Looking back at 2022, a new career path 

      Another year has passed, leaving behind many memories and occurrences that we went through with events and people, such as friends, customers, coworkers, etc. These could be moments of triumph, like the successful completion of a challenging project, or challenges we faced, such as navigating a complex work relationship. For instance, I recall a difficult project where we had to overcome numerous obstacles or a complex work relationship that tested our patience and communication skills. Therefore, people might need advice concerning what to take out of these memories and what to drop out. In other words, e.g., negative memories truly affect us and even hurdle the wheel of progress for some people who lack tackling strategies. However, the negativity of these memories can be a good lesson applicable in the contexts in which we have gone through fruitless or unpleasant experiences. Thus, success will be the destiny of the subsequent experiences if the lesson is applied optimally.

    Everything, whether constructive or not, is a supporting asset for the following phases because every stride we pass through teaches us new things that can be capitalized on in the future. Furthermore, considering mistakes and learning from them is more than just a solid strategy for successfully avoiding them and overcoming potential obstacles afterward. It's a profound way to feel enlightened and prepared for what's to come. By learning from our mistakes, we avoid repeating them and gain valuable insights that can guide us in the future. This process of learning from mistakes is not just a strategy but a powerful tool that can equip us with the knowledge and understanding to face future challenges with confidence and resilience.

  Archiving these memories in whatever available tools, like photography, digital documentation, or manual writing, accumulates them with memories of previous years. Thus, the incredible usefulness of this documentation comes out when assessing life's experiences and challenges, leading to an in-depth understanding of reality. Moreover, it accentuates our character and its interaction with the various components in the surrounding realm, i.e., it gives reflections on how the character is constructively accomplished and in which methods. It pushes us to consider the required characteristics, like communication, intercultural competency, etc., for proficiency. Working in such a realm helps us explore various perspectives and views of the world and indicates our strengths and weaknesses, where we can develop and where we can't. We can assess our character and proficiency in various contexts with many more components.

   These memories might have taken a foothold within black, grey, and white zones, which means life doesn't run in the way we anticipate it to be. The 'black' zone represents the challenging and difficult times, the 'grey' zone symbolizes the uncertain and transitional periods, and the 'white' zone signifies the peaceful and stable phases. I can't claim that life's circumstances are inevitably stationed in one of the three zones mentioned earlier, like the ancient black-and-white cinema. It's believable that this might occur in these three zones simultaneously since the reality runs as such; we encounter the point of how we lead a myriad of changeable circumstances to create a better-off life, achieve our goals, or build up a lucrative project. Indeed, it drives us to think of that wisely, set up the right plan, and implement rules wisely. Above all, being hard-working and perseverant is the giant asset for the success of your project, no matter how long it takes or how many failed attempts you have gone through, because climbing up the summit isn't necessarily a flatty green meadow, but worth putting into account that it might be an excruciating path full of hurdles. In the face of adversity, this perseverance inspires and motivates us to keep going and serves as a beacon of hope, showing that success is possible, no matter the challenges.

   From these introductory paragraphs, I capture one of my still-running professional, first-hand transformative career experiences as a coach with the private sector in Germany during the second half of 2022, which will be a memory sooner or later. At the coaching sessions, many topics were highlighted, especially the ones that aim to integrate into the labor market. Still, the issue of intercultural competency through cultural exchange to mitigate misconceptions among multi-ethnic groups also noticeably took a foothold. This track of coaching with customers from Germany and abroad pushed me to think of the significance of strengthening the tendency of learning this competence in a diverse society like the German in socio-professional milieus. It was an informative opportunity to encounter different perspectives that triggered the discussions, sometimes turning the roundtable into conflicting arguments amongst proponents and opponents once the thoughts around the issue arose and each raised an idea.

The target group with whom I led group coaching is socio-psychologically affected. The affected group generally couldn't handle their life's affairs due to family separation, alcohol, unemployment, family violence, drug addiction, etc. So, the challenging task is retrieving the typical situation that it used to be for those people. Encountering the target group wasn't daunting regarding managing conversations with them. Still, some other issues that are highly recommended to be considered are their level of education, comprehension, background, harrowing experiences, and the methods they already applied to escape the harsh circumstances.

