Jennifer Michael - Bachelor Student From Syria
Yana Immis
Jennifer is Syrian, born and raised in Dubai. She has just graduated her Bachelor degree and she feels that she is one step forward to making her parents proud. You can read her study in Germany success story here.
| Place of Birth | Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE) |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Syrian |
| Where did you live? | Sharjah, Dubai (UAE), Stuttgart, Munich (Germany) |
| Education Level Prior to Relocation | Secondary School |
| Reason of moving to Germany | Bachelor Program |
| When did you move? | 2014 |
| How old were you? | 17 |
| Are you still in Germany? | Yes |
| What is your current occupation? | Fresh Bachelor Graduate |
| What is your future goal? | Family Business, or my own company |
| Would you like to stay in Germany? | No |
Chapter 1: Life Abroad
Summary of my life: I am Syrian, born & raised in Dubai. This place is dearest to me and I call it home. It is a place where my heart belongs. I went to the International School Choueifat in Sharjah and moved to Germany to do my Bachelor.
We grew up knowing we would study abroad. My mother was always open to the idea of me and my siblings going out of the country to study. Living in Dubai is like living in a bubble. If you do not go out of the country, you live in society and due to high pressure, you lose your personality. My family is modern and not close-minded like some people you see in Dubai. My parents didn’t want us to grow up like that.
You do what society wants you to do.
Going abroad lets you absorb new information, to find yourself, gain experiences, see different cultures and be more open-minded.
I was choosing between the USA and Germany.
| Germany | United States |
|---|---|
| Aunt and cousins are there | My brother is there |
| A short flight (7 hours) | A long flight (16 hours) |
| English + German languages | English language |
What was a decisive point in me choosing a university? I applied to 2: in Stuttgart and in Munich. I would have chosen Stuttgart but they didn’t have an English track for a program I wanted.
It was a good decision because I would be just within 3 hours drive and independent. No more going for food to my aunt. Help with anything? Not asking aunt – rather doing everything myself.
In terms of coming to Germany, Munich or University choices – I do not regret anything. You do learn from your mistakes and what you have gone through. You have to experience everything in order to learn. From that, yes I did not go to the USA, but I learnt the language which would be beneficial for my work in Dubai in the future.
The Good Side of Germany
Shopping
Everything is so much cheaper comparing to Dubai.
Freedom
It is not about freedom from parents but I do not have to be afraid of being me. What I mean by freedom is that people don’t look at you and they don’t size you up here when you are walking down the street. In Dubai, everyone knows you and people do look. “Oh, my God! She did this, she did that, she is the daughter of”…blabla.
Here no one cares who you are and you can be yourself. I don’t have to put an image and I can say and wear what I want.
Perks of being an Arab
I have a big family here in Europe. 30 cousins in all possible European countries.
Infrastructure
Being in Germany is very easy to travel everywhere. Transportation is available and can take you to any location. I try to spend all the holidays with my family in Dubai (Easter, Christmas).
Now when I feel homesick, I just take a train to Stuttgart or a plane to Sweden, where my uncle and friends live. Last time it took me 35 Euro to fly to Stockholm.
The Bad Side of Germany
German language
It is a very difficult language. I can speak, but my shyness gets to it. I stay in my comfort zone, but it is getting better, I am at B1 now. With a Master Degree I will be perfectly fine.
Heat
In the Summer there is no air conditioning! I complain about the heat and people tell me: “Hey, you are from Dubai!” We only experience the heat when we walk from the house to the car or from the car to the mall. Yes, you can cook an egg on car, but aircons are everywhere!
Stereotypes
Right now, with the new refugees coming to Germany, people have a bad impression of me by default when I tell them where I am from. I usually say I am from Dubai, because if I say I am from Syria, they think I am a refugee.
There is not much to do
People are focused on living that day: work, go home, sleep. Everything is planned and inflexible. In Germany, they have this workweek life cycle and during the weekend they party. But every single day in Dubai is different, you can never predict the day. It feels good to be home. Freedom of movement, I can drive everywhere, which again is so much more spontaneous.
