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Letter From Poland :: Dear refugees...

PR dla Zagranicy
Roberto Galea 07.10.2015 17:12
  • Letter From Poland :: Dear refugees...
This is our letter written to the refugees heading into Europe. Hope they read it.
The EU is facing the biggest influx of migrants and refugees since the end of World War II. The bloc saw 500,000 people arrive by sea this year - most of the more than 4 million Syrian refugees remain in neighboring countries, including Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon. Photo: EPA/ZOLTAN BALOGH HUNGARYThe EU is facing the biggest influx of migrants and refugees since the end of World War II. The bloc saw 500,000 people arrive by sea this year - most of the more than 4 million Syrian refugees remain in neighboring countries, including Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon. Photo: EPA/ZOLTAN BALOGH HUNGARY

Over recent weeks, a very hot debate in Poland has been the influx of immigrants from the Middle East and north Africa. As Poland has vouched to assist in finding a home for around 10,000 immigrants, this week’s Letter from Poland is dedicated to those who are coming to Europe looking for a better future.

Let me start off by saying that Poland is a great place to live in. The people are friendly, the economy is doing well, and the country itself is beautiful. Of course it has its drawbacks, just like any other place in the world.

On balance, you might have heard that Poles do not want you, and that they are afraid of you. Well that is mostly true. Poland, being a Roman Catholic country is perhaps not perfectly equipped for Muslims. There are only a handful of mosques, and the concept of Islam is a foreign one to many Poles. As with many other issues, concepts which are alien very often fill us with dread. Think of flying in a plane. Man wasn’t meant to fly, and the idea of being 30,000 metres above ground makes our hearts flutter.

You have already shown you are brave enough to make such a treacherous journey with you young children, risking your lives and future. I take my hat off to you. I don’t know if I could have the courage to attempt such a journey. But then again, perhaps nor could you have imagined doing one just a decade ago, when things were not as bad in your country. Now the horrors of war have pushed you away to a place you think might be safe. And offer a haven –albeit temporary – for you and your loved ones.

We have seen images of refugees being kicked by at least one European in nearby Hungary. But let me make this clear. Not everyone feels like that about you. Perhaps Poles will not be organising parties for you like some villages in Germany. But if you are willing to put in hard work and determination, you will manage to carve out a space for yourself here.

Many of you are highly educated, so learning the language won’t be a problem. In fact your English might even be better than the average Pole’s.

I can tell you from experience that Polish is a difficult language to master, but many jobs don’t need a high level of the language. Plus the language problem is not much of an issue because German is not easy to learn either.

Many jobs are also international and can easily be transplanted into other countries. Carpenters, surgeons, and bakers, for example are not limited by language or other barriers, as, for example, lawyers, doctors and taxi drivers.

Many young Poles are leaving the country to find jobs abroad – mainly to the UK – leaving a vacuum of talent in all walks of life here. There are jobs that can be performed by hardworking people. As the saying goes: “where there is a will there is a way” and I am convinced that the sacrifices you have already made are proof that your potential is huge. Granted, there are still the stains of an economic recession in Europe, but that will not last forever, and perhaps there is no better time to build a new life in a fast-developing country like Poland.

Perhaps I’m being overly optimistic about all of this, and I can, just like many times in the past, be proven wrong. Perhaps a very small number of you are in fact terrorists intent on a major mission in Europe. At least that is what scares many Europeans, including Poles.

Perhaps Poland was not your dream destination when you set off on this perilous journey, but I – as a recent immigrant into the country – can tell you if you are willing to make some minor sacrifices, it’s not a bad place to be.

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