We are Rastatt! Life stories from the baroque town
Who are the people who live in Rastatt? Where was their home? Were they able to integrate well in Rastatt? Do they feel like people from Rastatt? In a film by Till Siebler, made in cooperation with students of the Ludwig-Wilhelm-Gymnasium, immigrated people tell their life stories and the way from their home to the baroque city. Nine people from Rastatt present their stories in the film and with short quotations.
"In Croatia I was a teacher. In Germany, I found work in the beginning in a company where only foreigners worked. That was very difficult for me because I wanted to learn German. That's why I walked through Rastatt and looked where there was a kindergarten. I just walked into one and asked, "Do you guys have a job for me?"
"Our parents raised us to be very open. We don't look at what religion someone has or what country someone comes from. We look at the person. That's very important, and I'm proud of that."
"When you don't know the language, we feel more, we are sensitive. You have to be careful not to take things too personally. I still work for that feeling today."
"When we were in Romania, we were the Germans. And when we were in Germany, they said, 'Oh, you're Romanians.' That's the dilemma."
"Home is not just a place for me. For me, home is a feeling of trust, the memories you have and experiences you gain."
Shakila Bahrami
"For me as a woman, Germany was very good. I am allowed to go to school now and I want to get an education later. I want my children to learn in Germany too. And I hope we get the right document so we can stay in Rastatt."
Ali Bahrami
"When I started working at the nursing home, a resident called me 'Taliban'. That hurt me terribly because we fled because of those things. Then I worked day after day, and people got to know me, what kind of person I am. Now they accept me."
"I'll always be Italian, but after all these years, Rastatt is my home."
"As a refugee, I'm a guest here, I have to be grateful and happy, but I also have to continue to cultivate my culture, nobody can take that away from you, that's clear."
Photos: Till Siebler
Film: Till Siebler
"Our thanks go to the students of the two eleventh grades of the Ludwig-Wilhelm-Gymnasium for conducting the interviews under the guidance of teachers Katharina Huber and Christiane Weigel."