Interview with Mirjana Klapprodt, employee in the Adult Education Society – Belgrade office of dvv international.

What led to you becoming a migrant?

I have been a migrant several times and each time was for a different reason. The first was also the worst. In 1995 during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I was driven out of my town together with the Serbian population. Like many other refugees, I went to Belgrade, Serbia’s capital city, but I had no real idea of what I was going to do there. My only aim was to reach a war-free zone.

What role did education and learning play for you in this part of your life?

During my flight, my only preoccupation was surviving and then somewhat later, I began to think about my education and future prospects. In Bosnia, I had been studying geography and history at the College of Teacher Education, which is a two-year study. Before I was forced to flee, I had almost finished studying. With my education incomplete, I came to a completely foreign environment and then had to find a way out of the chaos into which my life had fallen. Based on what I had already studied, I desperately tried to find a possibility to continue my education. Thus I once again had something to aim for.

Unfortunately, this wasn't so easy to do. I found out that the Teacher Training Colleges in Serbia had done away with the two-year training and that I had to complete a four-year degree starting right from the first semester. Right from scratch! Practically everything I had learnt was not recognised here. Additionally, there was the issue that the degree was not comparable and I had to decide on just one of my two subjects, either history or geography, as I couldn't do both. What I had seen as an escape from (self-)despair, depression, general apathy and a feeling of emptiness, and also as a means of connecting to society, had suddenly been destroyed. I didn’t want to go through having to start everything from scratch, repeating much of what I had already learnt. My decision: if it had to be a new beginning, then it would be something completely new, focusing on acquiring new knowledge and skills! So then I moved for the second time – from Belgrade to Germany where some of my family live.

So was the bleak educational situation the most important factor in this decision?

Yes, I came to Germany totally determined to firstly learn the language and then to do either a degree or professional training.

What sort of learning and content did you choose? Formal or non-formal education?

Migration alone was a painful, yet very useful learning process! Learning about several nations and cultures living in Germany was not easy to begin with but it was always useful – being able to look beyond one’s own nose, expanding one’s horizons and collecting brand-new (and for me sometimes shocking) experiences.

I learnt the language through various German courses, but also learning the language through everyday situations was very important to me. I was always willing to listen and absorbed the language (as well as learning about the new culture – country, people and customs). Nevertheless, I completed the recognised DSH (German as a foreign language) exam quite quickly and was then allowed to continue my education in Germany. I chose to study nursing – in formal education.

I must confess that at the start of the course I was just astonished. We sat in a circle rather than in rows, the teachers got us involved in the classes instead of just standing at the front and imparting their knowledge, and we worked in groups and with colleagues rather than just listening – all of this was completely new to me. The methods later resulted in something very interesting and effective. Learning slowly went from being a necessity to being something fun.

What happened to your friends and acquaintances who had to leave Bosnia?

There are so many examples of people from my neighbourhood migrating and studying far away. Two of my friends ended up in Australia where they both completed a degree, and those who went to America also continued their education. There are other friends who looked for a job. This was fine, although I can see that they had fewer opportunities to develop further and profile themselves, and thus fewer chances of climbing the professional ladder.

What were the consequences/results of your learning processes? What did you get out of these?

The concrete results were my nursing exam and firm commitment, both of which were a stepping stone into further education. In addition, the acquired German language skills opened up many new possibilities for me and enabled me to start again. I was no longer the migrant who was forced to leave her home country! I could now freely go where I wanted and had several opportunities to choose from. I decided to return to Belgrade and, this time, to start anew with the self-awareness and competences I had acquired.

What are you currently doing and what are your plans?

Continuing education is now a matter of course for me! I don’t think it is a coincidence that I have ended up working in the Adult Education Society – Belgrade office of dvv international. They strongly support adult education and learning. It was thus to be expected that I started with my studies. I am now doing a business management degree, however, I am also learning in everyday life and at work. I plan to complete my degree and then do a Masters. I have not yet decided where and what; however, with my previous experiences and knowledge as well as my willingness to continue learning, I view the future optimistically.