    As a coach, it's helpful to conduct a first assessment for each case so that treating the case would go smoothly, considering that each individual has different needs. Such people need to listen to them carefully and attentively so that it could be easier to understand their feelings, perspectives, needs, goals, obstacles, and plans if given. With this stride, the coach shows them the right path and walks alongside them, providing support and understanding. The coach's role is to guide them through their challenges and be a pillar of strength, providing unwavering support and understanding. The coach is responsible for returning them to the job market again. Returning to the job market again and starting a new job would be a great success. It means the affected person had fought a magnificent battle to overcome the hardships in daily life. But how can one overcome these hardships? Where is the tipping point? Which tools are to be capitalized on?

It's a supporting process that the coach is supposed to follow. It can be structurally through well-prepared training topics revolving around socio-cultural or professional issues to develop the highly required skills to advance in their lives, i.e., communication, etc. Based on my experiences with clients, topics like conflict management, communication methods, intercultural competency, problem-solving, getting rid of negative thoughts, and thinking positively, STAR/TIPP Methods were requested. The STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) is a structured way to respond to behavioral interview questions, and the TIPP method (Technique for Identifying Points of Power) is a tool for identifying and leveraging your strengths. After presenting these issues, I got an indication of where the clients moved on, where they stayed, and how they stepped back—their experiences in the roundtable discussion referred to their motivation and where I could follow improvement steps.

    Leading coaching with affected people isn't a matter of training them on a particular topic; once it ends, the goal still needs to be achieved. However, it's a matter of how these people could build on later, how they grow up in the field of interest, and how they implement the methods they learned through coaching. Above all, it's eventually a matter of continuation until the need for success and overcoming the obstacles is garnered. In other words, as a coach, I conceive the strenuous efforts for overcoming barriers resulting in the abovementioned circumstances as a great success since some clients think it's hopeless to start over and achieve something pleasant after being socially and psychologically devastated. In addition, it's essential to stimulate clients to change their daily routine and replace it with healthy and valuable activities, which is the strategy of perseverance towards the optimum goals. For example, if being involved in a language exchange club doesn't work out in terms of changing your thoughts, try out something else; don't hang in there without giving it another try because the path is still long.

Indeed, my experience with the affected social category showed me that grappling with socio-psychological issues -without overestimating and not generalizing- is a long journey. It's a journey that might accompany a diagnosed disease followed by a lengthy treatment. Therefore, when a person finds himself under such circumstances, the following ramifications are expected: isolation, losing the desire to carry on, losing the mood to carry out whatever constructive activities, distrusting the entire surrounding people, obsession with negative thoughts, panic attack, etc. The challenge is rebuilding trust so the affected person can interact freely with the coach in different contexts and environments. Thus, I had to bridge understanding with the clients to make them feel that they were still accepted in the surrounding society.

   Thinking back on the occurrences of 2022 and touching upon hopes that I had been striving for, it turned out that hopes gave me the strength to retrieve the already frozen track. Ambitions would slip out of the way if no hard-working people were behind them, no matter if the efforts went as a mirage. But they will come out again if we persevere. Through my observations, the desirable result is once the clients are exposed to inspiring stories and fruitful experiences, including mine, presented at the coaching sessions. Moreover, through intercultural competency coaching, an essential aspect of coaching that focuses on building skills in communicating with people from different cultures after exploring their socio-cultural and religious values and orientations, including respecting them, the clients went out of their comfort zone to think critically about what's happening behind the wall. Although I touched upon the need for this competency, it turned out that diversifying coaching topics impinge clients to the track and cultivate the fact that there is always an exit for the long, undesirable journey.

  The assessment indicated that some clients expect a lot from the coaching sessions, believing their goals would be easily attainable after attending the motivating sessions and learning the educational elements. That would be gorgeous if easily attained! However, considering the target psychologically affected group encountering difficulties in their lives, which might deteriorate their situation and coaching might not work out. Still, they have to find the right path by using motivating tools according to their individual needs; sometimes, finding the right direction takes a long time after passing through multiple ways without avail. In this regard, the coach plays a crucial role in showing this path, guiding the clients through their journey.

    So, it will come to fruition with a critical understanding of the coaching and its impact on the clients. On the other hand, once managed perfectly, coaching will stir up inner feelings towards positivity, open up horizons, and, more importantly, stir up stagnant positive thoughts that had been collected through previous experiences but vanished due to psychological trauma or depression. During the coaching session, the feeling of reminiscence comes out, showing the clients the significance of these thoughts and their applicability, which are still valuable for projects or professions. In this sense, it poses a compass guiding the right track, highlighting inspiring instances and success stories that play an instrumental role. 

