I attended a recent 3millions lobbying event and when I arrived at the event “Schadenfreude” was all I felt. “Schade” (shame) because why we have to do it? It should be straightforward. We are living in the UK, this is our home. Since the Article 50 was triggered, this feeling of home has been on very shaky ground. And this is why we met. But I felt also “Freude” (joy). I am not alone. Mine is not a lone wolf’s cry.
Poland
A Polish EU Citizen’s Story
“First of all, be as safe as possible – literally – in your everyday life. Make your home a peaceful and secure place in every way, beginning with it being in a neighbourhood that feels safe…” Those are recommendations for anyone who is trying to recover from psychological traumas. A peaceful place to live is an absolute must for anyone with trauma-related conditions, such as PTSD. People fleeing from warzones come to mind; but it also applies to those who may have not lived through war, but try to recover from other violent conditions they have suffered “back home”, recently or decades ago.
Aga B.’s Story
I would like to share my story. I’m Aga from Poland, here in U.K. since 2007, living with my unmarried partner. We have an eight year old daughter. Since she was born I was able to work only part time as most of the time I was looking after her. I applied for Permanent Residency but I was refused.
Magdalena’s Story
I arrived in the UK in 2007 along with my fiancé who became my husband in 2009. We decided to settle in Northern Ireland for unknown reasons. We did not consider the terrible weather here, that’s for sure!