Disclosure

May Demo

It was traditional the 1 May demo and Day of the Work in Vienna yesterday, and to express their solidarity with social-democratic, communist and national minorities movements in the country thousands of people marched along streets of the city toward Parliament and City council, where chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer, mayor Michael Häupl, trades-union leader Rudolf Hundstorfer held their welcoming speeches.
Alfred Gusenbauer, greeted by applauds of massive crowd at Rathausplatz, expressed motto of the day in a few words:
“We all want to have not only work, we want to have good work!”

I was in this crowd, and after manifestation discovered with surprise that Alfred Gusenbauer was quite approachable and open for communication with everybody, what was difficult to expect from Russian public figures of the same rank. The last ones probably always wanted to protect themselves from potential terrorists, provocateurs and charity pleaders.

I also noticed that mayor and chancellor, belonging to the same social-democratic party and representing Austrian establishment,
often use word “Genossen” (Comrades) when they address audience.
I thought the word was prerogative of communists and activists of fascist Germany (Parteigenossen),
on that reason (separating themselves from their own communist past), the word was for along time already banned in Russia by public opinion and sounds funny today there.
On some reason, police stopped the march of communists and minorities by Parliament yesterday.
The colors were the same - red, but one could quickly guess who stood for authority and who not

One of my Demo picture was used in weekly selection of Reuters world news agency

Reuters 

Emigration creates stressful limit-situations when person loses his identification:

work, friends, relatives, property, language, life and career prospects

Can you stand this collapse of identifications?

- Being 47, I must run around in Vienna as homeless dog looking for institutions

who would approve what I am doing.

Feeling lucky to sell photo to newspaper once in season for 30 euros!

-You old enough to do what you consider right. Create your own newspaper!

- You are mad. I have nothing to cover my ass

- One doesn’t need much money to create electronic version

- If it is in German, I need to employ the translator, if it is in English,

nobody would read it in Austria, if it is in Russian…Why I emigrated from Russia then?

- What about your book… You have not finished it

- Who would buy this damn book?

- Find rich lover who would promote you.

- Bastard would take more expensive thing from me in exchange - my self-esteem

- Go back to Moscow

- First - it is boring. Second- I have little in common with Russians,

as with any other nationality of the world

- Jump down from Schweglerbrücke

- I treasure my body. And I hate my mind.

Why the bird sings? Maybe because of joy.

Street photography which depicts recognizable faces can survive only on pages of private blogs

Blogs which bring to author nothing except two-three duty comments and tons of spam

To go on like that photographer must be bird

Who sings because of pure joy and does not bother herself

about value and purpose of her singing

Sunday: Putin and company

I dialed many times before something clicked in enigmatic telecom spaces and voice told: “Privet!”

It is always miracle to hear sounds of your own tongue as if after morning cup of Sunday coffee over “der Standard” you make amazing blitz-trip in your past

My Austrian acquaintances demonstrating common competence often talk about countries of former Soviet Union and their politics, economics and history.
Strange is they are deaf for live evidences and try to feed me with superficial knowledge they obtained from TV.

As if sporadic brainwashing can reveal ultimate truth. As if they possess final set of facts about part of the world they never lived in
O, these long distance calls!

I could hear noise in the receiver, as if somebody manipulated with recorder, and told as before during our student times in Moscow: “Hey, sergeant, not so loud please!” addressing imaginary secret service operator who struggled through spy process with old Soviet equipment.
How it goes with elections, I asked. What is the matter who, they replied me, Putin or Medvedev, or tsar Ivan the Terrible? Such surface political events do not form the flow of life.

Elections everywhere are more of performance, of show. And show must go on.
There is always major piece of reality not reachable for facade interpretations.
It lies in underwater parts of iceberg, tiny tip of which exploited as der Platz for mass media crackle. The genuine material of reality stays unknowable and unreachable for explanation
You cannot perceive it looking through newspaper and drinking beer in Lugner City.

As members of consumer society we can not be sure who originated thoughts we have in our head. Whatever we say is conditioned by chewing gum we consume every day.

You can not be sure you know truth unless you percept it in realm of your own life

S.g. Fr. Galina Toktalieva!
Leider haben wir derzeit keine entsprechende Stelle zu vergeben. Wir werden Ihre Bewerbung aber in Evidenz halten und Sie bei Bedarf kontaktieren.
Mfg/Eissler
Ltg. Fotoredaktion
Kronen Zeitung

Der Standard
Sehr geehrte Frau Galina Toktalieva!
Vielen Dank für Ihr Interesse an einer Mitarbeit in unserem Unternehmen und für die Zusendung Ihrer diesbezüglichen Bewerbungsunterlagen.
Leider müssen wir Ihnen mitteilen, dass wir derzeit nicht die Möglichkeit haben, Ihnen eine Ihren Wünschen und Qualifikationen entsprechende Stelle in unserem Haus anbieten zu können.