However, there is something else to pay attention to: coaching isn't necessarily the fastest way of fulfilling dreams or goals unless it's followed by continuous and intensive efforts to overcome the current obstacles, build up skills, and keep applying the rules, as previously demonstrated. For instance, an engineer can't be successful by only capitalizing on theoretical frameworks without realistic frameworks in various contexts. To avoid slipping into that, the coach must keep assessing his methodologies by getting client feedback, including personal conversations, which enhances the success of the coaching path.

   The bottom line is that coaching has the transformative power to resolve many issues when effectively structured and directed. It also diversifies and attracts the target group's attention, bringing them out of the frustrating circles. By this token, intercultural competency in the coaching thread presents new conceptions and meanings to different living conditions, and more importantly, it enhances socio-professional ties among all groups from various socio-cultural and religious groups in the diverse hosting society of Germany. It's been a worthwhile experience that will be archived for the upcoming New Year 2023 so that I can develop new methods.

Happy New Year!

 ccc

A New Life in Mainz

    In the city of Johannes Gutenberg (German inventor) Mainz, the taste of living is something different than living in the rural realm. The city contains a prominent diverse community with tangible and modern urbanization mixed up with ancient architecture and monuments. But in the rural realm, I had a new experience embodied in the village called Reinsfeld, where I had lived previously for nine months; this village is in the same federal state Rhineland Palatinate as Mainz. The reason for moving to this village after finishing my second postgraduate at the University of Freiburg was to take up a new position with an organization to serve at a refugee camp in the adjacent area, where the way to my office was not far away. 

At first, I would briefly link the still emerging first-hand experience in Mainz to the prior experiences in Germany, which makes it purposefully understandable. Being from a Middle Eastern country, where social ties are potent, sociability is always a central concern, and I look for it wherever I leave footholds. Therefore, making friendships from diverse backgrounds and cultural exchange is one of my interests. As previously noted, the social ties are coherent and symbiotic in the society of origin, reflecting an ingrained environment that pushes me to look for its applicability in the new host society. Conversely, it often goes without avail given to the different social norms. As an illustration, I used to surround myself with warm social relationships in my homeland. Still, they aren't always available or barely exist in the host society, where most such relationships are confined to professional circles. Then at the end of the business day, each of them goes to the private sphere and locks up the door behind, leaving a slight chance for social integration. Thus, plunging into a conflict between the original and unique values and the social templates is a natural outcome. 

Sunset view of the Rhine River, Mainz/ Private

Highlighting the German social fabric, I would point out that the difference in the mentality from region to region, from rural to cosmopolitan per se, is touchable. It's an incontestable fact elucidating a phenomenon existent almost everywhere in the world, and all of us might have learned or lived in either realm, rural or cosmopolitan, which strengthens this fact in a certain way. It can be observed through behaviors, perspectives, social fabric, activities, etc. Additionally, in German rural areas, the population is characterized mainly by the presence of the elderly. In the village of Reinsfeld, the old people also occupy the highest percentage of the population, the rest primarily youths, who are still at secondary school, which is the phase that precedes the university or German term "Ausbildung" phase, and the rest are still minors. Therefore, a significant percentage of them, after the age of 18 years, usually leave the village to establish a new life in cosmopolitan areas, and a few go abroad. It's probably a permanent decision because youths typically tend to live the vitality in everything that fits into their energy and fulfill their openness to new cultures and experiences. And likewise, in rural areas finding such openness and diversity is barely possible or not at all. Therefore, within the frontiers of rural areas, people are somewhat curious to know the new visitors to their locations. Indeed, I went through this when people gazed at me in the streets or in public places. I felt people were always looking at me and probably wondering, "Who is this stranger living in our village?"

It felt like the situation, people know each other, and their faces are familiar. Moreover, social bonds coherently reflect a harmonious atmosphere, in which people not only know each other but also transcend to the degree that their personal stories are easy to deliberate among each other due to the rapprochement. I guess this massively describes the rural social landscape. In this thread, I adorably encountered older people who usually approached me in public to have a conversation though there weren't any previous friendships. That made me wonder over the past years of my life in Germany; no young person has ever approached me in public places, on buses, or on trains to have a personal conversation with me; only older people did that. It's presumably the outcome of loneliness; such people are already retired, many might live alone without a partner, or their children live far away. Thus, they have an urgent need to talk to people to alleviate the sense of social boredom. I find this nice, and at least I get to know people in the host society. That reminds me of my life in the village where I spent my childhood in Palestine, even though the native and new German societies are entirely different. But, as previously mentioned, I assert the fact regarding differentiations like the social relationships in the village and the city, seemingly an existing phenomenon in all communities around the globe.

