This was in 2004. I was then earning extra as an English teacher on private courses. It was the holiday of 9 May. In the morning the director of the courses rang me and asked me to “teach English (the director of the courses did not know foreign languages, so that is how she put it) in 1.5 hours one adult girl, for good pay.” I decided not to refuse the extra work and agreed. I rang the girl, and in an hour she was already at my home.
When I opened the door, the girl was not alone, but with an unremarkable young man. I understood at once that they were not local. I asked the young man, “do you also want to learn English in one lesson?” He said “no, I am the escort and I will not come in to you — I’ll wait in the fresh air.” Anyway the “warm up” — the introductory part of the conversation — took place.
The girl frankly told me that she was from Western Ukraine with a Lithuanian passport! She wants to get to Ireland, her boyfriend is there earning. And she showed me a real Lithuanian passport. I was surprised by the black-and-white photograph. In our passports there were already colour ones at that time. While we were studying English with her, her boyfriend rang from Ireland and “inspired her for the long road” through the border posts.
Anyway we “worked through” a minimum of English sentences with her. But I then expressed a doubt that at the “crossing” of the Lithuanian border they might speak Lithuanian with her, and then what? You’ll pretend to be deaf and mute? M-yeah…. how long ago that was! But still relevant to this day…