My Trip back to Germany - Nice Meeting with 'Corruption'

I was taking the one and only direct train from Kyiv to Berlin, which takes 25 hours. So it started at 8:00 am in the Morning of the Saturday.

So I entered the train at 8:00 am and wanted to go directly to sleep because I was very tired after the last night. I haven’t slept so much because of the several meetings and had just gone to bed at 2:00 am. The train is much better then the normal ones in Ukraine because it is an International one and is going directly to Germany, so there are cabins with three beds in one and I had the lowest bed. Then the first surprise: The conductor of the coach told me that there is a family coming with a child and wanted just to travel within Ukraine to Rafalowka and didn't want to sleep. Okay that meant for me no sleep at all, because when they entered the cabin the child was very loud and they sat on my bed for five hours playing all the time Ukrainian music with their MP3 Player etc. So I had to sit also on my bed and waiting ‘til they went out at 1:00 pm. I thought okay, great now I can go sleeping ‘til the border and then further, but okay all the time happens something unexpected when you not think about it.

In between when the family occupied my bed I also went from time to time out smoking outside the coach in the small room which was kind of smoking room and there I realized that there was sitting a guy who slept on the floor in this small gap. I thought okay, why not, but when the family went out of my cabin and I started to prepare my bed this guy and another one entered my room and took the other two beds in the cabin. I asked them why they slept beforehand in this small gap which is the smoking area. They told me that they had no ticket and that the conductor was so friendly to take them in the train. Aha, okay, but of course they paid the normal price to the conductor without getting a ticket and I understood, that conductors are earning their money by this. So they have extra money which is mainly more than their salary from the Ukrainian Railways. So this was kind of shock for me because for me it is kind of corruption in little.


Train Station of Kovel










Then I went sleeping and after 2 more hours we arrived at the border in Jagodin. Okay now some more explanations: One of the guys is from Russia (Omsk), the other from Odessa (Ukraine) and they both are really proud of Russia what they told me all the time. This was really interesting for me. It was not that they are really proud of Russia, furthermore they were proud of Soviet Union; they told me lots of times how cool the life had been in former times, how strong politically and economically the Soviet Union had been, that all people liked these times and had enough money and enough to eat and nobody had to suffer from something and that they ache for that cool times now. Both are living in Germany and earning their money there by the way. Okay, so then the border guard came and checked our passports. Like always they are taking them away and bringing them back after 90 minutes, when the long train stop is over.

Then a second border guard (customs officer) came and realized (I saw it in his eyes in the first second when he entered our cabin) that the guy from Odessa wore a T-Shirt with the name 'Moscow (Moskau)' on it. He got kind of angry without saying anything, but I felt it. I felt the animosity (here we had been at Western border and he his Ukrainian and dislikes people who like and show their pride concerning Russia). So he asked that guy how much money he has, what else he has to declare etc. He also asked me and the other guy from Omsk about it and handed out a piece of paper that we should use filling in our declaration. The Guy from Odessa with the Moscow Shirt told too much and was not quiet enough, unfortunately.

So we filled the papers, the customs officer came back after five minutes, checked first my declaration, but I understood, he was not interested in me. He was just focussed on the Guy from Odessa (his name is Igor by the way). So the officer told me and the Omsk Guy, that we should leave the cabin now and he closed the door behind us. But we were able to hear what was going on now, the trouble and dispute between the officer and Igor. The main point was that Igor declared to have 3.000$ with him, but in reality he had 5.200$ in his wallet. So he had too much $ in his luggage, which he earned by selling a car in Odessa. And I also think that in the eyes of the officer Igor was behaving a bit too arrogant. So they quarrelled a lot, the officer opened after a while the cabin door and a second woman came, which was the boss of the customs officer. I just heart things like that they want to impose a fine officially of 1.000$. But still there had been lots of discussions.

In between the officer asked me while I was standing in front of the cabin door, what in Germany the officer would do in such situation. I told him that for every delict or misdoing there are laws and rules and every officer knows about these laws. And that there is no discussion in this, everybody is sticking to the rules. If there is the rule that the customer has to impose a fine than he/she has to do it, taking the money and bringing it to the customs agency. That means nobody is allowed to take less money and take it in his/her own pocket.

