Faisal and Hannah
Faisal's arrival at the start of his degree at the University of Potsdam was far from easy. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he spent his first semester at home in Kashmir, attending seminars for his MA in Mathematics online, worrying if he would be too late to make friends or get to know German culture whenever he made it to Germany. When he finally arrived in Potsdam in November 2021, there was luckily already a friendly face awaiting him — Hannah, a local student of primary school teaching for Mathematics and Music.
"Hannah was generous enough to come to Berlin airport to pick me up and even dropped me off at my new address," Faisal explains. "That was the day we first met face-to-face. I still remember that day — cloudy and raining, and I felt quite heavy-hearted. I was completely new to the city and the university, and she was the only person I knew."
Hannah welcomed Faisal because she had registered to Be A Buddy; a first point of contact for international students at the university. The programme, organised by the International Office, matches Potsdam students and newly-arrived international students based on their shared interests, programmes of study and campus.
"I thought it might be a good way to make new friends," Hannah remembers. "I really didn‘t know anything about India and especially Kashmir before meeting Faisal, so it was a chance to learn a lot."
Faisal remembers that Hannah helped him a great deal at the beginning: "She never said ‘no’ to any request I had. Whether it was about fixing my bike or about German language, she was always there. Always!"
Hannah also gained a lot from their friendship over the years. "I improved my English by ‘exercising’ it with Faisal," she laughs. Hannah also remembers moments of fun: "We went swimming together, and hiking, and met for tea."
Inspired by the positive impression that Hannah left him with, Faisal decided to be a Potsdam Buddy himself on numerous occasions, supporting other new international students.
"I thought now is my turn to help someone, especially who is coming from abroad," Faisal points out. "I am an international student, I know how it feels in the beginning and so I can be of any help to someone going through this phase. To this end, I left no stone unturned and made sure that I am the first point of contact to whoever I am buddied with." His buddy from Pakistan, for example, became a firm friend with whom Faisal eventually shared an apartment.
Now, almost four years on, both Faisal and Hannah are in the middle of writing their MA theses and are looking forward to the end of their studies, while also reflecting back on the positive impact the Buddy Program had on them all.
"I am highly grateful that through the Buddy Program I got to know two beautiful souls," Faisal remarks. "It has shaped me in more ways than one. Knowing Hannah through this program has really been a graceful accident for me."