For how long do you live in this area?
My family moved to this place as I was a child.
Where are you from?
My family is from China, and I was born in Cologne. But actually I feel more like a german. On the other hand I am a kind of homeless as in Asia I am considered as european, at the same time I don’t look typically german.
What do you esteem the most concerning your culture and origin?
What I learned according to our culture is that younger people always treat older humans very respectfully. This is something I am missing beneath my young fellows here.
Also, as my parents left their country because of the war, even small goods had a certain value and we never threw away any food. Today we have much more than we need but we will never forget this experience which is part of our story.
If you could choose freely – where would you live?
Definitely I don’t want to live in Asia, except for my vacations. I prefer the german standards in terms of hygienic standards, such as toilets and the behavior of the public in restaurants and in the streets.
I am very curious about living in another country for some time but I don’t have a specific plan or idea where to go.
…your most important fellows?
Mainly it is my mother and my family. Also my friends are very important, as I can count on them anytime.
What does your cultural background mean to you personally?
People from my parent’s country are very honest and also very diligent. This is something I adapted to my live and is important for me too. Also I like to support people who suffer or have lack of food – I always donate something or invite them for a meal, as well as a smile can make a big difference, too. To smile at somebody immediate opens a heart and makes the situation more pleasurable for both.
Do you want to share some thoughts about living in a world of different backgrounds and cultures, i.e. anything you have learned about it?
The most important thing is to have respect concerning other cultures and mindsets. This is why I travel a lot and always are curious about new places and people. This is even more the case if I am visiting regions of poor economic possibilities. As I come back to this place, I consider our problems here in another light and from another perspective. Here some people complain about bad WLAN connection, while in other parts of this world people don’t even have any shoes and their children raise up without any toys.
