Anonime1105:


So I did some research and I discovered that the course I would like to study for my Msc (Educational Technology) is available in just one University in Germany, Saarland University, Saabrücken.

You have talked about several places in Germany and I appreciate that, but what can you say about studying in Saarland, availability of student jobs, and other things that should be know about Saarland before arrival.

I’m applying for the same course. You mind if we contact each other and rub minds ?

Margy:
Danielhouston ...I'm moving in in to Berlin for studies!. I got funds but I'm a little confused. I have a partner and would love to travel with him. I know some have advised i go first while he comes later. What you think?
Also, is it possible for him to work even as a dependent while I study. I read alot about Berlin and I know life's expensive... hmmm. I haven't even thought about accommodation. In between we both can't speak German.. hardnut right?

contrary to what he said, i think your partner can work full time, please, search for online information about his class of visa and also search for answers to this question especially on quora.com

ridboy94:

I’m applying for the same course. You mind if we contact each other and rub minds ?

No problem bro, PM me

Anonime1105:


Thanks for this thread you have enlightened alot of people from your write-ups and we are very grateful for that.

I have always had the plan to leave Nigeria to Either Canada, Germany or Australia.

You have increased my interest in Germany, I know Study would be the best route to get German visa for me.

So I did some research and I discovered that the course I would like to study for my Msc (Educational Technology) is available in just one University in Germany, Saarland University, Saabrücken.

You have talked about several places in Germany and I appreciate that, but what can you say about studying in Saarland, availability of student jobs, and other things that should be know about Saarland before arrival.

I honestly don’t know anything about Saarland. Don’t you have a second choice of study? What if you don’t get admission to that University?

Danielhouston:


I honestly don’t know anything about Saarland. Don’t you have a second choice of study? What if you don’t get admission to that University?

Hi, is it possible to do a list of some states or places (in Germany) you think black students should avoid? I will need it to guide my choice of university application.

Thanks in anticipation

Mgbadike80:
contrary to what he said, i think your partner can work full time, please, search for online information about his class of visa and also search for answers to this question especially on quora.com

That’s not true. Her husband will be coming as a “dependent”, while she’s a student. Which means she is responsible for his welfare and he is not allowed to work. She’s not coming on a work visa and she’s not an EU citizen. International students from non-EU countries can only bring their spouses with a tourist visa to visit, or as a dependent. None of which the spouse is allowed to work.

yemibayo:
Hi, is it possible to do a list of some states or places (in Germany) you think black students should avoid? I will need it to guide my choice of university application.

Thanks in anticipation

In my opinion, the cities to avoid based on the blatant racism and danger they pose for Black people are: Dresden, Magdeburg, Chemnitz, Braunschweig, Cottbus, infact I’d say the state of Saxony as a whole but Leipzig is better.
These are cities where you’re bound to experience racism and be attacked in broad daylight and even the police will say it did not happen.

I’d also add Potsdam to the list but you can live there safely, even though you won’t feel entirely safe. There have been cases of Black people being found dead in that city, which they ruled as suicide but we know what’s up.
I will update the list as I think of more cities.

In any case, please avoid Dresden and Chemnitz. If they offer you admission there, run.

I had heard people talk about Braunschweig (Brunswick) as a racist hotspot and even though I never had any intention of living there, I experienced racism just in 2 hours of staying there while waiting for my connecting bus.

My next bus was coming in the next 2 hours and I had to wait in that city. I decided to use the time to go to the gym. I got to the gym and people were staring at me with disgust. They wouldn’t even come close to where I was training. It was as if they had just seen a zombie. But I ignored it anyway and continued my exercise.

I finished training and wanted to take a bus back to the bus station. I stood at the bus station and saw the bus coming. The bus driver looked at me and drove past me. He did not stop. This was so weird because they’re supposed to stop when there’s someone at the bus stop.
I checked my google map and had to walk for 20 minutes to the bus stop.

I eventually got to the bus stop and saw the driver there taking a break. I walked up to him and asked why he saw me and didn’t stop. He said I am too black and he does not see Black people in the dark. Mind you, this was about 6pm and it was still bright outside. His colleague started laughing and he continued on his racist rant.
I was so disgusted and ashamed but I ignored him and walked away.

In a city like that, you never know when you’ll be attacked. For the driver to be so openly and confidently racist, without fear of losing his job, that shows you he has been doing that without repercussions and the city is a whole racist mess. Even though I heard it was racist, it was weird to experience it in 2 hours on a first visit.

Back to my London story...