In Munich, no one is spontaneous, which is completely opposite of what I am. “Hey, Jennifer! Would you like to do that? Would you like to go there?”
Sure. You only live once.
Chapter 2: Friends
If I were to stay in Dubai, the future would have been predefined: after the International School straight to the good old American University of Sharjah – everyone goes there. It would be the same as in high school.
Same people, same environment, same everything – whenever I go back to Dubai – nothing changed up until now.
Now I look back to my friends and they are still in that bubble. If anything is about to change in the world, they wouldn’t be able to adapt easily. I went to a new country and culture and I had to adapt. Because people won’t adapt to you (especially the Germans *laughter behind the scenes*).
I was put over here and was forced to adapt and change and it helped my personality grow. When I was in the UAE, I was very introverted – a shy little person. We are 4 with my best friends in Dubai – I was always known as the shy one. I tried my best to make everyone happy as my happiness depended on other people. Back in high school, I was afraid, thinking my opinion would be funny, irrelevant or wrong. But when I came over here, I was able to bring my personality up: I became more open, I expressed my opinion.
All thanks to Internship semester, where I had no choice but to find a job and deal with hierarchy and assignments.
In Germany, the majority of my friends are Germans (surprise). But those Germans, who have been through a lot of travelling or international exposure: they saw different cultures and they are accepting them. On the first day when I started university, I started talking to Sara and Ben and it just clicked. Can’t imagine being without them now. I deliberately did not make Arab friends first, because I wanted to be out of the bubble from the past.
Chapter 3: Family
My mother
My mother did not finish her studies. She was in her last law exams and she would be a Lawyer but she put her life on hold for us. I admire it because she dedicated her whole life to us four. I want to be like that in the future.
I will not let my kids know that they are missing something, but also I will teach them humbleness.
The way my parents brought us up: we had everything we needed. But the stuff I wanted was not always given to me unless I achieved something. Whatever I wanted was an award. I had to work for it.
I have just graduated my Bachelor degree and It feels right. I finally accomplished something. One step forward to making my parents proud. I want to do a Master degree now and then to come back to Dubai to work with my father. I also consider opening my own business with my brother. There is definitely a plan there, but not a planned plan. For now, it is a goal.
My father
I like the strategy my father uses: “Work is work, but when I come home, I do not talk about work.” He loves me. He loves us all. He has been through a lot and he shows his love differently from my mother: providing to me and my siblings financially.
He left Syria when he was only 15 years old. He left to work, earn and send money back home. He works harder every day in order to provide for us everything he never had – he is a role model for me.
My siblings
I look up to my elder brother. He was always the one everyone talked about. I wanted to be like that as well. Maybe if I follow his steps, I thought, I would reach his level.
He helped me through a lot emotionally. He would be the first person to contact when something happens. We grew up together and we are only 2 years apart. Even our birthdays are February 11th and February 13th.
Abraham would always advise me to learn from my mistakes: “I am not going to be there to babysit you, but I will be there to support you. If you want to do something, come up with a detailed plan and I will support you even if our parents do not.”
My younger brother is 13 years old and currently he is having that stage in his life: “I’m too cool, I am just going to stay in my room, play games and watch tv shows, I ain’t talking to anybody.”
My sister is 7 years old and the love of the house – our little doll. I love her and I swear, if anything happens, I would give my heart to her.
Once you are married to someone you put all the strength into it. Especially if you have children. Family is everything to me and one should try to do anything to make it work. The more I grow up, the more sentimental and attached I become to my parents and siblings.
My elder brother has a Master Degree, I have a Bachelor Degree and in the eyes of our parents, we are secure. Now is the time for us to take care of the young ones. We are 4 siblings and 2 different generations. It is our responsibility to guide their way, especially for my younger brother. Anything can easily influence him at this age.
Being in Germany alone can get quite hard. What pushes me forward is the anticipation of flying back home soon.
Family goals.
