"Potatoes. There are so many potatoes here," answers Debora Cici Rumahorbo when asked what she finds difficult to get used to in Germany. She laughs and talks about the cliché about German food that persists abroad. However, apart from an unshared fondness for potatoes, the young woman, who came to East Westphalia from a small town in Indonesia three years ago, feels very much at home in Germany.
Debora Cici Rumahorbo gently lifts a client's head and slowly brings the drinking bottle to her mouth. She carefully dabs the area around her mouth with a cloth. The 22-year-old looks after the residents at Haus Enon with great empathy and sensitivity. People with complex disabilities live at the facility in Bielefeld-Bethel. As a care assistant, the Indonesian supports them with everyday tasks such as personal hygiene and eating. She previously worked here as a Betheljahr participant.
"I learnt a lot during my Betheljahr," reports Debora Cici Rumahorbo, who came to Germany as an au pair at the age of 19. Together with other young people from all over the world, she started her voluntary social year at Bethel in autumn 2022. "It was a great time: I got to know participants from other countries. We lived together, helped and encouraged each other," she says, looking back. "We were all in the same situation - far away from home." She also quickly became friends with the German Betheljahr participants. The young adults from abroad were given tips for everyday life in workshops organised by the Bethel volunteer agency.