I arrived at Victoria station and my friend welcomed me. I was like: wow, I’m finally in London. I started taking pictures from the station and for the first time since I moved abroad, there were Black people in the background of my pictures. I saw many Black people and I kept smiling in excitement. One thing I noticed though, was that the area was ugly and very dirty, compared to Germany. I could smell urine at every corner.

My friend took me to his place in Brixton. Unlike Germany where you’d just walk to the train station and walk into the train with or without a ticket, in London there’s a gate which you have to scan your ticket before you get to the train area. Which means: no ticket, no entry. I thought to myself, must be nice living in Germany.

We got to Brixton and OMG, I had never seen so many Jamaicans in my life. I also saw the big London buses and everything else I had seen on TV. It felt good to be honest. The houses were different from the ones in Germany. The streets were very dirty and noisy. I was comparing it to Germany, where you can lay on the floor and won’t get dirty. But don’t mind me, I was feeling like an Aje butter.

We settled at my friend’s place and I ate. He lived in a one room flat with kitchen and toilet. We chilled for a bit, then went out to see Brixton. I was so happy seeing many Black people and they looked so good. I had not seen many good looking black people since I left Nigeria. The fashion alone had me tripping.
I saw a group of black girls wearing beautiful gowns with socks as heels, they looked so beautiful. I thought to myself, wow I’m not going back to Germany.

I heard the British accent from both white and black people, even Arabs. It was intriguing to hear Arabs speak proper English with British accent. The Arabs in Germany can barely understand English, except the students. You see how traveling can change your perception of people.

One thing about British accent is that you either have it or your don’t. If you fake it, you’ll sound stupid. All these Nigerian wizkid with fake accent, if you talk to someone with real British accent, your nyash go open. You can’t keep up.
Anyway, I got introduced to other people and they were so friendly. The Jamaicans laughed when I told them I was from Nigeria. Seemed like a cliche.

We returned to my friend’s place and there were 2 other guys in the room. I was afraid. Turned out he wasn’t living alone and we all had to sleep together in that room. When it was time to sleep, mattress started appearing from nowhere. Even the couch was turned to a bed.
I didn’t mind though, I enjoyed chatting with them and learning a lot about London, for my tourism the next day.

The next day, my friend gave me his Oyster card to use for transportation. Oyster card is like the prepaid card we use in Nigeria for NEPA. You buy a ticket and they load it on the card so you can use it in the bus and train. I took the card and a map and started my tourism alone.

I took a bus to somewhere else (I can’t remember), until I landed in the tourist areas where they have London bridge, Piccadilly circus, Oxford circus and everything else. I came prepared. I had water and food in my bag because I didn’t intend to buy anything. Mind you, I arrived in London with just £60 in my pocket.

I got used to the area like I lived in London already. I was not lost. I saw so many tourists and people taking pictures. It was so beautiful and clean and I felt like I was in heaven. I tell you, nowhere in Germany compares to London. I asked strangers on the street to take me pictures and they were so friendly. The took their time and took me the best pictures, with a smile.
I even sat and talked with random strangers and they were so f*cking nice.

I made some friends and followed them around. They showed me places and were really cool. At some point I got hungry and wanted to eat my food. I didn’t have money for restaurant, but I was not sure how I could start eating the bread and coke I had in my bag. I no wan fall my hand in front of those people. I endured the hunger until I made an excuse to leave.

Piccadilly from osuofia in London...

Did you catch any pigeons

I returned to my friend’s house and this was the time I got lost. I got in the wrong bus and landed in another place. There was so much traffic. I eventually asked a bus driver who took time to explain how I could get back to Brixton. I didn’t mind though, because I was so full of excitement. London was everything I was missing in Germany.

I got home and wrote another friend I know, who lives in London. This guy was one of the people who inspired me to travel abroad. He travelled while we were in school in Nigeria and I spent everyday stalking his pictures on Facebook. The guy can dress up for Africa.
His lifestyle was so Porsche and I couldn’t wait to be like him. I had created this image about him, based on his pictures. Then he invited me over to his place and it was the opposite....

Before I went to visit him, I decided to see other parts of London. It was so cool seeing people from several countries, living in their own communities, doing well and living happily. Unlike Germany where populated Turkish areas are considered ghetto and low income, it is the opposite in London.

I also saw so many black professionals. It was the first time I had seen black people wearing suits to work, since I left Nigeria. I went to Queen street and BBC and wow, corporate looking Black people with supposedly, good jobs and careers. I felt proud. It was all bright and beautiful, until I went to Peckham.