The time came to leave the village after I found a new position in the city of Mainz. Moving out was hectic! Especially in Mainz, where finding a flat was a painstaking step due to the shortage of available apartments, an obstacle mainly caused by the enormous consecutive influxes of refugees and migrants into Germany over the past decades. After a couple of weeks, good luck hovered over the scene when I found a flat beside the Rhine River in a pretty charming area. The affinities are easily reachable, and utilities are everywhere as well. The city is pretty diverse, multicultural, and multi-ethnic. I could run into people who seem to belong to different ethnic backgrounds everywhere daily. I could hear different spoken languages, including my native "Arabic." The Muslim community is noticeable as those who belong to other congregations. Thereupon, the manifestations explain this diversity; the hustling bustling city is swept by convenience stores owned by people from different nationalities, each of which shows their original cultural way of promoting and selling, even producing things. Restaurants, e.g., in many corners of the city, the Arabic, Turkish, Thai, Chinese, Indian restaurants, and other Latin American stores show their culinary recipes, cuisines, etc. It even grants the beauty of diverse food to the archeologically beautiful city. 

Gutenberg's memorial statue, Mainz/ Private

The cultural hubs are open there and what caught my attention is that each ethnic group has social-cultural clubs in the city, where they gather up from time to time to strengthen their socio-cultural ties and support each other. In essence, those communities have a powerful sense of maintaining their identity and whatever values are entrusted to their beliefs, appearances, and behaviors. Maintaining this identity in a land that doesn't belong to them shows their native background is worth cherishing. Though I would love to, I have not managed to integrate into all these groups yet. But until writing this blog, I had chances to integrate into Turkish, Arab, and some Latin American communities in Germany. That significantly prompts me to wonder about the German socio-cultural melting pot issue. It's the issue of core discussions on platforms to know the truth behind the extent to which those different ethnic communities have integrated into the German socio-cultural melting pot and in which way. It's a long sociological issue with many arguments that it's enough till this line to leave it as a reminder for the readers' attention from this scientific field.  

Carrying on with my first-hand experience in the charming Mainz, the historical monuments and the terrains on the surrounding outskirts present a history clarified in depth. The old city is embellished with ancient archaeological pieces, describing specific historical stories with the prescriptions carved out on them. And the randomly scattered rosy walls seem to be eyewitnesses to the long consecutive episodes of history. Gutenberg, the printing house founder statue, distinguishes Mainz as he had a memorable impact on the course of printing books, a milestone invention that changed the world. Churches add beauty to the scene, making the church's color distinguishable. I.e., when you look at the building with its high pinkish towers, you feel at first glance that it was newly built; on the other hand, when you walk closer, you discover how old the features of the building narrate long episodes of history. 

I always found myself attracted to exploring the various episodes of history because learning history strengthens the awareness of the past and gives impetus to predict the future. Furthermore, understanding history and its elements helps us think critically and manage our life's affairs wisely. In other words, learning history isn't only a matter of accumulating knowledge about wars, conflicts, or whatever is relevant. But also learning many different things about the past generations, their lives, the development stages they passed through, and inspiring instances of figures that have changed the course of history due to their genius scientific discoveries and contributions. In addition, the willingness and willpower to change despite the harsh circumstances the past generation lived. Thus, history is a source of learning good pearls of wisdom and valuable competencies to apply them in modern contexts, as enormous phenomena are built on theories uncovered by scientists of the past generations in many fields. In the contemporary epoch, people have developed these theories until they came into being in better and more sophisticated versions. 

St. Martin Dom, Mainz/ Private

Luckily, the emergence of scientific discoveries over the past centuries at the hands of genius figures either within European frontiers or outside is a memorable historical space. Hence, I have always brought up the instances of ancient Arab and Muslim scientists from the Mesopotamia region, the Middle East, and North Africa who have left their fingerprints on the wheel of science everywhere in the world, especially during the industrial revolution of the 18th century in Europe. This point of Eastern scientific impact is overlooked instead of being compelling evidence markedly. 

