“From urchin to employee” – The story of a migrant by a person reconnected by Barka UK from Lambeth, London
Morning – it’s the worst time of the day. The cold wakes me first, and then that familiar flutter in my head, dry mouth and a “brush” in the throat. I look around and I see familiar people in sleeping bags, lying close to the wall. It is raining again. Bottles are scattered around me, unfortunately empty like my pockets. Then I heard for the first time, “Hey guys how are you today? We are from “Barka”. How can we help you? HELP? I thought immediately of filling the bottle next to me.
In another life I should be at the bottom of the Thames right now. Or perhaps I might have found my way back to Poland by myself, but even then I would still be the same drunk Jerzy.
I came to London for a holiday at first, to visit my son who was working here. I liked the place and there was so much work available that I decided to stay, living in a squat in an industrial area…