To be continued....

DMPaulSr:

Piccadilly from osuofia in London...

Did you catch any pigeons

Danielhouston:
I

I also saw so many black professionals. It was the first time I had seen black people wearing suits to work, since I left Nigeria. I went to Queen street and BBC and wow, corporate looking Black people with supposedly, good jobs and careers. I felt proud. It was all bright and beautiful, until I went to Peckham.

To be continued....

Na everybody dey yab dis Peckham ah swear. Once you said U enter London, i am already waiting for the time u'll mention Peckham....

Na so d place rough reach??

Hope you shaa chop Okra and Eba their. I heard you definitely will get it there.

Thank you. Really appreciate.

Danielhouston:


In my opinion, the cities to avoid based on the blatant racism and danger they pose for Black people are: Dresden, Magdeburg, Chemnitz, Braunschweig, Cottbus, infact I’d say the state of Saxony as a whole but Leipzig is better.
These are cities where you’re bound to experience racism and be attacked in broad daylight and even the police will say it did not happen.

I’d also add Potsdam to the list but you can live there safely, even though you won’t feel entirely safe. There have been cases of Black people being found dead in that city, which they ruled as suicide but we know what’s up.
I will update the list as I think of more cities.

In any case, please avoid Dresden and Chemnitz. If they offer you admission there, run.

Anonime1105:


No problem bro, PM me

Done bro

Danielhouston:


In my opinion, the cities to avoid based on the blatant racism and danger they pose for Black people are: Dresden, Magdeburg, Chemnitz, Braunschweig, Cottbus, infact I’d say the state of Saxony as a whole but Leipzig is better.
These are cities where you’re bound to experience racism and be attacked in broad daylight and even the police will say it did not happen.

I’d also add Potsdam to the list but you can live there safely, even though you won’t feel entirely safe. There have been cases of Black people being found dead in that city, which they ruled as suicide but we know what’s up.
I will update the list as I think of more cities.

In any case, please avoid Dresden and Chemnitz. If they offer you admission there, run.

Well Magdeburg might be racist but it's not really dangerous(danger to the black man's life) so to say.

I have also been to Halle and smaller cities in Saxony Anhalt, they are not dangerous, but some folks ( especially the old ones) stare at black people a lot probably due to ignorance, since many are yet to interact with blacks and the major news they get of Africa is that of poverty and famine. There are of course racist groups in all these towns but you would not be endangered as many believe. Also I agree that Dresden is the center of skinheads and chemnitz too (though I have not been to those cities nor do I hear much about them), but the reason many avoid these cities have more to do with the economy of Eastern Germany ( compared to the west) than issue of racist attacks generally.

In my opinion, Leipzig (though a more enlightened city) is even slightly more racist than Magdeburg.

There are so many black students in the University of Magdeburg for instance especially Nigerians and Cameroonians. I'm done with my studies in Magdeburg, studied there for 3 years and still have friends there, never heard of a racist attack (physical attack) on a black student.

Danielhouston:


That’s not true. Her husband will be coming as a “dependent”, while she’s a student. Which means she is responsible for his welfare and he is not allowed to work. She’s not coming on a work visa and she’s not an EU citizen. International students from non-EU countries can only bring their spouses with a tourist visa to visit, or as a dependent. None of which the spouse is allowed to work.

i started reading this thread this morning and already on page 32 but i have to ask you this question now. What's the best way to stretch your years in Germany until you get a German passport, this is especially important for someone coming there to study a social science m.sc and is not likely to get a job in his area of studies after graduation. my plan was to study, work for some time on unrelated jobs and go back for a PhD. Would that buy me the needed time to get a German citizenship after living in the country for seven years? Thanks and remain blessed.

yemibayo:
Hi, is it possible to do a list of some states or places (in Germany) you think black students should avoid? I will need it to guide my choice of university application.

Thanks in anticipation

In my opinion if you can avoid so many of these small cities especially in East and North Germany that would be fine, but if you do not have other choices, I do not think you have so much to worry about in terms of physical danger. The major problem we have with these cities are the job prospects, and most times you do not find so many friendly people in their clubs.
Once in a while ( in a few of these cities) you have Nazi skinheads making protests, but even that may not be so common.
Trust me, if you come to any of these racist cities, you would worry more about getting part time jobs( not needing German language) than you would about physical attacks from racist skinheads.

