"Wenn du sprichst nicht Deutch, du musst zu deinem Land zuruckgekommen"
By Riccardo Valsecchi
20 May 2008
This is a real story that happens to me and it's really sad to talk about.
I'm a music Journalist and a musician - double bassist - and I live since 1 year in Berlin. I love this city, because in the full of Europe, it's yet a place where the first interest of people seems to be the culture, the art and the communication...here there are no stars, no vip; people are here for understanding and learning, and in the front of these things, everybody is equal !!!
Obviously German language is not easy, and I'm studying, but it's difficult when you live in an international community that talks very well English and Spanish.
I'm looking for a new flat, and this is hard and difficult because I'm a free lancer and, even if I can obviously pay the rent for the apartment, I don't have a regular incoming as the land agency ask. The land agency: in Berlin there is a strange figure, called "hausverwaltung", that is the man that arrange for the owners the contracts and the rents. They are for sure different: well-dressed, sick, wan, older than all the people that lives in the city. Usually they live out. Their work is very profitable because in Berlin the apartment are pretty cheap and the market is rich. Berlin has an incredible numbers of buildings empty, the life costs the half of the other capital city and all the people around the world is coming in one of the younger city in the world !!! So "der hausverwaltung" has the power to decide how to distribute the flats, and usually they don't love people like me, foreign and free lancer !!! What happened ? I've called one of this "hausverwaltung" for having some information about a flat and, not understanding my bad accent, he said: "Wenn du sprichst nicht Deutch, du musst zu deinem Land zuruckgekommen", that means: "If you don't speak German, you must return in your Country!!!"
What? But this is European Community! I'm Italian !!!
What can I replay ? This is Berlin, a lovely city, with a strong history growing up as one the most important artistic and cultural center in the world, under the power of some stupid idiots that never seen nothing others that their street...
Italy is becoming poor and a lot of strange things are happening there... but if we should use the same principle with all the millions of Germans that come to our country, for sure they should go far for holidays and for seeing the sun...
