In 1987, I am 17 years old. In Poland, the declining communist regime is still in power, slowly heading toward collapse. I have been passionate about computers for several years, but after a complete disappointment with my Atari 800 XL, which my Mom somehow managed to buy with hard currency at Pewex, my soul longs for the Commodore Amiga. It is a computer completely out of reach at the time for an average earner in Poland, let alone for my mother, who works as a poorly paid university lecturer. Then suddenly, something incredible happens. An opportunity to go to the Netherlands arises, and with it, the chance to earn money paid in hard currency.
How It All Started
This story has its roots in the situation in Poland at that time. The Iron Curtain was still in place, we weren’t starving, but we were generally poor. Any Western item, even something as trivial as a BIC pen or a Matchbox car, had a cult status. You could buy foreign currency illegally from money dealers, but if you earned only Polish złoty, it was almost financially impossible. I was ecstatic when I managed to save enough to buy even one cassette tape. Another way to obtain hard currency was to somehow travel to the West and work illegally. My mother managed to do this a few times, thanks to her old connections. People in the Netherlands were quite surprised when they found out that the woman washing dishes was actually a Ph.D. graduate from the University of Warsaw. But those were the times. In 1987, again thanks to these contacts, my mother was able to take me to the West, not for work, but so that I could see a bit of the world. Mom always pushed me forward, for which I am lovingly grateful to her.
The Job
So, during the summer holidays, we went to the Netherlands. First, we visited my Mom’s friend, Bogusia, who hosted us for a few days. Exactly where, I don't quite remember. Later, my Mom contacted another acquaintance, a Dutch woman named Coby (at least I think that was her name). She was a young woman who, together with her partner, was eager to help people from Eastern Europe. They came up with the idea of finding me a small job as a student, so that I could earn some pocket money.
Coby and her partner reached out to a friend who ran his own business, but unfortunately, he didn’t have anything available. However, he mentioned that his brother owned a greenhouse near Delft and occasionally needed extra help for bigger jobs. He spoke with his brother, and I think it was Coby who took me there... and I got the job!
Naturally, the next question was, "But where will I stay?" Luckily, my Mom had another acquaintance named Grażyna, who was married to a Dutch man. Grażyna regularly allowed her house to be used by Polish friends during the summer while she and her family went away on vacation. It turned out there was space in the attic, where I could sleep on a mattress and freely use the house, including the kitchen and bathroom.
Everything was arranged. Mom had to return to Poland, and suddenly, I found myself alone in the "Wild West."
7 Guilders per Hour
I worked in a flower greenhouse, specifically with gerberas, beautiful, elegant flowers. When I was hired, my boss needed help replacing seedlings. Even back then, the Netherlands was famous for its advanced flower cultivation methods, and "my" greenhouse was no exception.
The seedlings arrived in blocks of compressed sea grass and were placed into special troughs stretching for kilometers throughout the greenhouse, arranged in rows at knee height. Each plant was individually watered by a system controlled by a central computer. I was truly fascinated by this technology.
My first task involved assisting in replacing older seedlings, which were no longer productive after several blooming cycles. The job was tough and dirty, wet, rotting leaves and water-soaked sea grass were heavy and unpleasant to handle. Moreover, the sea grass released tiny needles that irritated the skin, causing itching and small wounds. Conditions were further complicated by temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius inside the greenhouse.
It was genuinely challenging work, but I earned 7 guilders per hour, so I was incredibly happy!
To be continued...