In such houses, the German authorities house applicants for refugee status
Read the beginning of the article:
Nostorf-Horst Reception Camp: An Inside View
I want to note right away that distribution occurs only within the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, whose capital is the city of Schwerin. This is the most sparsely populated part of Germany, where residents have the smallest salaries. But no one takes into account our wishes regarding further residence, and none of the refugees knows in advance where they will be sent.
And another interesting touch to the "portrait" of this state. It has been noticed that in this part of Germany time seems to flow more slowly; the "Iron Chancellor" Bismarck even said: "If I have to survive the end of the world, I would prefer to go to Mecklenburg, because here everything happens a hundred years later."
Let's return to the distribution. Let me remind that we arrived at the camp on May 4, and on May 19 a list appeared on the information board with names and directions for further dispatch. Our list had 24 people, 8 of whom were Ukrainians, the rest Syrians, Albanians, and Mauritanians. We managed to become friends with all our compatriots.
So, on the dispatch sheets, the city of Neubrandenburg was indicated, which is generally not the worst option. Let me digress a bit and tell about our compatriots who were sent two days before us. They were assigned to the city of Bad Doberan. But for some reason, they were not taken all the way to the city, being dropped off in some village 40 kilometers from the city, which of course upset everyone very much. There they were housed in a dormitory where there was not a single Russian speaker. And the nearest store was 7 km away.
On May 20 at 9 am we gathered for the journey. Our mood was excellent; the city we were supposed to go to according to the list was quite large. But it turned out a surprise awaited us. My wife and I, along with 14 other people, were also not taken all the way to the city, but dropped off 50 km from Neubrandenburg in a small town called Mirow.
From Wikipedia, I learned that Mirow is a town of small lakes located in the south of the Mecklenburg Lake District in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. It is a very ancient city; the first mention of it dates back to the first half of the 13th century. Now it is a small resort with many restaurants and various services related to water activities.
It turned out that this is where we were to settle. For living, a two-story house was intended, where each floor is divided into two wings. My wife and I and another couple from Ukraine were allocated one wing on the first floor. Thus, each family had their own room, and a shared shower with toilet, kitchen, pantry, and dining room. Outside, we saw a small garden with a table and chairs. By the way, we found four stores: Aldi, Netto, Penny, and Edeka.
I cannot claim whether we were lucky, but honestly, everything turned out not bad at all. It could have been worse. Upon arrival in Mirow, we were met by three social workers and the landlord (the social services rent houses from private individuals). The social workers are nice women; one speaks only German, the second speaks German and English, and the third speaks German and Russian.
The apartment had a new washing machine, electric stove, refrigerator, two beds in each room, and two sets of bed linen. We were also given dishes, a kettle, a radio, and a set of dry rations. It was clear that cosmetic repairs had been done; everything was neat and cozy. After some formalities (familiarization with the rules of conduct, fire safety rules), we signed a contract for accepting the apartment. The social worker explained what actions regarding our situation we would need to take next.
By the way, the other Ukrainians (they were not families) were taken all the way to Neubrandenburg and housed in a dormitory, three people per room.
Read the continuation of the article:
SETTLEMENT AFTER THE CAMP (Part 2)
Vladislav LIPINSKY.
Photo by the author.