The prison territory is divided into several areas, each functioning as an isolated unit. These may included a living block, a dining hall, a medical unit or something else. Inmates can move around the territory either accompanied by an officer or an organized formation. There are many surveillance cameras monitor everything that happens on the premises. So, I'll be living here for the next five years.

The officer accompanied me to the living block and closed the gates. I stayed behind, felling extremaly nervous and frustrated. I was ready for the worst. I stood there smoking, inmates walked back and forth past me, no one paid any attention to me. But I had known that I would be called soon.

I entered a small, dimly lit where a few gloomy-looking big men were sitting. They were the gang responsible for all aspects of life in this block. They handled household issues, set the rules, and controlled the life of the inmates. I can't say they had absolutely power, but they had significant authority and could decide your life. They didn't have permission to affect your fate in a global sense, but they had enough influence to determine the level of your comfort. Of course, my appearance wasn't a surprise to them, they knew in advance who would be coming.

I was waiting for some difficult questions. Sometimes it feels like you're being tested, like in an exam. The old convicts watch you, waiting for you to say something foolish. That gives them an opportunity to demand something from you. So, they try to create a situation where you feel guilty and start defending yourself. Then they can place a burden to you, which they'll bring up later, when you least expect it. But they didn't torture me with all those experiments, they just asked who I was. I let out a quite breath and got away.

The first three days are for adapting to the new environment. During this time you have to ask about life here. They observe you and draw their conclusions. If I had arrived a year early. Then I might have been laying on the floor, beaten and bleeding, it was common practice for welcoming new inmates. But now it's easier, times have changed.