I can’t afford to live in Poland. I am 33 years old and for the first time I am seriously thinking about emigrating

Why does a person who works honestly have to wonder if he has enough money to live? Lately I thought that was really absurd. I am 33 years old and have been working in the same place for over 10 years. I go to work, do my job diligently, and end up experiencing a lot of stress doing my daily grocery shopping.

I don’t even dream about holidays

I really don’t need luxuries. I think that I live quite modestly, and my relatives say that I am very frugal. Four years ago, even though I earned less than now, I was able to save at least PLN 1,000 each month. I was also able to afford a foreign holiday. Now I save much less, and I don’t even think about traveling. I am afraid of what will happen in a few years after another win of the currently ruling party. When you listen to economists, you get the impression that politicians from the power camp behave as if they are taking part in some kind of suicide rally. They’re giving away money like there’s no tomorrow.

I live in a small town and here people are blinded by the propaganda of power. What’s funny, sometimes I hear opinions like that the current high prices are the fault of… Tusk. I understand someone would be using this argument in 2016. But now? After all, someone else has been in charge for eight years.

I lost hope a long time ago

I have never voted for the current ruling party and of course I do not intend to do so. However, I do not believe that anything will change after these elections. I lost hope a long time ago. Recently we came to sad conclusions with my neighbor who came to Poland from Belarus. As she recalls, even though she worked as an accountant in Minsk, she earned much less than now as a shop assistant. In her homeland, only a few, gathered around Lukashenko’s regime, could count on good wages and a high standard of living. We are afraid that unfortunately we are also heading in this direction. And although I love my city and my country, for the first time in my life I am thinking about emigrating. And I really never wanted to leave Poland.