Okay, so that was maybe too much for him, but he left for 10 minutes, came back and then started to quarrel with Igor again. I was not scared, what could happen to me, because I knew that nothing will happen, I was right in saying this and if e.g. he would take me to police or customs department then he would get really problems afterwards, when I call German Embassy and/or German Ministry of Foreign Affairs etc. I made my declaration right, I had nothing to hide and I was ready for everything which could happen to me. The officer for example was throwing all stuff from Igor’s luggage on my bed, so I was also open for that if it would have happened to me. I was also at border control in other more corrupted countries, where I had to take off all my clothes in order to be checked, so why not? I just wanted to show that stupid guy that he is doing something wrong, that’s it.

Then after 45 minutes, Igor, the customs officer and the boss (lady) agreed in the fine of 200$ what Igor had to give to the conductor of our coach and then she gave it to customs officer, because that man was too arrogant to dirty his own hands by taking it directly from Igor, whom he disliked much I guess. That was a very stupid situation and of course second part of corruption in the train, I was getting aware of. I already was talking with German Ministry of Foreign Affairs this week about it just in order to get clear picture for myself what I have to do when something like this would happen to me.

Okay, so that was the border control and the nice experience with the customs officer from West Ukraine. They are really nice people. And now I would like to tell the third and last story. I guess sometimes I’m really naive or green although I have seen lots of things so far in the world, but okay…

In the evening they conductors of our coach wanted to have the ladder out of our cabin, I just thought okay, for what? But take it, I don't need it, we all are able to get into the beds without any ladder. So then the conductor asked one of the Guys (I remind you they both were kind of 'Black Drivers') to help them in something. One of them (Igor) followed them. Two minutes later I went out of the cabin for another cigarette and realized what was happening outside in the corridor. They just opened the train’s ceiling from the corridor and took out hundreds of cartons of cigarettes and alcoholic drinks as well. It was not the first time during that day that I thought okay! I wondered how they were able to smuggle so many things through the border although Polish and Ukrainian border police controlled the whole train. But sure it was obvious that they just were bribed by the conductors, nothing more. This is just a big business for everyone, for the conductors to have an extra salary, for the customs officers as well as Ukrainian and Polish police. Everyone is earning something by this business. I was really shocked because I haven’t thought about Polish police like this before, I would have taken my own hand into fire, but now I know that I would have lost my hands by burning them. Although Poland is in the EU this does not mean that likewise the people are sticking to law and rules.

So the conductors just selling all the stuff in Polish train stations to people who ordered beforehand. Mainly there are no cartons of cigarettes left when the train enters the border to Germany, so that they are not getting in trouble by unexpected controls from German custom. The conductors were behaving really strange when they realized that I realized what they were doing. But on the other hand my hands are tied; I cannot do anything against it in such situations. If I would call the Police or something similar it is easy for them to tell e.g. that these are my cigarettes or they will keep my face in their minds and I will get in trouble afterwards or when I will take the train again and meet any other conductor. That’s the way it is.

As I said before I’m sometimes green and naive, so now I know that everything could happen, maybe also in Germany and anywhere else.

Okay and we arrived with one hour delay in Berlin. I also know why there was a delay, because every day there is a delay of 30 to 45 minutes. This is due to selling procedure in Polish stations; also the engine driver is bribed and is staying longer in the station ‘til all stuff is sold. And afterwards it is just told that the delay is because of engine problems. Mainly all people in the train are sleeping in the night, so it is easy to lie; everyone is taking it for granted.


Arrival in Berlin Central Station in the Morning








You see, some of in the first page mentioned stereotypes are somehow fulfilled for me, others not. But still this is not the point. For me the people are the most interesting. People are behaving differently, of course they are representing its country, but still it is much better to take every individual as an individual, no matter from which country and culture he/she is. There are of course tendencies in cultural behaviour, customs and habits which put people in one culture together, but nevertheless everyone is different and individual. This we all should take into consideration making any valuation or evaluation about any country and its people.

So that was my small report of my experiences in Ukraine. I hope you enjoyed it.

Take all care and ‘til the next report,

Yours sincerely Olaf