Migration | Migrant Groups
Russians
First Russia, then Berlin
Ethnic German youths from Russia were long considered a successful case of integration. Now German and Russian are turning their backs to each other in increasing numbers.
Uwe Rada
[...]
Cyrillic Signs
Like Kreuzberg, Marzahn is an immigration borough. There are Cyrillic signposts and Russian businesses at the train stations, and Russian language brochures at the borough office. Describing Russian life in Marzahn, the PDS representative Steffi Schulze says “They exist—the vertical villages and the long sections of street where everyone knows each other and where everyone who arrives wants to live.”
Problem: North Marzahn
...Eduard and Olga moved to Berlin five years ago, just like Elena. “I made friends in school right away,” said Eduard. “But today things are different.” Though he was quick to learn German, he resorts to Russian when in doubt—especially if a German says something “cool” and he can’t think of something equally “cool” to say back. It’s no wonder the Russians stick together, he says, preferring Russian places like the disco Kalinka in Lichtenberg or the disco on K?lpiner Stra?e. Although issued German passports, these German-Russian increasingly constitute their own ethnic community. This is no more true than in Marzahn. “This is the best part of Berlin,” beams Eduard. Olga and Elena agree....
More here (in German):
http://www.uwe-rada.de/serien/bildung3.html
