For this journal, I was asked to write about the topic of “integrating into the community.” But what does that mean? For me, part of integrating means establishing small familiarities, like knowing my bus route by heart and chatting with my neighbors. I definitely feel part of the community when I go to my regular coffee shop in the center of town. I go there so often that when I walk in they say Eine große cappuccino, oder? Which means “one large cappuccino, right?” Something as simple as a barista knowing my order has really helped me feel part of the local community! Those kinds of little interactions with people are definite signs that I’m integrating into the community.
For me, getting to speak German is a really important way for me to feel welcome and integrated into the community. I usually can understand everything people are saying, but I speak slowly and with a strong American accent. So sometimes German people don’t want to speak in German with me, and that makes me feel like an outsider. But when others are willing to take a little extra time to talk with me in their language, then I feel more welcome. Even though I’m fluent in German, sometimes when I speak with Germans I can see their eyes glaze over. I asked my friend from Tunisia to help me understand what I was feeling, and if he’d ever felt the same way when studying in the United States.
