Faces in Goettingen
Goettingen is a small cosy university town where we landed up in July, 2022. We stayed on the city centre, close to the town hall (Rathouse) and the central foyer surrounded by eateries, pubs, bakeries and ice cream parlours. The festive summer mood was on. We used to find a lot of people leisurely seated, enjoying a chat, food or streetside light music… even Indian tea shop type addas at places, from which we were barred by the German obsession for privacy and also the language barrier. However, we were lucky to mingle with some of the people living there. I have already written about Prof. Anna Schultz. Here is an account of interaction with a few more residents of Goettingen.
Pablo, Antonio, Alfredo and Sofia1 from Argentina:
Pablo and Antonio from Argentina spotted my daughter during her first days in the university hostel at Goettingen.
Their first question to her was, ‘Are you from India?’
-Yes, I am.
-Do you cook?2
– Yes, I do.
– We love Indian food. It is the best in the world. You must call us when you cook.
Pablo and Antonio left before we arrived in Goettingen. However, we could meet Alfredo and Sofia
My daughter got introduced to Alfredo in the annual trip to German cities for Humboldt scholars. She was surprised to know that the scholar from Argentina stays close to her apartment in Goettingen. Alfredo works on wildlife. He and his wife Sofia spent almost a year in Kerala. They went to Wayanad to meet an Argentine friend who lives in an ashram there. Later they travelled to other parts of India and seemingly fell in love with the country. Assuming that Alfredo was is staying alone and that he is very fond of Indian food, we invited him home at Goettingen. Alfredo came with four bottles of non-alcoholic beer for us. While speaking to him, the discovery that Alfredo left his wife in his apartment led to a situation of great awkwardness. With great hesitation my wife said, “Sorry, we didn’t know that she’s staying with you. Would she mind if we call her now?” Sofia arrived in minutes and we had really a great evening chatting with the couple over dinner.
-Were you not cheated in India? I asked.
-Yes, occasionally we were. Then we learnt the trick to navigate through those risks. On the other hand, the affection we received was overwhelming. On one occasion we arrived in a town quite late in the evening. There was no conveyance available. A shopkeeper spotted us and offered his bike. ‘But we can’t return it today’- I said. “Keep it for the night, return it tomorrow.”, the man replied. Such level of helpfulness is unthinkable elsewhere.’ Sofia shared her secret method to avoid overcharging – ‘If I chose something to buy and if the Indian seller quoted a high price, ‘My husband would not allow me to buy this if this is so expensive. Let me ask him’, I would say, make a false call to Alfredo and get back with, ‘My husband is not agreeing. He is saying the price is too high.’ Generally, the price came down with that trick.
Alfredo is not really fond of the freezing German weather. ‘Why did humans settle so much in the North?’ He wondered aloud. ‘Weather is the reason for people being irritable and war-prone in this part of the world.’- he opined. Once Alfredo confided to my daughter, ‘Unfortunately our countries (Argentina and India) do not have much money for research. Otherwise, I could have lived in India forever.’
Laszlo and Maria from Hungary:
This very affectionate couple are ethnic Germans from Hungary who got mixed with the gene pool of East Europeans and Russians. Hitler thought about settling the Germans among the inferior races like the Slavs, the Poles and the Hungarian for the welfare of humanity. We didn’t ask them but it is highly probable that Laszlo and Maria’s ancestors got settled in Hungary during that time or earlier.
Both of them came on fellowship, Laszlo for post-doctoral research and Maria for her PhD. This couple provided a window to the state of academics in Hungary. Laszlo retained a permanent position in Hungary. He was not willing to go back soon because the pay in Hungary is very low. Still, they had to. We visited their home and they came to us with their adorable two-year-old son. This couple carries a typical East European flavour with a strong family bond. We hardly met any Germans speaking about their siblings, but we could see Alfredo worrying about her sister working in Russia.
Maria is both artistic and athletic. We saw her creations in crochet. While they invited us to their nice home, she was in the advanced stage of her second pregnancy and yet she prepared two special Hungarian dishes and tea for us. Laszlo’s hobby is rock climbing. He keeps practicing that skill in the university sports facility near their home.
Henry and Jane from Hungary: Henry and Jane, both academicians in the department of geology in a German university were on vacation at Budapest. Henry is a leading specialist in his field. He works on state-of-the-art scientific equipment and helps set them up in other universities in Europe and beyond. However, he neither uses Google map nor smartphones. The couple came to meet us when we visited the city, took us on a tour to a number of principal tourist attractions in the city. Later on, they again took us for a day’s trip to some more places near Goettingen. This couple has three children who work in different cities of Germany. They have turned vegan – the virtues of which the couple did not seem convinced about. In Budapest and near Goettingen, Henry drove the car. His navigation tool was a printed map. What are the principal post-socialism changes in universities? – I asked,
- The faculty is offered an abysmally low pay package, while the students are offered a wide array of often unrelated subjects to choose from. The combination of these two measures have rendered faculty positions almost unsustainable and the knowledge gained by the students lacking in coherence.
Helmut and Christina: Both Germans. Helmut is a bright young scientist and Christina is a doctor in German armed forces. A lovely live-in couple, they recently purchased a house together but have no plans of marrying in the near future. True that one should not read too much from a single personal experience, but somehow, this couple well into their thirties probably explain why the population of native Germans is on decline for over 25 years now.
