14/10/14 14:45 It was 23 years ago today when the Lufthansa machine that flew Athens-Hamburg landed on the tarp of the airport in Hamburg Fuhlsbüttel. I was relocating for good, no plans to get back, even though I didnt let everyone know about that particular point, and with huge dreams. One of these was -youll laugh at me- to ride my bicycle around the city of Hamburg. You know we didnt have bike lanes or even wide enough streets back home. And where the streets where wide the cars drove fast, it wouldnt be really clever to ride a bicycle there. And for what is worth: I never had one in Athens anyway ;-) I got out of the plane. I had just some money (from wich I spent 50 Deutsch Mark on the plane to buy myself a gift: a black swatch watch) one suitcase with clothes and one with books and my recently purchased sampler Roland W30 in its… original box. No flight case no nothing. Just cardboard, some fittings inside and tape all around. That it arrived safe was not just luck, they did take care of stuff like this more, back on those days. But then again … yes it was luck, yes I was lucky and I have been lucky very often since then. So with all my belongings I approach customs and I have my first experience with a German official dressed with the German Customs uniform representing the German law. All of you my friends abroad who never been in Germany, you all know -as I did- *exactly* how Germans officers are. Especially when they cary the uniform. There’s surely no joking, the obey the law to the point that they would sue themselves if they do something wrong, and the fines if you do something wrong are astronomical. And me being used to officials willing to “close an eye” because they just want to, or they are “family” (10th grade relationship counts) or because they will gain from it I was just terrified to have to go through this. I didn’t know of having done anything wrong, but then again, back home it wash’t always what you know you did, but what they think you did. I’m derailing. So there I stand. And there he stands. Guten Tag! Haben sie was zu deklarieren? - or something like this. I dont speek German I said. Do you have somessing to declare ? he repeated. So following dialog happened in grenglish and denglish both trying our best to communicate with the half knowledge of a language foreign to both He was polite but not too open. Serious but not uptight. What are you doing in Germany? Im going to study in the music university. Where are you going to stay Im staying with a family here and I show him a piece of paper on which the sentence ich möchte nach Stadtbahnstraße Nr## was written. The paper was meant for the taxi driver who would bring me to the family who generously offered me a place to stay. Whats in the suitcases and what is this he continued in the same tone pointing at my keyboard. There are some clothes, books and this is my keyboard. Im a musician. Im going to study music in ... How much does it cost? he interrupted me. Well about 3500-4000 DM You have to pay import taxes for that. In fact you should have declared it before hand because you will have to pay a fine too My knees went really soft. I saw myself being arrested or even worse : my keyboard getting confiscated. I didnt know I manage to say, as if ignorance of the law would be an excuse. Its mine I bought it in Greece and I need it. I dont know if the panic in my face was visible but I was panicking. I didnt have enough money to pay for what would possibly be the fine let alone the taxes. Greece was not yet a full member of the EU. It would become in a few months in January 1992. Then I could have traveled in and out without any problem about my keyboard. But it was October and we both knew theres still a long time till January. So you are going to study at the Musikhochschule? He said. Yes And you need this for your studies? He continued. Yes!!! Silence. He looked again at the keyboard and at me and said In this case, welcome in Germany! and he nod shortly. I believe he smiled a bit, maybe he did. I was very close to start crying from relief and happiness. Of course I didnt. I just said thank you and moved on. This was my first experience with a German officer. A customs officer. Two days later I met another kind of a German officer. The kind that controls the tickets in the subway. No prob I have I ticket, I didnt know of doing something wrong. He did know though. I was in the wrong wagon (they had first class and 2nd class wagons, who would have thought. ) I explained in English that I had just arrived in Germany two days ago, I had no idea that there is a first class in the subway. He did not believe a word (let alone understood all of it) and he insisted I pay an astronomical for me fine. I did. A few years later there was no first class in the subway. I was lucky. I just two days Ive learned that German officers are just like everyone else: Humans. Goodnight Hamburg. You did treat me well and Im thankful for that.
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 22:52:21 +0000
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