: 4 to 5 ethnic groups and each of them has a different culture, customs, traditions, languages. There are about 40 different languages in Uganda without the same dialects. It's quite a complex country with so many traditions, so many peopl but in the end it's a very beautiful unified country. The people are so hospitable, open and friendly. We also have a lot of food prodution - tomatoes, cauliflowers, onions, cabbage, broccolli, carrots, zuhinni, abuergine. For example my mum always cooks vegetables, she would never eat them raw.
Y4M: You eat a lot of vegetable, ok. What about meat? Do you eat meat?
Lydia: Yes, we do. Yet meat is a very special cousine because you eat it just once in a while. It's expensive Meat prodution in Uganda is very different and slow. In Germany that would be called bio production. The most popular meat is beef and pork.
Y4M: I would like to ask you about your voluntary. What exactly are your responsabilities in Stift Tibeck?
Lydia: The organisation where I am working supports adults with disabilities. So I am placed in one of their hauses of those individuals and I help them in their daily social lives.
Y4M: Why you decided to work in this field?
Lydia: I like it so much because I always liked to work in this social setting, work with the people and sice I already have a profession that I trained for - community psychology back in Uganda - and I had done some social work and I would like to know more about the social field.
Y4M: Why did you choose Germany for your voluntary?
Lydia: When I heard about the exchange programme, the destination was already established. It was for certain kind of people and also in a specific place so I didn't choose it. It chose me (laughing). I chose it of course because I thought I will learn so much, be engaged in intercultural exchange and who would turn it down? Many of my friends asked me: "You're 28 and a volunteer?" But I answered "Hey, people! I might not have this chance again. Even when you are 60 you can achieve something which you hadn't before."
Y4M: What do you think about Germans? Did you have any vision of Germans before coming here?
Lydia: Most Germans are closed-mided, not sociable - this is what I read in articles or heard from people who where in Germany. Also thought that everyone here is from middle income class. And I perceived that no German would speak good English (laughing) apart from those who travel and are eager to learn about other cultures. But then, what changed a lot, I know that many German people can understand English but they don't like to speak it in their daily life. Also I was shocked on my second day to see a beggar on the street, that they are also here. I mean I knew there are homeless people everywhere but I thought that they have a lot of social support, common houses and the sociatey would not be comfortable to see them on the street begging.
Y4M: So after over four months what would you say about German citizens?
Lydia: Some of them are nice and hosbitable. They are very precise and most of them are good time keepers. They live fast and efficient and this is why they always talk about Urlaubcause they walked a lot the whole year so they need Urlaub (laughing). What else... some really complain a lot which pisses me off. Germany is developed country, people are have more opportunities, they are very advantaged comparing to Uganda. And it's weird for me when someone is complaining about something which I don't even have. Once I visited a home, a very fancy one according to me.. and the very first thing I heard from the host was "Oh, that's a very old house".. I thought "Are you kidding me? I never had this... for once just shut up and appreciate what you have".
Y4M: Why are you learning German?
Lydia: I did a fast level on German language A.1 in Uganda, two months before coming to Germany. I only knew less basic basic of German (laughing). Right now I continue because I want to interact better with my clients and also my colleagues and to fit into the community, to intergrate. It's also nice to learn another language. As I have said before I am interested in culture and language is a part of it. You know some Germans are shocked when I try to speak German and I am speaking in the right way (laughing). But also they are shocked when I speak with mistakes, I mean shocked in a positive way, that I try speaking, they appreciate it.
Y4M: Have you ever experienced intolerance/disrimination because of your nationality?
Lydia: No, but... I had this experience after two months being in Germany. I met an old lady in the bus. I came in, she moved her bag and hid it because I came in.
Y4M: Maybe she just wanted to make space for you to sit?
Lydia: I had a different impression actually. Of course she could have associated me with someone who is desperate and maybe she had some negative experiences with a black person before. If that would have happened immediately after my arrival to Germany, I would have had a very bad experience... But yeah, the bus driver greeted me in German and smiled at me warmly (smiling).
Y4M: Yes, a smile is always the best gift. Lydia, do you miss your family/friends? How you deal with the longing?
Lydia: Of course I miss them. Being away from them also made me closer to them in a way because you want to know what is happening. If I were in Uganda, I would visit my mum every second weekend because I know she's there. But now I know she's far away so I am always curious what's going on. I am not homesick because I can call them every day via Whatsapp, Skype or Viber. They support me so much in the emotional way.
Y4M: If you were describe yourself with three positive and three negative adjectives what would you say?
Lydia: In the positive sense I would say I am quite empathic and I am also open-minded which also makes me adventurous in a way this is also why I am in in Germany actually (laughing). I am also very hard-working. On the other way, it can be positive but also negative, I am so motional. I always like to move and sometimes I think I am overworking myself. What's more I am an excessive social wham. Most people say I talk too much (laughing) because I always want to know things! Also sometimes I think I am too faithfull with new experiences.
Y4M: In social work you should believe and be faithfull, shouldn't you?
Lydia: Yes, I mean so far I haven't been extremely disappointed but sometimes I feel it's too much.
Y4M: Of course people make mistakes, nobody is perfect but how to deal with it? How you deal with dissapointment?
Lydia: I don't judge. I first analyse. Of course sometimes it's quite human to judge, to react in undiplomatic way, spontaneously. If I am given some time to take a step back, I always ask "Why did that person do that?" I mean you can never control human mind, never control someone's interest so everyone is different, anyone can disappoint you but they also have a reason why they disappoint you. It's just human to belive that anything can happen and there are external reasons why people dissapoint each other. But it also helps to have hope and faith which are one - they can't be separated from each other - and in some situations some people will not disappoint you. I belive everybody is different and situations are different. Just keep an open mind.
Y4M: Thank you so much for sharing your story with us. Would you like to add anything else, share with ourreaders?
Lydia: My year is not complete yet. Probably the best, or the most shocking, or the ugliest, or the most interersting experience are yet to come. For now it's great to experience different cultures, it helps you to realize why some things are like they are, helps you to appreciate other's cultures. In the end there is no a perfect culture in any part of the world. I don't like saying this is MY culture, that is YOUR culture. I would just like to have one human culture. It can happen if we just appreciate, exchange, talk, interact. It's also a way to get rid of stereotypes we all have.
interviewee: Lydia Adakouru
interviewer: Beata Jaranowska
