Seeing the world with different eyes

Ihssan Morad is sophisticated, a talented linguist. Three years ago, Ihssan came to Germany from Morocco to continue her professional development. The first steps weren’t easy for the 32-year-old – a new culture, new people, new work. But Ihssan settled down at Bauerfeind. Her colleagues helped her with this, so did her boyfriend – and her own determination. This article is about a trainee who integrated seamlessly and applies her personal strengths.

When Ihssan came to Germany in 2021, she had graduated with A-Levels as well as a Bachelor’s Degree, and worked as an administrative assistant. She was interested in new cultures and languages, looking for a challenge. “I didn’t realize it would be this tough but I just went for it,” Ihssan says, describing her first months. She didn’t know many people. In September 2021, she started training as a car salesperson in Zeitz. But she worked out quickly that this wasn’t the job for her. At that time, she met her boyfriend. He recommended Bauerfeind, and she applied as an Industrial Clerk. She started in 2022 and felt right at home. Her colleagues were helpful. She worked in various departments: from Work Preparation and Purchasing to International Sales. She especially enjoyed being part of the International Sales Team because she got to talk to people all over the world, for which she was able to use her linguistic skills. This allowed her to learn more about other cultures. By now, she knows quite a bit about Germans, too. A lot of things are different in her home country: “Getting to know someone is easier in Morocco. People communicate much more readily. There, it feels like I know everything about the other person even after just a short chat,” says Ihssan as an example. Some people don’t keep much distance from the person they’re talking to. “They often come much closer than here,” she explains. In Germany, Ihssan has learned to be more restrained and now prefers this: “It feels a little uncomfortable when I’m back home and someone talks so much and gets really close,” the 32-year-old explains. 

Ihssan was surprised by some eating habits: raw meat, blood sausage, and minced raw pork. She still can’t get on board with that. But she now skillfully makes roulades for her boyfriend and his family. Sometimes, she prepares Moroccan dishes. Ihssan likes to cook tagine, which is beef or chicken with vegetables. Or bastilla, puff pastry with chicken or fish. She does enjoy a typically German evening meal with bread and cheese, to save time, for one thing. “Preparing Moroccan meals takes a long time. In Morocco, it’s quite common to sit together for ages on a Friday afternoon eating couscous. Work gives an extra long break for that,” Ihssan reports.

Besides cooking, Ihssan is passionate about traveling. Recently, she visited Italy, Spain and Albania. Learning languages is easy for Ihssan. During her day, she keeps looking around to think what various objects are called in different languages. In addition to Arabic, her mother tongue, she speaks English and French very well. She also shares her conviction about learning languages in flawless German: “Learning languages helps people get integrated. When I feel at home somewhere, it motivates me to learn the language. And vice versa, it helps me feel at home.” 

Her fluent German also has advantages when all the trainees meet up every month. Trainees from different stages in their careers come together to exchange experiences. Currently, discussions mainly revolve around the upcoming exams. In the summer of 2025, Ihssan will complete her training. After that, she wants to continue working and perhaps even study for a Masters Degree at the same time. Like always, Ihssan has new goals, wants to gather new experiences – and keep seeing the world around her with different eyes.