To a New Dawn: Letters of Solidarity Anthology

PATRYCJA SKRZYPKOWSKA, 25 Dear Jane, You are not going to believe how desperately devastating the coronavirus is for me. I am struggling to make a scant living during these terrible times, and anybody who says otherwise is just a fool! Honestly, I feel like I am drowning in a deep, dark sea of loneliness. I know that you are absolutely outraged at the suffocating situation in the country right now – just like me.

But I need to share my huge hurdles with you.

You know how incredibly hard it is to study and work concurrently. Imagine that you can’t find any part time job… it is absolutely impossible to stay afloat! Only yesterday, I was reading a recent survey which stated that 60% of people are overqualified for their jobs due to the coronavirus. Meaning fewer workplaces for other people that are less qualified or educated. I am finding it very hard to travel to Poland at the moment, and I miss my family achingly. I know it is possible to buy a plane ticket now, but they cost an enormous £200 (when normally they are a fraction of it)! So there is another lonely Christmas for me.

How wonderful!

I did manage to get a decent job with good pay during the early stages of lockdown. I gained invaluable experience working in the hospital, and I finally felt able to sail 82