Serife Seyitler
Serife Seyitler travels in 1969, at the age of 40, from the Turkish metropolis Adana to Bremerhaven. What she hears about Germany before her departure shocks her: ‘There is no water there, and everything is done with beer: cooking, washing, drinking.’ But she still wants to go. Serife leaves six children behind at her departure; they stay with their father. Two of her daughters already live in Germany and have been working at Nordsee since 1963. Here, Serife also wants to earn good money. And she succeeds: she works for 16 years in fish processing. She saves money to build a house in Turkey. But until 2015, she lives in Bremerhaven – three months after her return to Turkey, she passes away. Until 1980, Serife brings her six children and her husband, who remained in Turkey, to Germany. Three of her children still live in Germany today, and three have returned to Turkey. Her oldest son passes away in 2008, one of her daughters in 2019. Serife’s daughter Aygül worked in Bremerhaven at Schottke, now Frosta. With her savings, Aygül bought an apartment in Bursa, Turkey. She lives there today but comes to Bremerhaven every year for a month. Two of her daughters live in Turkey, and one daughter still lives and works in Bremen. Serife’s granddaughter Zübeyde is born in Bremerhaven in 1982. She takes on responsibility early, translates for her parents, and handles bureaucratic tasks. Zübeyde’s three siblings move back to Turkey, study German studies, and work there as German teachers.
A portrait of Serife Seyitler is one of the faces that have been visible on the facade of the new Deutsches Auswandererhaus since June 2021. Before the inauguration of the extension with the artistically designed facade, the Nordsee-Zeitung introduced the people behind the faces. You can see the corresponding film portrait of Serife Seyitler here.