Cynthia Andraczek
Cynthia Andraczek is born in 1981 in the small town of Denain in northern France and grows up there with her brother. Together, the family enjoys camping vacations throughout France. Cynthia frequently meets families who speak different languages. Even as a child, she is fascinated and wants to understand what the families are discussing. Due to her love for languages, she decides to train as a foreign language correspondent after finishing school at the Lycée Jean-Baptiste Corot in Douai. A part of her training includes a six-week internship abroad. Through a contact of her mother, Cynthia begins her internship at the Bremerhaven savings bank and the district court of Bremerhaven in the year 2000. She flies from Brussels to Bremen in a propeller plane. Bremerhaven makes a very good impression on the young woman: “I wanted to explore the world!” Through her mother’s friends, she also meets Martin Andraczek. The two become friends during this time. However, even when Cynthia returns to France, they stay in good contact and fall in love. When she finishes her training, Cynthia and Martin Andraczek want to solidify their relationship. Since Martin Andraczek is completing his civil service at that time, Cynthia decides to emigrate to Germany. Although she is already quite proficient in German, she finds the language to be the most challenging aspect in her new environment. After a year and a half, she finds employment as a foreign language correspondent at Rogge – Marine Consulting GmbH. She is responsible for organizing and handling various French-speaking projects, primarily in Africa. “That was a dream – it was perfect!” In 2002, she marries the tax clerk Martin Andraczek and moves in with him to an apartment in Geestemünde. Cynthia Andraczek makes many new friends and regularly visits her French homeland. When her son Dorian is born in 2008, she takes two years of maternity leave. Dorian is raised bilingually. Due to staff reductions at Rogge, Cynthia must look for a new job in 2010. She finds a new position as a teaching assistant for French and also provides private tutoring. In 2012, her husband takes over the diving business Helgoland in the Bremerhaven fishing port, and Cynthia is hired by the company. Today, she identifies as a resident of Bremerhaven and describes the seaside city with the words: “Sea air, wind, seagulls, and home!” For her future, she hopes to continue living happily with her family in Bremerhaven.
A portrait of Cynthia Andraczek is one of the faces that has been visible on the facade of the new German Emigration Center since June 2021. Before the opening of the extension with its artistically designed facade, the Nordsee-Zeitung introduced the individuals behind the faces. You can watch the corresponding film portrait of Cynthia Andraczek here.