Week 9: Freiburg - Germany's Green City

I have arrived in Freiburg im Breisgau, a university town in the southern state of Bavaria, Germany, near the famed Black Forest. It is a very picturesque city about the size of Porto, Portugal (150K population) and what strikes me the most is it's wonderful infrastructure of trains, electric trams and buses, and the diversity and friendliness of its people. There are people of all backgrounds here, some second and third generation immigrants from the waves of the 60s and 70s and more recent transplants who have come as refugees or skilled workers. Plus the university population who have come to study in an old and respected university and the Bavarians themselves.  

Freiburg is known as the greenest city in Germany, both for its fine weather and also its commitment to climate change measures. It has both an urban feel with many plazas and old buildings but also the feel of a vibrant, mixed-use walking / biking suburb with many parks and green spaces sprinkled throughout. I am beginning to feel quite at home here and have met many people from my German immersion classes at the Goethe Institut and just random strangers on the tram. Today I met a woman originally from the Philippines who is hoping to get a placement as a nurse here. She arrived 6 months ago and has reached level C1 German at the Goethe Institut (this is considered fluent). I have heard of the nursing shortage in Germany and they are actively recruiting nurses from all over the world, but there is a huge barrier in that the nurses must first become fluent in German - which is easier said than done!

My flatmate is an Indonesian doctor doing an intensive rotation in a hospital in Freiburg and he is up at 4 am daily to study and do well in his program so he can find a placement here. It seems Germany has become quite an attractive place for many both inside and outside the EU.

I am getting a sense of what life is like here and it is both peaceful and quite energizing. I am finding myself among many people who love to travel and explore new cultures and who have the bravery to start life over in a new place. It has me thinking of what it takes to be an immigrant. My parents immigrated to the US in the 60s when the US opened its doors to Asia. Those were very rough times for my parents and others who came at that time. Despite having college and graduate degrees, they often struggled to find their place in American society. My parents were often more educated than their bosses and at times were passed over for promotions, seeing their lesser-talented colleagues rise. Still, they persevered far away from home, the comfort of family, and the known and familiar of every day life.