Thread by @tanjamaier17

Today was/is totally crazy. End of a 4-day weekend. This was the “Ukraine free tickets” line as I was leaving. The problem remains: it is a mix of freshly arrived, exhausted people who just came from Ukraine, and those still hoping to see Europe for free. A🧵

My first customers today were a husband and wife in their 60s who escaped occupied Kherson (“under bullets”) and needed tickets to their daughter in Germany. Tickets only for 5:30am tomorrow. Take them to Caritas. Book cots to sleep at station. Room opens 22:30. First, cafeteria.

I helped two groups of deaf people, a half dozen each, adults & kids, get tickets to Munich. They were tourists, from the look of it. We chatted by texting on our phones and showing each other the messages. Tomorrow morning 6:30. No idea where they are sleeping.

Then it becomes a blur. Poland. Germany. France. Actually Ireland? Maybe by ferry? Never mind we’ll go to Berlin first, our relatives are there. We spent 1.5 months in Bulgaria but they kicked us out and the rent is €900pm jobs only €400pm and we don’t have that kind of money.

Bratislava. Yes you all are the problem, you block half the line. Budapest, you too are a problem. No I cannot recommend you cross an international border without a ticket. No I do not know if the Czech guys check tickets on the way to Brno. Yes, a seat reservation is necessary.

Then we hear from ÖBB they (I don’t know who exactly) went onto a train due to leave Vienna for Munich and removed all passengers who didn’t have seat reservations. One exasperated women came back had a ticket to Zurich she paid for but didn’t book a seat. Wants her money back.

Before I leave, I walk the line one last time, repeating: 3.50/seat, no tix today to Germany, Poland tricky, about Prague you must ask, not sure about Italy, Switzerland probably not, etc.

And then I meet a group of 47 people. From Mariupol. A bus dumped them at Wien HBF (!).

So I find the woman in charge with 47 passports in her hands, run inside talk with ÖBB manager, get their approval, run back outside get the boss lady of 47 with all the passports, the rest of the angry line starts yelling at us (Mariupol does not calm them down), go inside.

By a MIRACLE we get 47 tickets on a night train to Italy. There is some Italian program offering housing to Ukrainians who have lost their homes, and they are traveling under that program. They took 4 buses the last of which went via Slovakia and just dumped them in Wien.

Send them to Caritas, say ask for the cafeteria, remind where drinks and snacks are before they board the night train, finally try to leave myself, the security guard at the WC doesn’t want to let me in for free, that I’m a translator she doesn’t care. Spar too crowded, go home.

My day started off with the pleasure of meeting many of you in person and my bag is full of Hofer cards which will go out in the post across Austria tomorrow morning. DANKE 💙💛 I also met many families today, Hofer cards & McD for the kids, so many stories…no two are the same.

Everyone is experiencing a variety of levels of stress and desperation and exasperation and frustration and as the months wear on it feels different because the immediate hope of getting through this crisis and maybe it will get better is gone. It all feels now like a long haul.

One woman told me she was on the train in Ukraine with people telling her about life in occupied territories: Russian ruble the currency, mafia lawlessness like in the 90s, as soon as you leave thieves go through whole apartment.

Europe, expect more Ukrainians. It’s not over.

Also just one little example of the whole confused, chaotic messaging: Wiener Linien will apparently cost money for Ukrainians from June but no one knows how much and today is May 29. But ÖBB will still be free in June, for now, yet much of Europe is ending free rail June 1. 🤷‍♀️

Bus ride home. No, I don’t have money for your hotel rooms tonight with zero warning despite what the volunteer in Budapest who gave you my number told you. No, I do not know why they gave your friend a ticket to Germany today without a seat reservation that sounds highly risky.

«Таня, здравствуйте! Получили отправленные Вами карты Хофера - и я, и соседка. Просто нет слов, насколько мы Вам благодарны. Для нас это большое подспорье. (Name removed), как оказалось, уже несколько дней сидела на сухих макаронах из пайка и тут такой сюрприз!»

“Thanks so much for the Hofer card I only have €200 until July. I was a lawyer in Ukraine but here they offered me to clean toilets in a cafe but my kid only has school until 12 and no childcare and it’s all like a dream until I learn the language I’m not complaining but…”

I would love to tag the artist but I do not know your Twitter name DANKE 💙💛💙💛 now is the fun part filling envelopes for tomorrow’s post.

Y’all were so generous today. Thank you, Austria. Your hearts are most definitely in the right place. Am fast at work to get these cards to families in need!

@threadreaderapp pls unroll