Thanks Bro. Really appreciate

Daejoyoung:

In my opinion if you can avoid so many of these small cities especially in East and North Germany that would be fine, but if they are your only choice, I do not think you have so much to worry about in terms of physical danger. The major problem we have with these cities are the job prospects, and most times you do not find so many friendly people in their clubs.
Once in a while ( in a few of these cities) you have Nazi skinheads making protests, but even that may not be so common.
Trust me, if you come to any of these racist cities, you would worry more about getting part time jobs( not needing German language) than you would about physical attacks from racist skinheads.

Danielhouston:
Damn... so many likes on my last comment. Nigerians like story sha. I was heartbroken when I visited Nigeria and the level of suffering I witnessed, was very shocking. That country is worse than when I left. I really wanted to make a change and help people but I don’t have the money to help everybody.

I told God to show me what I could do to change people’s lives. I thought about other things I could do, but God had other plans. I stumbled upon this forum and I knew at once, that this was it. I didn’t know I had the gift of words and how putting those words into writing, can impact lives.
God brought me here and showed me what I could do. Money can fix a need, but information can build wealth.

When you get to that place where God is taking you, know that it is for a reason. Don’t get there and forget where you came from. No matter your position in life, there’s always something you can do for someone else.

Now I sound like Obama. Let’s get into some stories.

your volunteering experience shared earlier in this thread attracted me to you ,and have been following this thread . Danke for the wonderful rendition of your experiences to illuminate others' paths.

I think I can share a volunteering opportunity in Germany that Nigerians can take advantage of after reviewing the plan with you privately. kudos n I just sent you a PM.

Mgbadike80:


i started reading this thread this morning and already on page 32 but i have to ask you this question now. What's the best way to stretch your years in Germany until you get a German passport, this is especially important for someone coming there to study a social science m.sc and is not likely to get a job in his area of studies after graduation. my plan was to study, work for some time on unrelated jobs and go back for a PhD. Would that buy me the needed time to get a German citizenship after living in the country for seven years? Thanks and remain blessed.

You can study for masters 2 years, if you don’t complete your studies within 2 years, you can extend your residence permit. Some cities give 2 extra years and some give 1 year. Some cities would even give you another 1 year if you’ve still not completed your studies after 4 years. Say you get 2 extra years, it means you already have a residence permit for 4 years.

After your masters, get a job! During your studies, learn German up to B1 and take the citizenship test. Have your certificates ready. If you’ve stayed a total of 7 years, you can apply for citizenship.
If you want to apply in 6 years instead of 7, you should study German up to C1.

Alternatively, after your masters, you can take up another study. Just know that no matter how many years you study for time to pass, you cannot apply for German citizenship without a job.

Babacele:
your volunteering experience shared earlier in this thread attracted me to you ,and have been following this thread . Danke for the wonderful rendition of your experiences to illuminate others' paths.

I think I can share a volunteering opportunity in Germany that Nigerians can take advantage of after reviewing the plan with you privately. kudos n I just sent you a PM.

Thank you for the kind words. If you want to share a volunteering opportunity that people can benefit from, I don’t think you need my approval or assistance for that. Please go ahead and share it.

Danielhouston:


Thank you for the kind words. If you want to share a volunteering opportunity that people can benefit from, I don’t think you need my approval or assistance for that. Please go ahead and share it.

ok bro. We shall let you know when we need your help. At the appropriate time I shall share it here. thanks.

I have absolutely no interest in Germany but I do enjoy your post and refresh to get new gists. I love stories of tourism/travel/history/Geography. Keep it up

1

Xeeex:


Please what is the fastest way to permanent residency for international students who studied masters in Germany? And what are the requirements?

What other better ways than what Daniel has explained above especially for someone coming through the student route (masters)?


Abi you wanto give Oyinbo belle before you even finish your first year as a student?

Buh what do I know?

Xeeex:


Please what is the fastest way to permanent residency for international students who studied masters in Germany? And what are the requirements?

You can go to the Foreigners office with police and ask them to give it to you.

Danielhouston:


You can go to the Foreigners office with police and ask them to give it to you.

Guy

Captured below, ticket inspectors write down details of two people that were caught riding the train without a ticket.
Now they have to pay €60 fine, when they could have just bought a ticket of €2,80 and saved themselves the trouble. Or maybe they didn’t have money to buy a ticket, who knows? Anyway, I took a picture.

Berlin in pictures. This is Mehringdamm, the area with the famous Mustafa Kebab (I’ve talked about it already). You’ll mostly find offices here and it is also a residential area. Nothing special about this place, just that it sounds cool to say you live around there.