On the whole, the first-hand experience in the fascinating Mainz hasn't ended yet. The facts, as mentioned earlier, are pretty motivating factors to keep exploring the city and figure out the mysteries behind many exciting things related to the multicultural community or the objects around it. Ultimately, living in such a city would always be a worthwhile experience that will be added to my chronology and, above all, my CV as I'm here mainly to fulfill the requirements of a full-time job with a fantastic staff at a private company. Yes, I'll keep passionately exploring and learning from people more and more as they represent a school that provides us with lived knowledge that books might not necessarily offer.

 Mainz 

The claim of cultural threat to native culture 

   Some published texts on social media outlets in Europe still deliberate on concepts like "Threat to the survival of Western Civilization," referring to the cultural threat of the presence of the new migrant community. This pushes me to give insight into these concepts and the factors beyond shaping them.

  These concepts show the new sociocultural reality of refugees hosted by some EU countries, especially Germany. This reality, whether forced or voluntary, is neither a new phenomenon of migratory movement nor a new phenomenon in the global arena, where different fluctuations of all socio-political, cultural, demographic, and economic spheres occurred due to the mixture of the population of the native people and the newcomers from various backgrounds. Migration movements created diverse societies and brought new thoughts and ideologies to the host societies, contributing to developing the wheel of the economy and in many other fields. To explain more, many migrants or refugees from the Third World, or in other words, "Global South" to the developed countries or "Global North," came up with innovative ideas and solutions to many dilemmas in different fields, which are highly needed in the host countries. On the positive side, over the past decades, we have witnessed how many host societies experienced paradigm shifts in many fields with the investment of the enormous human energy that the migration movements brought to the new societies. It can't be denied the truth of how the newcomers paved the way toward sophistication with their creative ideas. Germany is an illuminating example of this experience, depicting the magnificent development process that resulted from the investment in the new population of refugees. 

"Merkel's decision to admit one million refugees in 2015 has had immense economic and social benefits for Germany," said Helen Dempster. 

   At the scientific institutions, it's pretty observable how prestigious migrants or refugees occupy positions and how the qualifications of those migrants are being invested. Notably, we have seen myriad successful examples, mapping out a reality proving that many qualified migrants are highly needed to fill existing gaps. But this can't keep us from the truth that many refugees lack qualifications or are eligible for a position in the host country. It's a matter to consider when building strategies to unleash their capabilities because the road is supposed to be open for them to set out on a new professional and academic journey to develop their skills. Therefore, humanitarian laws in the EU countries have agreements in common in regards to providing migrants with protection, especially to the asylum seekers fleeing wars and dictatorships. These agreements are indiscriminately supposed to be applied irrespective of race, color, religion, and sexual orientation. The fact indicates that when these countries host migrants, they don't distinguish between them based on who is qualified and who isn't. 

   What stands out is the consequence of multicultural reality in the host country, which is conducive to conflict between the adherents of the new culture (the migrants) and the native culture. Those migrants came to the new societies holding their sociocultural values; stripping themselves of them and adopting the new sociocultural values of the new society is often far-fetched. Thus, we can observe that a significant percentage of the migrant communities are socially isolated from the surrounding host society, attempting to keep their existence from fading, and this existence for them is the identity with its components. Those groups attempt to accentuate their identity in all contexts because the sense of belonging and loyalty is the essence of strengthening the group.

    As an illustration, I would capture one sociocultural aspect of the Eastern Asian and North African societies based on research, especially my latest dissertation that captures a social issue within the Syrian refugee community in Germany. I found out consecutively that the people of those regions are community- and family-clan-oriented, which is what describes them in general. Their lives are controlled by collective rules, which means loyalty to the group or the higher social authority is mandatory to guarantee that the group or the clan is strengthened inwardly and can defend itself outwardly—defending itself in terms of fending off any attempt to penetrate and affecting it by other foreign cultures per se.

   The point that should be clarified here is that the group that belongs to a particular culture and identity inherently shows inclinations to maintain their identity and whatever is relevant. They are ready to struggle and sacrifice for this cause. Throughout history, conflicts of identity have appeared in many places worldwide, where ethnic groups have engaged in confrontations in a struggle over existentialism. In other areas, the world has witnessed bloody confrontations that occurred to wipe out the other and eradicate its existence, such as ethnic-cleansing operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina and under colonial rules in Africa and other places. It turned out that identity, religion, and color were the main motives for eradicating the other for dominance over the other. However, the resilience and determination of these cultural groups in the face of such challenges are truly inspiring, demonstrating their unwavering commitment to their identity and culture.

