What is like living in a small town in Germany?
Lena: We both come from a small town in Germany, about a 20-minute drive from Cologne which is a big city. I think we had a pretty fun time especially growing up. We enjoyed being there a lot. To me, it has felt a bit limiting the past few years, and I went to a school that was outside of that small town. I really enjoyed there because it was a new experience and I got to meet new people. But it’s nice to have that point to go back home and know that it is good there.
I used to struggle a lot because I am gay and I didn’t feel that good about it in a small town but I am okay with. I struggled with how other people see me and I think getting out of town helped me gain that confidence I needed in being comfortable with who I am and to be comfortable in that situation.
Greta: For me, it was kind of a similar experience. I am very much into nature, it’s always calming down there. I was in Sweden for a month and after that, I was so happy to go home again and being in nature and having this space around me and not many people. I can relax there, and I could just go into the forest walking and spending my time there. I was at the school in this small village and sometimes it was hard because it’s always the same people around you and not much of this diversity, it was good for me to grow up there and I hope that my parents will live there their whole lives so I have my relaxing point there.