Wir bedauern, Ihnen keinen positiven Bescheid geben zu können und wünschen Ihnen für die Zukunft alles Gute.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Evelyne Sindelar
Tel: +43-1-53170-700
Fax: +43-1-53170-484
evelyne.sindelar@derStandard.at
derStandard.at
Bronner Online AG
Wallnerstraße 8, A - 1010 Wien

Every “no” that I hear brings me closer to “yes”

Sehr geehrte Frau Toktalieva!
Sie haben sich in unserem Unternehmen um eine feste Stelle in unserer Bildredaktion beworben. Vielen Dank für Ihr Interesse!
Leider muss ich Ihnen mitteilen, dass wir zurzeit keinen Bedarf an neuen Fotografen im Basisdienst haben.
Die Entscheidung ist uns nicht leicht gefallen und wir bitten Sie, dies nicht als Wertung Ihrer persönlichen Qualifikation zu sehen.
Wir wünschen Ihnen, dass Sie möglichst bald eine adäquate Position finden werden, die Ihren Fähigkeiten und Wünschen entspricht.
Wir möchten jedoch, dass Sie sich durch diese Nachricht nicht entmutigen lassen und wünschen Ihnen für Ihre Zukunft alles Gute und viel Erfolg!
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Antje Kopischke
Chefredaktion
APA - Austria Presse Agentur rGenmbH
Laimgrubengasse 10
1060 Wien
Tel. +43/1/360 60-1002
Fax. +43/1/360 60-92 1002
antje.kopischke@apa.at
www.apa.at

Email considered not reliable way to apply for job; all the same I use it now,

Because I am convinced that personal visit gives any results when it is expected.

Besides some editorial offices are situated in other parts of Austria or abroad.

Here is my application and polite negative replies I started to receive.

Sehr geehrter Herr Chefredkteur ,
mit diesem Schreiben möchte ich mich als Fotojournalistin
(bzw. Fotoredakteurin, Fotoreporterin)
in Ihrem Unternehmen bewerben.
Seit Abschluss meines Journalismus-Studium an der Universität Moskau
im Juli 1987 ich bin in russischer und in internationaler Presse tätig gewesen.
Ich bin Fotojournalistin mit den Schwerpunkten soziale Probleme, Interview und
Reportage.
Seit vielen Jahren bin ich viel als freiberufliche Autorin und Fotografin mit
sozialen Themen beschäftigt und insbesondere mit sozialen Reportagen vertraut.
Ich kann Ihnen bieten: gesteigertes Interesse an Kameratechnik,
zwei sehr gute Augen und einen freundlichen Umgang mit Menschen.
In mir bekannten Bereichen arbeite ich gerne selbständig.
Die Beiträge können Sie - ebenso wie Lebenslauf, Foto,
sowie weitere Arbeitsproben - online einsehen unter:
http://www.toktali.com/blog/lebenslauf/
Selbstverständlich sind die Unterlagen auch auf Papier verfügbar,
wenn Sie dies bevorzugen.
Wenn meine Bewerbung Ihr Interesse geweckt hat,
freue ich mich über eine Einladung zur persönlichen Vorsprache.

Diethold Schaar
Sehr geehrte Frau Toktalieva,

herzlichen Dank für Ihr Interesse an einer Mitarbeit in unserem
Unternehmen. Ich muss Ihnen jedoch leider mitteilen, dass wir derzeit
keine Stelle bzw. auch keine Projekte im Bereich Fotojournalismus zu
vergeben haben. Ich nehme Ihre Bewerbung jedoch sehr gerne in Evidenz
und würde bei Bedarf wieder auf Sie zukommen.

Mit den besten Wünschen
Diethold Schaar
KURIER Online
Karin Köhler
Sehr geehrte Frau Toktalieva!

Bezug nehmend auf Ihre Bewerbung teilen wir Ihnen mit, dass die Wiener Redaktion der Kleinen Zeitung eine kleine innenpolitische Außenstelle der Zetnralredaktion in Graz ist. Es gibt keine eigene Wien-Ausgabe der Kleinen Zeitung. Derzeit haben wir in der Wiener Redaktion keinen Bedarf an Fotografen, sollte sich die Situation aber ändern, werden wir Sie gerne kontaktieren.

Mit den besten Grüßen
i.A. K. Köhler

During last two days I was out of breath making meticulous review of major Russian newspapers and agencies, who could be potentially interested to gain their own Vienna correspondent,

including “Izvestia” and ITAR-TASS –main Russian news agency with millions of readers auditorium.

Russian press has rather distant and occasional interest to Austrian life that could be completely satisfied by stories about Natascha Kampusch and pricelists of Tyrol Ski resorts. Kyrgyzstan, where I was born - is out of question at all, because budget of largest agencies and newspapers can not afford to support own correspondent abroad.

Russian and Central Asian media if at all, have representatives in Germany.

I also made review of Austrian press, and became aware of fact that political and social life of Austria how it looks like in media- has somewhat reduced vigor – comparing of those in Moscow. Throbbing political pulse is something for other country and other national character. Austrians are mostly about music, museums, beer and schweinsbraten. They are also fascinated by words “nackte” and “models”. When I analyze Google search criteria that lead weak flow of visitors to my websites, I can see that 97% of them used “reife model Galina Toktalieva”

and “nude models” keywords.

Just now I don’t see way where my journalist skills can be used and don’t see way out in Austria except Presse und Standard, which cover only specific circle of subjects. All in all the quantity of Austrian newspapers, their circulation and range of subjects they pick up is rather disappointing.

At the same time Russian press if it has any interest to Austrian motives at all, can willingly buy only fried top hits, like scandals or sensational news of woman who gave birth to six babies at once – news that could be highly salable for any international paper as well.

Russians don’t care who Jörg Haider, Franz Voves and Ernest Kaltenegger is.

They are deep in everyday survival which can be lighten by occasional sparks of myth how beautiful, full-stomach and lazy life somewhere far abroad is.

I also directed my desperate views toward Russian-language media that exists in Austria.

They can not afford paying to authors and mostly live on buy and sell and seeking low paid jobs classifieds.