    Since identity and culture are indispensable motives to strengthen the group, and without them, this group can't maintain its existence anymore, the phenomenon of looking at the other as a threat to its identity, culture, or ethnicity, in general, is still a problematic dilemma that many human societies are plateaued with. As nothing occurs in a vacuum, past historical events still echo, playing crucial roles in shaping the current occurrences of the current century. Understanding these historical events is not just important; it's urgent to shape our current understanding of intergroup relations and social integration. We find a narrative here and there built on historical occurrences, and still, people base their attitudes toward others stemming from these occurrences. For instance, the produced historical narrative of the Crusades in the Middle East and colonial convoys there and somewhere else still echoes that the crusaded and colonized nations faced that destiny to serve the Western powers, postulating that the Western values are to prevail and reign over. This narrative remains up till the present with various stereotypes deliberated by the nationwide media and cinema in the West towards the other nations, and Eastern nations pose an enriching material for them to conceive them in ways that mislead the viewers and drive them to think stereotypically towards those nations. By the same token, when it comes to the presence of groups of those nations in new countries, the far-right groups always find such material a flaring factor to convince the masses of their propaganda that their presence poses a specific socio-cultural threat due to the norms they abide by which contradict the western standards. 

   Returning to the context of Germany, the current diverse reality there necessitates a thoughtful approach to creating a living environment where all ethnic groups, including migrants and natives, can coexist harmoniously without perceiving each other as a threat to their identity. It's not easy for a group to give up on its culture, as doing so would mean deviating from the pillars of the group. This deviation always has implications. For instance, in many Eastern cultures, intimacy before marriage is considered a violation of religious rules. Therefore, a harmonious living environment is not just a goal, but a necessity for the peaceful coexistence of all cultural groups. 

Given this reality, where each group has the right to uphold its beliefs, a fundamental question arises: Is socio-cultural integration still a viable solution to bridge the socio-cultural gaps in the host society?

 Socio-cultural integration, which involves different cultural groups living harmoniously and sharing their artistic practices in a host society, may seem challenging. However, exploring this question is crucial to understanding the potential for peaceful coexistence in diverse societies. In this sense, we must conduct more research to determine the indications and factors beyond integration and disintegration. However, the modest research in this field addressed an indication to rely on for more research efforts. It’s an existing fact that, for example, a new Arab community tends to maintain its cultural values and isolate itself from the surrounding native culture. Thus, the claim of the threat of the native culture, etc., is unsubstantiated at this stage, as there hasn’t been a trend that the newcomers attempt dominance; the whole landscape shows integration in the labor market and segregation in the social sphere. This segregation is the inescapable outcome of the different socio-religious values that can’t be eliminated overnight! 

Therefore, what’s being propagated that newcomers or refugees constitute a threat to the native culture, civilization, identity, etc., is a figment of the imagination and a desperate attempt to fuel the phenomenon of xenophobia in the host society, conceiving the new community of the migrants as a new culture that’s different than the native culture in the host country. The individuals of this culture reject the native culture and the social behaviors that emanate from it, as they don’t fit into what they believe in, and so forth. That’s why xenophobia propagandists look at this phenomenon from the lens of the enlargement of such a community, which constitutes a threat of demising the native culture and identity, believing that the increasing number of the population of the new community would occupy a considerable space in the socio-cultural landscape.

We need constructive education to spread awareness within German society. Education can link all diverse groups and enhance peaceful coexistence to overcome all forms of hatred, incitement, and extremism.

What happened was that this deep-seated phenomenon bred out of this new reality of new migrants and natives living side-by-side. At the moment, I would argue that, in a democratic country like Germany, many liberties and even the freedom of belief are ensured. Therefore, it’s okay to continue believing in whatever socio-religious dogma, as long as it doesn’t harm others in any way or doesn’t incite against others. In the meantime, people of the migrant communities should consider how to teach their children to be tolerant of others and their differentiation, how to accept others as they are, and the undeniable fact the German host society is diverse, consisting of many ethnicities. This proves what contradicts what’s being propagated, that the eastern migrants are a threat to the domestic culture, and spread out fears of the fact that in the foreseeable future, the number of migrants will transcend the expectations, which would play staunchly in shrinking the native culture.

Above all, we need constructive education to spread awareness within the diverse German society. Education can link all diverse groups with each other and enhance peaceful coexistence to overcome all forms of hatred, incitement, and extremism. The migrant groups should act to introduce themselves in a way that dispels the suspicion around them that they are a constant threat, a term propagated by far-right extremist groups.

