Saturday, June 28, 2008

Day 219 & 220 - Liepaja, Latvia

The next night, I was to sleep at Agnes' mother's place again, but this would be the last time she could look after me. She could barely afford food for herself. I appreciated that she let me stay for two nights though, as it was a lot better than no nights.

So the next day, the bad went to worse. I had tried to sleep under the staircase at Agnes' apartment block, and I was there for about an hour before being found by police. Two officers were standing right above me as I woke up, and I felt uneasy. They were probably going to take me away with no chance of prevail.

I stood up, and they asked me what language I speak. First they guessed Latvian, then Russian, and then French. I told them English. They asked what I was doing sleeping here, and I told them that I had trouble finding a hotel. They then took me outside and asked me to get in the back of their car. By this point, I was panicking and tried to say that I didn't do anything wrong, but they raised their voice and demanded that I get in.

At this time, I felt properly scared. I thought I was going to be deported from the country. The first thing that was on my mind was being separated from the one I love. Going to jail didn't even cross my mind. I was actually praying, hoping that I would get out of this situation. I texted Agnes, telling her I've been taken by the police.

They took me to the police station, and sat me down and interviewed me. First of all I was asked to show my passport. Luckily I had it with me in my bag, and hadn't left it with Agnes. So they asked me why I was sleeping there under the staircase. This time, I told them that I was having trouble with my girlfriend's dad, who had kicked me out of their apartment, drinking, and abusing us. It didn't go too much further than this. I was held for about half an hour, then they asked me if I had money for a hotel. I said yes, when in reality I had none. So they took me to Liva Hotel, just in the city centre. I asked if I'd be allowed to go back to Agnes' suburb again, and they encouraged me to do so. So this was the end of it. I sat down in the lobby at Liva Hotel, waiting until the police would leave, so that then I would head out and find somewhere to sleep. I went into Agnes' mother's apartment block, and slept in the lobby's toilet. This is what I'm going through because of Agnes' dad.

I lived like this for the next few days, trying to find places to sleep, while living off bread and water throughout the day. I found a better place to sleep, near Agnes' apartment block, where I wouldn't be found by anyone. Agnes had given me blankets too. The surface was hard and rocky, but it was better than nothing, and certainly good to have blankets, as it was warmer underneath them. She would usually sneak the blankets down from her balcony.

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