"Flea markets were something I’d never seen before. People selling old stuff to other people. Clothes, books and electrical stuff on long tables in back yards, or on the pavement in front of houses. It’s good that you can bargain for good prices, it gives you a chance to talk to people. You couldn’t do that in Iraq. Iraqis would be ashamed to sell anyone old and used things. But it’s perfectly normal here. People try not to throw old things out right away – and they teach their children to do the same."

Taha from Iraq

"Blowing your nose in company is perfectly normal here. In Syria, it’s very bad manners. It simply isn’t done. I would go out or on to the balcony to do it. We have had to get used to people doing it in a room where other people are."

Ferhad from Syria

"There’s no such thing as medical confidentiality in Iraq. Sometimes, three or four patients visit the doctor at one time and everyone can hear what the doctor says to them. That’s normal. Here, it’s unthinkable. Because of medical confidentiality. That was something new to me. It’s important to be able to trust doctors and tell them all your problems. It’s good to know you have no need to worry that your doctor could tell them to anybody else."

Taha from Iraq

"People here have a passport with all the vaccinations they have had. Doctors check it to see if you have the ones you need. That’s much more rigorous than at home. I think it's good because it makes you feel safer. My daughter just had her vaccinations."

Ferhad from Syria

"On the streets of my home country you can get to know ten people every day – here, you could maybe get to know one person in ten years. There always has to be a reason to meet people: in a club, at an event or in some kind of organisation. I used to go to an international youth club in Munich two or three times a week to have the opportunity to speak German with other people. If you want to learn, you have to be interested and ask things. Music is very important, so are sports or cultural organisations. They are great places for meeting people. The last thing you should do is stay at home."

Taha from Iraq

"When we arrived here, we first lived in a small town. There were people there who helped us. An old lady invited us to breakfast at her house and we spent the whole day with her. Other people told us a lot about the system in Germany, about kindergartens, doctors and education. There are a lot of helpful people."

Marharyta from Ukraine

"My son is in kindergarten all day. He can’t speak German yet, but I’m sure he understands a little bit. He already says ‘Danke’ (thank you) or ‘Darf ich…’ (may I) und understands the word ‘aufräumen’ (tidy up). I think he will learn to speak the language step-by-step. It’s much easier for children."

Marharyta from Ukraine

"We came to Germany with our son. He’s four years old and hasn’t learned any German yet. He knows a few words, but he can’t speak the language. But it is very important to learn German. We want to live and work here, so we really must learn German."

Marharyta from Ukraine

"I had a flat next door to the caretaker ("Hausmeister") of the house. That was something totally new to me. I didn’t know what his job actually involved. I once used my electric drill around lunchtime and he knocked on my door to tell me I had to stop because of a regulation that says you have to be quiet from 12 to 3 pm ("Mittagsruhe"). He was also the man I had to ask to fix things that weren’t working in my flat. The Hausmeister came and repaired the electrical sockets in my flat."

Taha from Iraq

"There was a gay pride parade in the city centre when we lived there. That wouldn’t be allowed in Ukraine. There are homosexual people in Ukraine but they don’t speak openly about it. For us, it’s a bit abnormal and a little difficult to accept. I accept that there are people like that, and I have nothing against them, but it is a bit unusual for me that they are allowed to make it so public."

Marharyta from Ukraine

"A friend of mine had a baby, and the father took parental leave from his job. He could stay home to look after the baby because his wife has the right to continue working. No man in Syria would do anything like that."

Ferhad from Syria

"There were all sorts of new things I had to get used to. For example, what happened the first time we went to the district administration offices (“Landratsamt”). The civil servant asked my wife to sign a form. That was it, we were finished. I said: 'But I haven’t signed it yet.' He told me my wife’s signature was enough. That wouldn’t happen in Syria, the husband is always the one who signs."

Ferhad from Syria

"The people are not as open, they tend to be rather reserved. Apart from saying ‘hello’ and ’goodbye’, people don’t speak to each other at all in the lift. In Iraq, you spend much more time with your neighbours for a chat or a cup of tea. I’m a very open-minded person and love to communicate with people. Some people find that a positive attitude, but others don’t like it at all. Their first thought is ‘what do you want?’. I now know that I must be less direct and take care that people don’t get a wrong impression."

Taha from Iraq

"We have German neighbours. But we don’t see each other all that often. They are at work and we are at our language course. But we do help each other a bit, like when the postman brings a parcel. I take the parcel for them when I’m at home and they do the same for me."

Marharyta from Ukraine

"Here, you are free to say whatever you like on the street and in the S-Bahn (suburban trains). Nobody ever says things like “You can’t say that, it’s taboo”. The day before yesterday I saw a show on TV with people making jokes about Angela Merkel. That would be taboo back home. No one is allowed to criticise the President or officials, it’s forbidden. People who do are sent to prison. Freedom means a lot to everyone in Germany."

Ferhad from Syria

"I began writing 30 years ago. There was no freedom of the press at home, so I had to write secretly and couldn’t publish anything I wrote. You couldn’t criticise the system or have your own opinion. In Germany, I can express my opinions openly and will soon be launching my own blog. I am free to say or write what I want. It says so in the constitution (“Grundgesetz”). You also have a free vote. A German chancellor has to go when he or she doesn’t get enough votes. Even the president can’t stay in office for ever. The Grundgesetz is a wonderful thing and it’s a wonderful thing that we have it in Germany."

Taha from Iraq

"I don’t think it’s good that so many people here in Germany don’t go to church. But that’s all up to them. Nobody here forces anyone to go to church."

Marharyta from Ukraine