 ..

After two years of Covid-19, is there no end in the sight?

   After I processed some tasks in the office and outside at the end of the workday, I felt something weird was catching my throat; I ignored it, thinking it was ordinary, and went ahead. The day after, I woke up with pains in my whole body and realized that I had been infected with COVID-19 or something else. Whatever it was, the contagion was proved by the Antigen Test I bought from the pharmacy and then by a formal test at the clinic. The infection has assumedly resulted in constant movements of refugees in and out of the camp where I work. The ridiculous thing is that I didn't get infected earlier despite having been through all of the episodes of the Corona crisis; I mainly lived in Bangkok at the beginning of 2020, neighboring China, where the virus originated. Therefore, Thailand and adjacent areas of Southeast Asia were entirely conducive to the prevalence of the virus due to its proximity to China.

I'm currently under quarantine. The symptoms were not chronic; they were just in the first three days. Pains in the entire body, anorexia, coughing, runny nose, and the senses of smell, hearing, and taste were also affected. However, there was no respiratory distress. But thank God the immune system is robust as I got the two doses of the Pfizer-Biotech vaccine last year. In quarantine, I spend my time following up on developments in Germany and the international arena, reading the news, and analyzing the current Ukraine-Russian crisis on different platforms. There is also ongoing preparation for learning the fourth and fifth languages, the linguistic accomplishment I've dreamed of for a long time, the goal I set up last year, which will take place in 2022. Even though learning foreign languages is a daunting task, it's a sturdy intellectual method that helps overcome boredom and loneliness. If we direct it correctly, it often keeps our minds entangled with positive things. Correspondingly, the optimal tip to avoid depressive moments or emotional drain during quarantine, in case you're alone, is to speak to a family member or a loved one.

The quarantine, for me, is like a reminiscence of the beginning of this crisis up till now. Through it, I could recall the occurrences I have gone through thus far regarding the restrictions, lockdowns, wearing masks, social distancing, etc. It's been a realm of fluctuating tides since the COVID-19 crisis broke out at the beginning of 2020; WHO declared it a global pandemic shortly afterward. This year, I was in Bangkok at Chulalongkorn University, studying for an exchange semester, the third semester of the latest Master's program I finished last year at the University of Albert-Ludwigs Freiburg in Global Studies. I remember how the entire situation turned upside down, thinking it was the world's end, like an apocalypse!

While seeing how panic was widespread among people, becoming nervous, anxious about potential infection, and losing trust in physical human communication, the panic also outstretched to the surrounding space, believing that the virus was floating over and sticky never dies out. The entire educational system has turned into virtuality since the first episode of the crisis, remaining as such up to the present day to avoid social contact that exposes people to infection. Therefore, I used to work at home to manage my academic tasks for the university, including the online language tutorial sessions I offered international students on a global platform. The virtual platform has been solidarity and affection throughout the crisis; I sometimes felt alone, but I overcame this by speaking to my students and sharing our experiences during the pandemic. Indeed, it was a source of strength, encouragement, and hope for them and me until I finished my second post-graduate degree. The program ended, but I still strictly hold on to the stunning memories I spent in that diverse international academic environment that began in Freiburg in 2019, passing through Cape Town -where I did the second semester at Uni UCT- to Bangkok and back to Freiburg. Memories are the source of impetus that pushes me forward.

The manifestations of the lockdown that paralyzed cosmopolitan Bangkok were obvious; few commuters went down the almost empty streets. The transportation sector changed to fit into the new situation, including the domestic and international aviation movement, which was significantly hindered. For this reason, two flight tickets I had booked from Bangkok to Frankfurt were canceled, and then painstakingly managed to travel back to Germany as the third flight worked out. Thus, I wished to hear the usual honking, voices of engines, and callers in the streets; even the number of vendors significantly downsized, turning it into a city of ghosts, mixed with anxiety and distrust of the future. In addition, the stark confusion covered the scene, too, as many people didn't have enough awareness of how to move on with the new reality—the unprecedented procedures imposed on people to restrain the prevalence of the fatal virus changed this reality. Yes, there was no blame at that phase of the pandemic as it was an unexpected dilemma on the way, and people were not willing to go through such a sudden reality and were not trained to deal with its outcomes.

