A Window to the Future

Every morning, Farzana* gazes over the city of Zurich from the Polyterrasse viewing terrace and snaps a photo. Then she makes her way to the university, where she attends courses, meets with friends, grabs a coffee in the Lichthof atrium and studies in the library, preferably the Calatrava library if she can snatch a free spot there.

It’s practically a normal everyday routine in the life of a university student, but not something the 25-year-old from Afghanistan takes for granted. Before the Taliban re-seized power, Farzana was studying German at Kabul University and worked as an English teacher. The schoolgirls that she taught are now confined to learning online and no longer allowed to leave their homes.

Farzana considers herself fortunate that she can resume learning. “I now have a daily routine like other students do. I had lost that feeling,” she says, adding, “I’ve gotten my life as a student back and have found my way.” She would like to study business administration in the future. But above all, she is learning German – from dawn to dusk, she stresses.

Farzana is one of the 28 participants in the two-semester Explore program, which gives refugees insight into studying at the University of Zurich (UZH). A custom-designed German course developed together with the UZH and ETH Zurich Language Center is on the agenda two days a week, and in addition Farzana attends three regular courses on business administration and one on literature. “I have made friends with many women in the courses, and they help me study and prepare for exams,” says Farzana, who came to Switzerland unaccompanied. The structured daily routine helps her a lot to integrate into life in Switzerland, she explains.

Farzana speaks with her younger siblings in Afghanistan every day. “My kid sister used to do Tae Kwon Do and took a lot of belt examinations, but now sits at home all day. One of my other sisters is very interested in languages.” Yet another of her sisters is trying to build a new life for herself in China. Learning Mandarin is probably easier than mastering German grammar, Farzana quips.

On the way to level C1: Corinna Viviani – who teaches German as a second language – provides assistance to course participants. (Image: Markus Forte)

Explore is a program at UZH aimed at qualified refugees who wish to improve their German language skills at an academic level and who would like to familiarize themselves with the curriculum content and demands involved in studying at UZH. During two semesters, participants in the program attend an intensive German course offered by the Language Center in two different proficiency-level classes between B1 and C1. They also attend academic modules as well as various information events on topics having to do with studying and education at UZH. The program can admit up to 30 participants per year.

Participation in Explore does not entitle applicants to facilitated admission to a degree program at UZH. Depending on a refugee’s country of origin, additional tests such as the ECUS exam (link in German) may be required alongside proof of German language proficiency at the C1 level for admission to a regular degree program.

Altaf* from Afghanistan and Snizhana* from Ukraine also have to deal with German grammar on this day. It is one of the last sessions of the semester and, together with 12 other pupils in the German in an Academic Context B1- to B2-level language course, they are using a learning game to prepare for the exam. “You have to negotiate how strictly to interpret the rules between yourselves,” says Corinna Viviani, a teacher of German for foreigners at the Language Center. Relaxed but with full concentration, the group works its way through German parts of speech including verbs and their associated prepositions.

Altaf, 26, appreciates the orientation that the Explore program provides and cherishes the opportunity to get a taste of different fields of study. “I’m attending a course on cellular biology, but it involves a lot of difficult words. My second course is on labor economics,” he says. But his top priority right now is language acquisition. In addition to the German courses offered by Explore, he also joins language get-togethers at the Self-Access Center and attends free courses run by the Autonomous School of Zurich. “I seize every little opportunity,” he says.

The orientation guidance provided by the program was also important to Snizhana. “I feel much more integrated now and know what I definitely want to study: art history,” says the 27-year-old Ukrainian, who studied business management in her home country. Today, she already puts together a weekly cultural program for her group chat. And her eyes light up when she talks about the Digital Art History module and the support she gets from her instructor. “Last year, I audited some courses at UZH, but since I wasn’t formally enrolled in the program, I felt too inhibited to participate actively. Plus, my German wasn’t good enough yet.”

Snizhana is working on improving her German language skills together with a tandem partner, who is pursuing a degree in Chinese studies and with whom she shares a passion for East Asian art. Her language buddy is one of the many volunteers in the VSUZH Study Integration Commission (link in German) who lend support to participants in the Explore program through a language partnership. When she’s not busy getting a whiff of university air with her tandem partner or with her friends at the Institute of Asian and Oriental Studies, Snizhana’s favorite place to be is in the Language Center’s self-access center. She regularly takes part in language get-togethers and game events there and consistently meets nice people in the process, she emphasizes. Her structured weekly rhythm has enabled her to build a dependable social network.

