Turks who speak German
The short story ‘Die Chance’ (The Chance) by Canan Can was published in 1984 by Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co KG, Munich.
This short story is published with the kind permission of dtv Verlag.
Canan Can
Die Chance
She was afraid. Afraid of the Germans. She had been in Germany for five months now. Until now, she had hidden at home and had not gone to school. She was afraid that the others in her class would laugh at her because she couldn't speak German, because she couldn't understand what they were saying.
In Turkey, she was in fifth grade. For the last three years, her grandmother had been ill, and she had to look after her with her grandfather. She did all the housework and cooking. When her grandmother died after three years, she could not live alone with her grandfather in the small village. Her parents had to bring her to Germany.
When she landed in Cologne by plane, her parents and her little brother were already waiting for her. She saw her brother for the first time; he was one and a half years old and couldn't walk properly yet.
She immediately got used to her brother. He was very sweet and liked her very much. However, she was very reserved towards her parents. Before, she had seen them at most once a year, and now she had to stay with them all the time. They were like strangers to her, like an aunt and uncle who had taken her in after her parents died.
But after a short time, that didn't bother her too much anymore. Because a few months later, her mother had also started working, and she was alone with her brother almost all day.
She enjoyed taking care of him.
Then the first letter arrived. She had to go to school. They had also sent her a few addresses of different secondary schools. She had told her parents that she didn't want to go to school and asked them not to send her. But two months later, the second letter arrived.
If her parents did not send her to school, they would have to pay a fine.
She started fifth grade at secondary school. There were two other Turkish boys in her class. They must have been good at German, because they often spoke to each other in German. That day, she felt deaf and dumb. Her parents had spoken to the class teacher and then left her all alone in the classroom. She sat next to another girl who stared at her for a long time, then said something. But she replied
with the words her parents had taught her beforehand. ‘I don't understand German,’ she said. The teacher had briefly introduced her.
Everyone had turned around and stared at her. Even afterwards, one or two of them turned around, some smiling at her kindly. But a little later, they seemed to have forgotten her and listened to the teacher. She didn't understand a word. Suddenly, she felt very alone and helpless. She felt tears welling up in her eyes and buried her head in her hands.
Six difficult months passed for her. She still didn't like Germany, but she had already gotten used to her new life. She also got along better with her parents. Now that she was going to school, her mother could only work part-time. Namely in the afternoons, when she could look after her brother. She could now understand her classmates to some extent.
They had nothing against her, but they weren't her friends either. They simply left her alone.
It was only the teachers who didn't leave her alone. They demanded more and more of her. ‘You're not at the same level as the rest of the class,’ her form teacher always said. How could she be in such a short time? She was making more and more progress in German, but it wasn't enough. ‘I need to talk to your parents,’ the class teacher had said. ‘What does he want to tell them?’ she wondered. Would she have to repeat the year?
She was afraid as she waited for her parents at home. She didn't want to be moved to another class. She had just gotten used to her classmates. ‘Tell the teacher I'll try harder, next year I'll try much harder,’ she had told her parents. During the holidays, she would work hard, and then everyone would be surprised at how well she could speak German.
‘She's just not up to the standard of the class,’ the class teacher told her parents. ‘It's not just in English, it's the same in other subjects too. We've given her a chance, but you have to realise that she's not capable of attending this school.’
Her parents had come back, but they didn't say anything, nor did she dare ask them about it. She suspected something bad. Would she have to repeat the year? No, it was something else. The teacher must have said something really bad. She was terribly afraid. Her mother sat down next to her.
She looked very upset. "Your teacher says you're not at the same level as the rest of the class.‘ ’But I'll try hard. I'll get there. Didn't you tell him that? I'll try really hard," her mother interrupted her and looked at her expectantly and anxiously at the same time. Her mother paused, then said with difficulty, ‘They say you have to go to a special school.’ She felt as if she were floating in the air, as if she were in a nightmare. She wished she could wake up now and forget this bad dream, because it was not a nightmare.
