It was his birthday at the beginning of December. His wife and three daughters surprised him with a small cake. There was a four and a zero in the sugary gift. “I’m 40 years old now,” says Tamim F., he can hardly believe it. He has experienced a lot and achieved a lot. He worked hard for this and took a lot of risks. But at the moment he feels like he’s at a dead end. He wants to move forward and offer his family a “real” home, but he can’t. The situation is affecting him.
At least the five of them have a roof over their heads, comfortably furnished within their means and meticulously tidied up. Only pictures of the happily laughing girls on the walls and the washed lunch boxes at the kitchen sink indicate that there are school children here, a high school student and two elementary school students. The five live in a housing project run by the social services department, with many other migrant families. A labyrinth of corridors leads to the family’s accommodation. Living here means not having an independent address, explains Tamim F. But that would be important for the longed-for naturalization, and it is important for having your own apartment. It would take away some of the pressure that he feels so strongly, that takes away his strength and sometimes robs him of concentration.
There is a keyboard next to the master bedroom. Tamim F. loves making music. But the walls are thin and the neighbors have complained. He hasn’t dared to sing for a year now. He grew up in northern Afghanistan. “Next to a waterfall,” says the man with long hair tied at the back of his head. “I have a powerful voice.”
He asks into the living room. His wife and children greet him politely and then discreetly withdraw. A bowl of pistachios and dried fruits is prepared on the small table next to the sofa. Tamim F. offers tea and coffee.
In his homeland he was an interpreter. German and Afghan soldiers in training camps communicated through him. Tamim F. worked for the German government for four years. He enjoyed the task and learned German steadily better. His vocabulary is large. “I earned quite well back then,” he says. His parents and eleven siblings benefited from his salary. But this task wasn’t just about money for him, and probably not for most of his colleagues either. “It was always our goal that we could live in peace in the long term. We wanted the Afghan people to have a better life.” That’s why they relied on the training of local soldiers.
Many of the colleagues simply disappeared
But anyone who worked for foreigners became objects of hatred by the Taliban. Tamim F. says that they tracked down translators who burned their cars with battery acid to identify them. Such vehicles were then the target of attacks. Many of the colleagues simply disappeared. Their decomposing remains were often only found after weeks. The extent of these murders is not known outside of Afghanistan, says Tamim F.
Fear was always at his side during this time and has not let go of him to this day. When the paint on his car was also burned away, he couldn’t take it anymore and asked to be allowed to travel to Germany. He has been living in Munich since 2014 and his wife and their small first daughter were soon allowed to join them. Her parents and in-laws have not seen her since then. Year after year, Tamim F. and his wife plan a meeting on neutral ground in Iran. “But we just can’t make it financially, no matter how hard we save,” he says.
The father of the family actually has a different name. But because he himself had already experienced critical situations in Munich, they agreed on a pseudonym with him. At the beginning he also interpreted here, for example when it came to a residence permit. If the application did not go as desired, disappointed compatriots blamed him. Tamim F. felt threatened and gave up the job. “I didn’t want to put my family in danger,” he says.
Life in Munich is expensive. So far, the family has barely managed with the money he earns as an event technician. Tamim F. says he only gets minimum wage because he didn’t pass the final theoretical exam after three years of training. Tamim F says he worked a lot during the exam period. “Too much.” He’s had a number of jobs, driving taxis and delivering newspapers. “I promised my wife that I would always take care of her,” he says. However, his previous employer will no longer be able to offer him a permanent position from January onwards. The cultural sector is weakening.
Tamim F. often lies awake at night and thinks about what to do next. He loves this job and would like to retake the exam as soon as possible. His wife dreams of training to be a hairdresser, the girls dream of a laptop for school and their own rooms. And they hope to be able to hug their grandparents someday.
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