Refugee success stories in Germany: Many refugees who come to Germany face the difficulties of navigating a new society. The German language, culture, and living conditions pose the most prominent difficulties that refugees face. These are the stories of two young refugees who have overcome difficulties and achieved success adapting to life in Germany.

Ameen from Syria said, “Here in this hall, I spend most of my time preparing for the high school exams.” At the secondary school library in the Charlottenburg in Berlin. Amin al-Damashqi, a 19-year-old high school student, is busy studying with a group of his classmates. Amin says that the high school exams are the culmination of his academic year. “My results in the various subjects at school are good and that makes it easier for me to pass the high school final exams.” Ameen envisions success in the ongoing examinations resulting in acceptance to and graduation from a German university.

Ameen who has been living in Berlin for more than three years, says studying was not always easy for him. “For me, German language was a wall at first, but thanks to extra lessons at the Institute as well as knowing German friends helped me to overcome these difficulties.” Ameen lives with his family, both his parents and three brothers, in a collective apartment. Ameen and his three brothers are cramped in a small room which is not an atmosphere that is conducive to the concentration necessary to study.

Iyad Selik has achieved his dream in Germany. Iyad came for the Syria during the war to remove himself and his family from the dangers of war. In Damascus, he owned a shop selling sweets, so he tried to rebuild his business in Berlin a year ago, but it didn’t work at first. A chance encounter changed his fortunes. Iyad had a short interview with “Zeit” newspaper in which he said, “I always dreamed of distributing chocolates, and I thought that was a difficult dream.” Last fall, he met with some Germans who read his statements in “Zeit” newspaper and promised to help him out. “Together, we established Beit Selik, a company that sells Syrian sweets.”

This fortune is not limited to Iyad. “My children learned German, my son is studying at the institute, and my wife has completed a German language course. We can now say that we have been able to achieve our goals.”