Die Chance
She was afraid. Afraid of the Germans. She had been in Germany for five months now. Until now, she had hidden at home and had not gone to school. She was afraid that the others in her class would laugh at her because she couldn't speak German, because she couldn't understand what they were saying.
In Turkey, she was in fifth grade. For the last three years, her grandmother had been ill, and she had to look after her with her grandfather. She did all the housework and cooking. When her grandmother died after three years, she could not live alone with her grandfather in the small village. Her parents had to bring her to Germany.
When she landed in Cologne by plane, her parents and her little brother were already waiting for her. She saw her brother for the first time; he was one and a half years old and couldn't walk properly yet.
She immediately got used to her brother. He was very sweet and liked her very much. However, she was very reserved towards her parents. Before, she had seen them at most once a year, and now she had to stay with them all the time. They were like strangers to her, like an aunt and uncle who had taken her in after her parents died.
But after a short time, that didn't bother her too much anymore. Because a few months later, her mother had also started working, and she was alone with her brother almost all day.
She enjoyed taking care of him.
Then the first letter arrived. She had to go to school. They had also sent her a few addresses of different secondary schools. She had told her parents that she didn't want to go to school and asked them not to send her. But two months later, the second letter arrived.
If her parents did not send her to school, they would have to pay a fine.
She started fifth grade at secondary school. There were two other Turkish boys in her class. They must have been good at German, because they often spoke to each other in German. That day, she felt deaf and dumb. Her parents had spoken to the class teacher and then left her all alone in the classroom. She sat next to another girl who stared at her for a long time, then said something. But she replied
with the words her parents had taught her beforehand. ‘I don't understand German,’ she said. The teacher had briefly introduced her.
Everyone had turned around and stared at her. Even afterwards, one or two of them turned around, some smiling at her kindly. But a little later, they seemed to have forgotten her and listened to the teacher. She didn't understand a word. Suddenly, she felt very alone and helpless. She felt tears welling up in her eyes and buried her head in her hands.
Six difficult months passed for her. She still didn't like Germany, but she had already gotten used to her new life. She also got along better with her parents. Now that she was going to school, her mother could only work part-time. Namely in the afternoons, when she could look after her brother. She could now understand her classmates to some extent.
They had nothing against her, but they weren't her friends either. They simply left her alone.
It was only the teachers who didn't leave her alone. They demanded more and more of her. ‘You're not at the same level as the rest of the class,’ her form teacher always said. How could she be in such a short time? She was making more and more progress in German, but it wasn't enough. ‘I need to talk to your parents,’ the class teacher had said. ‘What does he want to tell them?’ she wondered. Would she have to repeat the year?
She was afraid as she waited for her parents at home. She didn't want to be moved to another class. She had just gotten used to her classmates. ‘Tell the teacher I'll try harder, next year I'll try much harder,’ she had told her parents. During the holidays, she would work hard, and then everyone would be surprised at how well she could speak German.
‘She's just not up to the standard of the class,’ the class teacher told her parents. ‘It's not just in English, it's the same in other subjects too. We've given her a chance, but you have to realise that she's not capable of attending this school.’
Her parents had come back, but they didn't say anything, nor did she dare ask them about it. She suspected something bad. Would she have to repeat the year? No, it was something else. The teacher must have said something really bad. She was terribly afraid. Her mother sat down next to her.
She looked very upset. "Your teacher says you're not at the same level as the rest of the class.‘ ’But I'll try hard. I'll get there. Didn't you tell him that? I'll try really hard," her mother interrupted her and looked at her expectantly and anxiously at the same time. Her mother paused, then said with difficulty, ‘They say you have to go to a special school.’ She felt as if she were floating in the air, as if she were in a nightmare. She wished she could wake up now and forget this bad dream, because it was not a nightmare.
