Wearing a thick purple sweater, Ana Isabel Flores Sanchez is still not quite used to the cold temperatures in northern Germany. The 22-year-old Multimedia Production student moved to Germany five years ago, leaving behind her home country of Honduras, some 9,000 kilometres away. A place of palm trees and summer-like temperatures all year round.
So why move to Germany when you come from a place others would choose for their holidays? “I always wanted to study abroad,” Flores explains, “Initially I looked into universities in Mexico and the United States. Then my mother came across a programme in Berlin.” It was designed for international students to learn German and prepare for the Studienkolleg, a preparatory course for international students who want to study at a German university
Becoming an adult
And so, just 17 years of age, Flores arrived in Berlin in February 2021, packed with five suitcases. “I was so happy my parents came along me and stayed for the first two weeks,” she remembers. But even with their support, she suddenly had to deal with unfamiliar responsibilities: collecting her apartment keys, overcoming language barriers and navigating German bureaucracy. “I remember standing in front of the Rathaus while my parents were waiting in the car,” she recalls the day she had to register her address in Berlin. “I was so afraid of all these adult things I suddenly had to deal with.” But somehow, everything worked out. And when her parents returned to Honduras, her new life in Germany truly began. “I made friends in Berlin, we went out a lot, and my first year in Germany went by pretty fast”, Flores remebers. After completing the language programme, she moved to Halle to attend a Studienkolleg. By then, she knew she wanted to pursue a practical degree in media production. “I made my choice based on the degree programme”. she explains, “Multimedia Production at HAW Kiel was exactly what I was looking for.”
When everything felt new again
So, in September 2024, she packed her suitcases once again and moved to Kiel. But even though she had already spent several years in Germany, her first semester was difficult. “I was mostly sad. Everything happened all at once […] it was just overwhelming,” she recounts. Especially long days on campus and speaking German all day felt challenging. Back in Berlin and Halle, she had mostly spent time with other international students: “When we were tired of speaking German, we switched to English. But in Kiel, that wasn't the case. I had to speak German all the time.” Making friends wasn't easy either. “I feel like Germans are a bit reserved,” she explains. “They are nice, but you have to approach them first.” During those first months, she often missed Honduras. Whenever she wanted to feel a little closer to home, she would listen to <i>La Dueña del Swing</i> by Los Hermanos Rosario, a merengue song and one of her mother's favourites.
A place to belong
But as winter gave way to spring, things slowly began to change for the better. Flores started to warm up in Kiel. She joined the university volleyball team and attended events organized by the International Club and the Erasmus Student Network (ESN). Gradually, she made new friends, both internationals and Germans. “Once you are friends with a German, it really means that you're friends with a German,” she says. And that's not the only thing she has come to appreciate about German culture. She values how directly people communicate. While in Honduras, people often soften a rejection to avoid hurting someone's feelings, Flores has learned that it's okay to say no: “I think being more direct is better sometimes. [...] if you don't want to, why should you?.” By now, she also feels to belong at HAW Kiel. Flores enjoys the practical side of Multimedia Production, especially creative projects like producing a short film. Working closely with her classmates has helped her build friendships, too. “I feel really comfortable here,” she says.
Finding herself by leaving home
Almost five years after leaving Honduras, Ana Isabel Flores Sanchez has found more than just a new place to live. Moving far from home has given her the freedom to discover and express who she really is. “When you are alone in a new country, since nobody knows you, you feel like you can be truly yourself”, she explains, “You have the possibility to just do whatever you want, be whoever you want, without judgment.” She also learned to see things from different perspectives. “Once you step out of your bubble or your culture, you gain the possibility to learn so much,” she emphasize. Over the last years, she has become more confident in expressing her opinions, setting boundaries and freely choosing the people she wants to surround herself with. Looking back, she would tell her 17-year-old self: “It's okay to feel anxious, but don’t let that keep you from moving forward.” And after everything she has experienced, she now knows one thing: “You'll figure it out.”
And while she might never quite get used to the cold climate in northern Germany, she has certainly found her place here.
