Parallels Across the Big Pond: Culture, Identity, and the Power of Stories

Every human being has their own story. A personal narrative is an ongoing quilt of culture and ideas, struggle and triumph, and reflects a piece of the world’s identity. While every migrant or refugee carries their own story, factors such as media portrayal, personal bias, and perhaps a fear of the unknown or the ‘other’ allows these stories to be categorized and generic, allowing those without the narrative to paint their own portrayal of someone else’s background.

In her famous TED talk, The Danger of a Single Story, Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie says, “power is the ability not just to tell the story of another person, but to make it the definitive story of that person”.

During this trip, I wanted to take this power away. I wanted to be cognizant of my American privilege and vague concept of what a refugee was. I didn’t want to compare my limited knowledge of migrants in the United States with my assumptions of what I think a refugee is in Germany. Instead, I listened.

I listened to people share their stories. I listened to a man from Syria who came to Germany with his brother to flee violence. He left his family behind and doesn’t even know if they are alive. I thought of the stories from home from people escaping violence from Central America, not knowing if they can return or if their loved ones are safe. I listened to a social worker explain how refugee children learn German quickly and help their parents navigate daily life, including shopping, going to banks and filling out paperwork. I instantly remembered the faces of my 8^th graders in Chaparral, and their bilingual world, lost in translation as they navigate what it means to live in a society where they are fluent in its culture and language, yet always classified as ‘other’ in a country they love and call home.

I cooked a meal with a man from Senegal as our group laughed and shared our favorite rap songs.  I attended a ladies night and sat with women from Germany, Africa, and the Middle East as we played board games and shared dinner. 

We didn’t speak the same language, we didn’t share the same background. We didn’t have to be the same. 

We were together.

We were together, and we listened. Our assumptions didn’t carry the conversation. We simply carried ourselves. 

Meagan Lashway