This narration is from someone, who came first as a guest worker to Germany. Sometimes it is important to get something in advance, to start something new—trust, money, or a calf.
“I tried several times to get to Germany. What means several times… twice I tried to come through my uncle to Germany. And my father has been forbidding it to me. He told my uncle, he should not get involved but to leave my father’s kids alone. And then my uncle apologized when I returned from the Yugoslavian army…1969. The second time I also tried it through someone I knew. A neighbour. But that did not work out. And the third time I went directly to the employment office and no one knew about it. I went there no my own. I registered there and asked how high the chances were for me, to get to Germany. The man said, very clearly: ‘Hey boy, you are not the only one who wants to go to Germany, there are also people who bribe me with money’. Then I asked what he meant. And he said ‘Well, just give me money for some coffee’. Then I told him that I am willing to give money and he asked me how much. And I asked, what the others would give and he said, ‘there are people that are giving 500 dinar, then there are some that give 1000 or even 2000 dinar’. And then I said ‘Well, if this works, that I can go, then of course I’m also ready to give 2000 dinar’. But I did not work anywhere and had no money. I just lied. ‘I’ll put in your name and if you bring me the money, we can do that’, he said. And then I walked the whole way from the employment office home and went to my aunt. I told her, that there was a problem. I told her that there was a possibility for me to go to Germany, but that I needed to give a man 2000 dinar. And she did ‘Oooh’. She said, ‘I do not have the money for that, the only option that we have is that I sell my calf’. And I told her that if she was helping me and I got to Germany, I would never forget that. Not in my entire life. And then on the next Monday we sold the calf on the cattle market and I gave the money to the man. And he put me on the list on the very first spot. […] And on the whole way home… that was four kilometres by foot, you know, I was so hungry, and I thought ‘I’m so stupid, why did I not get myself some food from that money and then bring the man the rest’ [laughs].”