The scene outside of Bangkok was like a physically isolated space from all angles, narrowing around me and shackling me up tightly to the degree that I felt suffocated due to the restrictions mentioned above; it was not different in other countries worldwide that have followed suit. At the time, the future of the crisis seemed unpredictable; people never knew what would occur, what the next stride would look like, and how to resolve this crisis and tackle its implications that threatened all sectors of life, including fundamentally human lives, in general. Since the death toll skyrocketed, many businesses lost their value and went bankrupt, resulting in crumbling economies.

Different aspects in the international arena, mainly pharmaceutical companies, from Moscow to Washington and their allies, headed on to think of a radical solution, the vaccine. But, the vaccine turned into a political competition among those great powers. Of course, the German contribution has remarkably competed to produce the most reliable and effective vaccine. There was long fierce competition until some ground-breaking pharmaceutical companies, especially the German ones, manufactured the first-hand vaccine Pfizer-Biotech. Then, the conflict of vaccines continued due to the producers' promises to end the pandemic with the promised vaccine from whatever side until the beginning of 2021. Different vaccines found their way to consumers as millions of doses were handed out. Still, as people collided with the governments or pharmaceutical companies' promises to end the crisis on many occasions but without avail, skepticism towards the reliability of the vaccine emerged.

Furthermore, this skepticism was enhanced when some people were said to have been found dead after taking the vaccine. In the meantime, campaigns urging people to get the vaccine carried on, presenting scientific shreds of evidence that the vaccine is the only scientific way to fight COVID-19. In contrast, many people continued to accuse these procedures of a mere attempt to mitigate their resentment and frustration with the lockdown and other strict rules, especially since the increasing death toll has reached 5.86 million worldwide thus far. Another critical point is that many countries have declared emergencies during the crisis, stating that the health system was on the brink of deterioration or mainly deteriorating. We still remember the catastrophic implications in Italy, Spain, and many other developing countries, especially India, that were declared red areas.

Governments worldwide decided to build an invincible fortress of the health system by following scientists' recommendations. However, some aspects showed an intransigence policy and rejected any arguments from the scientists. Consequently, the battle against COVID-19 agitated and hasn't just ended at this point. Later on, the world woke up to suddenly encounter a new setback, the so-called new mutants "Alpha, Beta, and Delta" that the biologists described as fatal and with more severe effects than COVID-19. Frustration resurged, and the hope of the prospective defeat in the battle against COVID-19 somewhat faded away despite the claim that the strenuous efforts to end the crisis were still viable. People got used to the reality that the pandemic cycle didn't end shortly and left the matter interwoven with predictions shaped by either the pharmaceutical companies or the governments on the one hand and the specific media sources on the other.

Due to the prolonged restrictions and uncertainty, tens of thousands of people have protested against Corona measures in many countries worldwide. Hence, forecasts on the crisis scenarios, either going to more aggravation or alleviation with the mandatory procedures of wearing masks and social distancing, including the cinemas, concert houses, theatres, nightclubs, and festivals shut down, remain undecided in many countries. However, like Denmark, some countries have declared a coexistence policy with COVID-19, releasing their people from the restrictions.

Afterward, the vaccine campaigns have been a big booster, as the statistics elaborated on the immense numbers of people who have been vaccinated, to the degree local campaigns put up signs in public places inviting people to come over to get the required doses without a prior appointment. The slogan of these massive campaigns is that the vaccine is the only scientific way to build an insurmountable immune system. Meanwhile, it didn't condone the fact that doesn't mean that the vaccinated people aren't prone to infection by any virus COVID-19 or the variants, and later on, the world woke up again to shockingly hear the news that scientists discovered a new variant called "Omicron." As a result, the belief that a sustainable solution for the current crisis won't be within reach in the foreseeable future. Frustration dominated the scene again, and people kept wondering about the end and whether the vaccine and the scientists were reliable saviors for people. And, of course, I can't condone the psychological effects of the stressful circumstances, like anxiety, depression, and distrust in the surrounding reality, resulting from the clashing opinions revolving around the end of the crisis, etc. To put it differently, the still widespread belief in the potentiality of reproducing a new variant somewhere in the world is substantial!

Going through these episodes over the past two years made me eager and passionate to keep up with the local campaigns. I sincerely hope the crisis will end because there is always hope for us there. I finally call on you to follow the scientists' tips and get the vaccine immediately. My recent experience with the coronavirus is self-evident, and the vaccine is the right thing to do because it effectively protects our immune system.

Stay healthy!

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