Vienna Würstelstand's David Schneider says:

We’re sooooo excited to be introducing another instalment of the ‘The Ausländer Project.’We’re tired of bad news and the negative vibe sticking to the word, “Ausländer,” in the mainstream media. We’re also tired of the media’s negative portrayal of the people the word refers to.

We’re hoping to take the word Ausländer and make it a positive word, empower it and make people proud to own the title.We intend to do this by featuring the stories of all kinds of characters who have (somehow) ended up in Vienna from all parts of the world.

After all, we’re all Ausländer somehow, right?Meet this week’s Ausländer, Khalifa Dampha. During the Corona fun and games, he simply decided to become a professional chef and used his newly found free time to start his Gambian and Spanish fusion pop-up kitchen, Dampha Kitchen.On weekends, he’s renting a kitchen space and taking orders via Instagram DMs, and he’s already got plans to open a restaurant in his sights.We had a little chat with the self-made cook about how he started out in the city, his love for cooking and the importance of going your own way.

Vienna Würstelstand (VWS): How did you actually end up in Vienna?

Khalifa Dampha (KD): It was in 2011; I was born in Spain, in Girona, north of Barcelona.When I was 21, I felt like I wanted to do something different. I’m from a small town and it was getting boring.I wanted some challenges, to learn a new language and meet new people. My uncle has been living in Vienna for about 20 years, so I just asked him if I could visit and he was like, ‘Of course, Vienna is a great city.’ And so I simply came here.

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Vienna Würstelstand (VWS): And what were the first things you did upon arriving?

Khalifa Dampha (KD): I went outside a lot, hit the gym and started meeting new people.

After three weeks, I found a job in a Mexican restaurant. I’m now using the kitchen of the same restaurant for Dampha Kitchen. I worked there from November 2011 until April 2012, improved my German and then started at Vapiano, where I worked for three years. I was also doing some side jobs at the same time, such as modelling and working as a doorman.

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VWS: How did you learn German?

KD: I attended a German class.

VWS: What’s your favourite Viennese word/phrase?

KD: Passt scho!

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VWS: Did you find it difficult to integrate into life here?

KD:Not at all. It’s a little different for me; I was born in Europe, so there’s another mentality going on, which made it easier for me to integrate here.Like I said, I found a job after three weeks and made some friends; everything happened quite fast. Also, I have no problem talking to other people, which I was doing a lot of, too.

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VWS: What are the differences between Vienna and Spain?

KD:Well, in Spain it’s always warm. I was living 20km from the sea, had fresh fish, lots of sunshine.The people there are a little more friendly and open. But, of course Vienna is great too, otherwise I wouldn’t have stayed here for 9 years. I’m happy here. I think the weather really bothered me the most, especially at the beginning, but now it’s better. And if I can’t stand it, I can always go to Spain for a bit.

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See original: https://viennawurstelstand.com/article/the-auslander-project-khalifa-dampha/