Zaher Ahmadi knows from personal experience just how essential an established weekly rhythm is. The Afghan attended the predecessor program to Explore in 2017 and knows the debilitating uncertainty that comes with a provisional residence status. Many refugees additionally have to contend with the difficulty of being separated from their families and facing poor living conditions in collective accommodations. “The most important thing for me at that time was a structured daily routine and obtaining dependable information about the education system in Switzerland,” he recalls. Ahmadi, who had already been enrolled as a student at Kabul University, made the transition to UZH and studies political science today. He concurrently works part-time in the university’s Global Affairs office as a project staff member for the Explore program, where he can put his valuable experience to good use.

“Most refugees quickly need a job. But without further education or training, they lack opportunities for finding work that matches their potential,” Ahmadi says. Explore, with its information on degree program admissions and student financial aid, opens a window to the future for them and creates a motivating environment in which they can flourish, he notes. “UZH makes a very valuable contribution here to integrating well-educated refugees,” he says. He also underscores the voluntary support from students who, he says, get involved not just in language exchange with participants, but also organize a varied program of leisure activities featuring pub get-togethers, excursions and other events.

Dmytro* joins the group interview during the lunch break after his B2-C1 German course, which he attends together with Farzana. The 41-year-old lawyer from Ukraine uses a wheelchair, but he says that doesn’t hamper his everyday life at UZH. Dmytro says that he gets around campus well thanks to the university’s accessible infrastructure for people with a disability. “The Faculty of Law library is easily accessible, and the students in the courses are always very helpful. As soon as they see me, they move chairs and desks so that I can squeeze in better.” The biggest problem in the beginning was his German, he says.

“I found out about the Explore program right after my arrival in Switzerland shortly after Russia attacked Ukraine. But my knowledge of German at that time was limited to three phrases: ‘Guten Tag,’ ‘Vielen Dank’ and ‘kaputt.’” Today Dmytro attends law courses and appreciates the excellent teaching and the straightforward support he receives from his instructors.

Years of intensive and at times impatient language acquisition lie between then and now. “I wanted to do two language proficiency levels simultaneously, but it all takes time and a lot of discipline,” Dmytro says. He was helped here also by his many conversations with his Swiss housemates in his former flat-sharing community, who switched from dialect to standard German so he could understand them, as well as by his interactions with neighbors and friends. “I would like to become a fluent speaker of German, in part to show respect for the kind acceptance we have received here,” he emphasizes.

Dmytro is grateful for the new outlook on the future he has gained. “None of us expected to be able to have a new life and a chance to try out a new subject and learn a new language here,” he says. “It’s a big step for us,” he adds, one that he ties to an explicit goal: to continue studying and to resume working as an attorney and be independent.

Yet he also knows how long the road is to that goal. “Every day, you may encounter a new challenge. You really have to run a marathon, not a sprint. It can also be demotivating and exhausting.” This makes the support they receive in the program all the more important, Dmytro says. Dmytro finds some respite from the daily marathon in the bQm Bar (link in German). “That’s also my favorite place,” Altaf nods. Snizhana, in contrast, prefers to dive into Zurich’s cultural life.

Between the demands of everyday life and plans for the future, the participants in the program often have to deal with mundane practical issues, such as:  what exams do I need to take? How do I prepare for them? How do I arrange embarking on a degree program? The alumni of Explore are one source of answers to those questions. “They give us very valuable tips, such as on how to prepare for the C1 exam or on how many courses one should take in a degree program,” Dmytro says.

Farzana additionally praises the support provided by the staff in charge of the program. “We can send them e-mails, and they respond right away,” she says. Their help is always readily available, even for everyday difficulties. “In the beginning I had trouble even finding the classrooms, but the folks from the program always helped me out,” she recounts. She says that support helps her to continue on her path and to not give up in the face of having had to flee the war in her homeland.

The optimism expressed by Altaf, who holds residence status F, sounds a bit more reserved. “It will be sad if I don’t have a future here,” he says, forcing a smile, nonetheless. The Explore program gives him some security in a situation full of uncertainty. “Three years ago, I was still living in Afghanistan, owned a restaurant there and had no idea that one day I’d be taking courses at UZH. Now I would like to formally study here. If I can do that, it’s a fantastic opportunity,” he says. At the same time, though, his situation puts a heavy strain on him. “When I hear something negative, I get discouraged. I’m hoping for a good future.”

Farzana is confident that her experiences from the program can unlock a variety of prospects for the future. “You need multiple plans. Plan A, plan B, plan C … My number-one priority is to commence studying at UZH this fall – I’m laser-focused on that. But if that doesn’t work out, then I’ll try to get into a university of applied sciences,” she says. Dmytro laughs and remarks appreciatively, “Farzana makes everything look easy!”