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 sufocating 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 fnd any part time job… it is absolutely impossible to stay afoat! Only yesterday, I was reading a recent survey which stated that 60% of people are overqualifed for their jobs due to the coronavirus. Meaning fewer workplaces for other people that are less qualifed or educated. I am fnding 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 fnally felt able to sail

free – fnancially – in what had previously been a sea full of despair. I felt that I was doing something vital for society, and it gave me enormous energy to keep pushing on. Unfortunately, I then had to go to college. As a consequence, I was not able to swim in the sea of prosperity anymore. Now I feel that I have a tremendous amount of work to do when it comes to my current education. I deeply regret that time spent working, when I could have flled the gaps in my education. Now I must work extremely hard to achieve and obtain the qualifcations required. I don’t really feel prepared to study at university. Yet I am applying for it… Furthermore, I think that the Government could do much more to help those in need and provide support, even afer lockdown. For instance, they could throw the vulnerable a much-needed lifeline. Now the coronavirus cases are increasing like overwhelming waves, day afer day. Maybe something will change, because locking down all the companies is not a sensible solution. I hope that you were not lef to the sharks in your industry. All the best,

Patrycja Skrzypkowska