Rabindra from India: We stepped into one of the (surprisingly many) Indian restaurants in Goettingen to check the menu. While I was speaking to the Punjabi owner, (probably hearing my patently Bengali accented English), a young chap came out and addressed us in Bengali. That is how we got introduced to Rabindra from Keshtopur, Kolkata.
After completing his postgraduate degree in humanities from Jadavpur University, Rabindra came to Germany in 2018-19 for studying further at the Centre for Modern Indian Studies. He did not have fellowship support. His brother helped. However, when he started working the permitted 20 hours a week, he not only came out of that obligation but also started saving a tidy sum.
All over Germany we kept noticing people, (sometimes not looking poor at all,) peeping inside garbage bins and picking up used bottles. Rabindra solved this mystery for me. He says, ‘Daily on an average I spend two hours collecting recyclable bottles on my way back from work to home.’ I was surprised to see his meticulously maintained daily record of money he got from selling those bottles in designated shops. He showed me that every month he earns about 100 euros with that two-hour effort.
Speaking about the beggars in Goettingen streets, Anna Schultz (Europe Diary 3) told me that Germany takes care of every citizen or every immigrant who have papers. Rabindra supported her statement. He said, the shelter seekers get enough money for their reasonably comfortable subsistence. Even the government arranges training for them to acquire employable skills. ‘You have seen how much I get from the bottles I pick in my spare time, imagine how much a person may earn just by doing so for longer hours. People are also helpful. Rather than throwing them on the bins, often leave the bottles at noticeable but secure places on the wayside.’
Rabindra told me that in Germany the pay structure is compressed (not a huge difference between a low-level employee and one at a higher echelon). Therefore, jobs like a waiter in a restaurant (as his own) is not looked down upon. This is the first time in life I heard about one who has seen and worked with open supporters of Khalistan. I have also seen a grocery shop run by a Sri Lankan gentleman who was a known LTTE man.
Rabindra keeps a busy schedule working and studying. I sought his time to spend over coffee in a restaurant, but he insisted on me having lunch with him. I went to his single room private hostel-like accommodation crammed with a number of suitcases, fridge and microwave ovens. Learning that his tenure would be over by early 2023, I asked, ‘Can you carry all these to India?’ ‘No such plan, most of the suitcases are picked up from the streets.’ This really happens. People changing homes or replacing furniture frequently place the old ones on the footpath for those who need.
Over a delicious lunch of rice, fish, vegetables and fruits, our chat hovered around his life and environment in Germany. There I learnt that uttering Hitler’s name is a taboo even in university classes. Hitler is always referred to indirectly. ‘Mentioning his name or mimicking the Nazi salute on the street may lead to serious consternation, even arrest here.’- he cautioned. Another interesting information I received is, although sick leave is a part of entitlement in any job, a person moving outside during sick leave is likely to be sacked. Germany is now short of people for low-tech jobs, because most of the ethnic Germans are opting for higher education. ‘The white people you see repairing roads or digging ditches here are East Europeans, mostly Poles. Germans only supervise.’
Rabindra shuffled many jobs, even quit those that entitled him to more pay and leave, before settling on food in the restaurant during the week. ‘I get free Indian type food, no need to prepare myself. That is a privilege I value more than a few euros.’- he said. He works in the city hospital Klinikum’s food preparation unit Gastronomie in the weekend. He told, about 90% of that facility supplying food to the hospital and old age homes is manned by the immigrants.
I have booked Rabindra for another chat when he comes back to teach in India.
Clara: She is a twenty something fun loving British PhD scholar. She drove down from the UK in her own car. Her parents are in Africa working for an NGO. Clara came home to see us and collect some kitchen equipment my daughter wasn’t using. It was very sweet to find her bringing a bottle of strawberry jam she prepared herself. We did not get to be acquainted to many religious persons this time. The special thing about her is, she is a regular church going person interested in partying, alcohol and love to the extent approved by Christianity.
Greta: Greta works in the university administration. Like almost all Germans, she is adventure loving. The unification of Europe has come as boon to people like her. She moves around with her car fitted with a tent that can be erected on ground or atop the car. While we were in Germany, she went to Norway. On her return, she came to see us with her strawberry jam, spice flavoured wine and a lot of photos. However, the German reticence about sharing photos surfaced when she failed to keep her promise of sharing a photo of herself with the car and the tent.
Lasting from about 6am to 9pm, days in summer are really long (15 hours) and sunny in Goettingen. In winter they shrink to about half of that duration (8am to 330pm). Greta says, the town has two contrasting moods for the summer (warm, welcoming) and winter (morose, aloof). She wishes to advance the time of inducting new students from the current chilly, snowy October to sometime in the summer.
Before coming to Goettingen following her fiancé, she lived in Norway and worked there. Unfortunately, the relationship did not mature and Greta, well past her prime, now lives alone. Loneliness may look insignificant in a supportive society, but it often follows one like a shadow that refuses to leave. Greta lost one of her aunts recently. Suffering from terminal stages of cancer and devoid of company, she was lodged in a home for the terminally ill. After she passed away, Greta attended the funeral and later on, went to clear the aunt’s house. There must have been many a thing laden with her touch. Greta brought back a large wooden traditional German doll and asked my daughter, ‘Do you like it?’ Later she came to her apartment to deliver a large box containing the doll. At times, memories become the heaviest burden to bear.
Arijit Chaudhuri
About the author
Arijit Chaudhuri, located in Navi Mumbai, petroleum geologist by profession. Also interested in issues concerning pollution, climate change and fast depleting groundwater reserves.Travelling, reading, writing articles, composing rhymes and recitation are his hobbies.