Galina writes about her adventures with Wohnbeihilfe (accommodation social help) and Austrian post-office.
Do you know somebody never making mistakes? It must be specie of artificial intellect. Humans simply need to miss a target now and then to guarantee one accurate shot.
I don’t claim to be possessor of absolute truth. Like any other mortal, I make wrong judgments on certain occasions in my search for true fact. I may be completely in the power of ego sometimes, feeling the world developed personal grudges against me.
But then change of tide brings ability for detached view and main condition for objectivity – inner piece. Unhappy people tend to be subjective and make those around them unhappy too. Those who steadily accumulate unhappiness: poor, sick, outcasts, drug-users, illegal immigrants, persons in refugee camps and prisoners – accumulate also enormous destructive force to strike back, subjected to uncontrollable aggression, which affects innocent people. Society must care more about deprived and downtrodden to improve general psychological climate and prevent murder, rape, robbing, domestic violence and suicide.
As I also witness certain deprivation, I started to use instinctively such instrument of defense as word to restore my equilibrium between good and evil. This instrument contains huge destructive and creative potential, in spite of mask of Internet gibberish it carries.
I always tried and would use every my word with consideration. (more…)

Some time ago in group of Austrian unemployed I participated in anonymous psychological test on personal wishes and dreams. Living on allowance, people dream mainly about money.
If to go to Amazon with idea to find most popular self-improvement books, it will be books how to become rich.
It seems there is no sphere of life free of common monetary passion. But even in the midst of race for more everybody would agree, there is always at least one point of higher importance for us – our health.
Circumstances were so, that recently I came in touch with Austrian health care in the role of patient.
My health self-insurance in Austrian institution GKK was automatically canceled because of mistake one of the clerks in district social office made. After a lot of fuss between Social office and GKK, the first unwillingly produced sheet of yellow paper for temporary free medical help. The simple resolve of problem with insurance filled my heart with euphoria. I thought: “All these years were not in vain, I live in truly advanced social state and even can use free medical help!” Soon it came the chance to try my new yellow paradise ticket. (more…)

Banality often contains concentration wisdom of folks. They say, it is not shameful to be poor. Poorest can obtain social security benefits. What is poverty in Austria, how it looks, tastes and smells? Apart from concept, I wanted to know this as personal experience. Being granted with work after five years of survival training in Graz, I felt myself enormously rich  being registered as poor in Vienna. Low income is inevitable lot for many emigrants. In case of Austrians, poverty is often life philosophy. Those whose income is lower than 893 euros are considered to be poor and can buy goods on lower prices in social supermarket. There I paid visit yesterday, hungry for new experiences.
It was crowd in front of gloomy building forty minutes before opening. This crowd spoke different languages and had shopping bags on the wheels. I felt curious about miraculous presents life had in store for me and found modest size of my bag regretful. Austrian woman nearby started talking to me, and I paid attention to her exquisite make-up and numerous silver rings. She told one must pay or wait, and she preferred the second. Eventually the first two visitors were let in the store, and after half an hour we together with silver lady reached the entrance, where joined new queue to registration office. I counted sufficient quantity of social workers around, who briskly moved forth and back in front of us, but line was moving on with speed of snail. Pale woman in front of me in long Muslim dress and scarf told she was close to faint after two hours of waiting. The dark young mother behind, had three small children, who shrieked playing run and catch, what added to whole turmoil. Meanwhile I was observing faces of buyers leaving store, and there was no air of satisfaction at them. They dragged their bags with listless expression.
After my patience was significantly strained and sweat flowed on my backside under cloths, I was let in registration room. (more…)

Großeinsatz der Polizei bei Kurden-Demo in Wien
Rund 1.500 Kurden hatten an der Samstagsdemo gegen die Türkei teilgenommen

Zwischen Türken und Kurden herrscht wieder einmal dicke Luft: Zunächst wurde Kurdenführer Abdullah Öcalan in einem türkischen Gefängnis – je nach Lesart – gefoltert oder durchsucht. Dazu kommt es immer wieder zu gewalttätigen Zwischenfällen und Festnahmen wegen des Kurdenkonflikts in der Türkei.

From my very childhood I was against any friendships or group gatherings on national grounds. There were also Kurds and Turks in Kyrgyzstan, where I was born. Besides of Kyrgyz, Russians, Koreans, Chinese and Germans. What is nationality? Only label of superfluous evaluation. But if to dive deeper or dig toward core, national differences stop to play any role

S/M Games with Employment Office, or Benefits of Forced Education

О пользе принудительного образования -Читайте об этом также в русском разделе газеты

Процесс глобализации идёт вперёд, но различия между Европой и Азией пока ещё существуют. Я имею в виду жизненные условия на территории бывшего Союза и в Австрии. Здесь, конечно, заметно больше порядка и продвинутости.
Но когда имеешь дело с такой организацией как бюро по трудоустройству и его эквивалентом- австрийским AMS, различия сходят на нет. Особенно если говорить о курсах, на которые это бюро гонит всех зарегестрированных под угрозой смертной казни. Лишение пособия для людей, не имеющих дохода, и означает буквально смертную казнь. (more…)

Feeling distantly curious about the car, I had no any thought it could concern me. However, my eyes were fixed at the fire escape staircase leading on the roof of the building. I regretted being disobedient to Red Mistress. Moreover, my instincts told me I was in danger after talk with her.
Struggling with imperative to escape, I asked myself:
- What I am afraid of? Did I damage school property, steel money from the common safe or did I murder, harm or gave public insult to somebody? Why I must run and crawl like beast, seized with panic, if I know I am pure and innocent?
Three men in white gowns who appeared at the doors to interrupt my inner dispute. And without further explanations one of them – with sleeves turned up high above massive black-haired arms- told I must attend sort of psychological consultation instantly and drive there in ambulance car. The air this hospital attendant had did not give chance to resist or question. Escorted along corridors and downstairs I felt myself unreal. We crossed the yard, and before door of van closed behind me, I caught glimpse of yak chignon that flashed between curtains in one of school windows.
The car was moving on high speed toward secluded suburban areas of town, passed big park and arrived at barbwire-fenced territory. (more…)

Wanderlust, after two years of mood zigzags and transfers from one universe to the other I start again writing in my diary. Why people write diaries at all? Who reads them on Internet? When you write your blog you must write it first of all for yourself, because as author you would never be understood or rewarded by special attention. Bust writing helps to realize many things.
Where I go? Why life can be so hard? What is satisfying relationship? And if we create our world ourselves, why we cannot make it be better?
Why I photograph, to start with, and what is good photography? How one can photograph people and get satisfaction from this activity? How to advance in this business, how to earn your living with photography? How to earn it in big city where you are stranger and don’t know anybody? How to earn your living with photography in big city where you are stranger and when you have no regular work and income? And when you are female?
And many other questions that till now stay without answers. Don’t exclaim: it is impossible! Come with me and look.