Disclaimer: In Real Life is a platform for everyday people to share their experiences and voices. All articles are personal stories and do not necessarily echo In Real Life’s sentiments.
In 2019, if you have told someone they would be living in a pandemic, they would have just laughed at your face.
However 2020 and the whole year was spent social distancing and in your house.
Some might have been affected mentally, some might have had to change their travel plans. Fortunately for some, they got to keep their jobs. But not one everyone is as lucky.
Image source: Unsplash
I had to move back to my parents’ house
“In the beginning, I didn’t see the issue of it. I knew about a new kind of flu from all the memes on social media, but it was something that I would see, laugh and scroll past, to move on with my life.” Natasha*, (*not her real name) a 26-year old, shares.
Natasha only understood the severity of her position when her office closed and she lost her job. “When the MCO was announced in March, all non-essential business had to close. Which means the restaurant I worked for closed too. I was terrified,” she explains.
She was an events manager in a restaurant and has been working there a little over a year. So when the government made that announcement, it hit her that this is going to affect her too, especially since she works with big crowds and now that people had to go social distance.
Image source: Unsplash
“I know it’s selfish that I only realised the magnitude of it when it affected me. I have only myself to blame for not educating myself,” Natasha admits.
When the announcement was made, Natasha’s company provided her with very little information on how to move forward.
“I don’t blame them though, since everything was new for them too. No one knows when the pandemic is going to end so I didn’t expect definite answers from them since they barely knew what was going on,” she says.
Since Natasha was an event manager, working from home was not an option. “It’s not like people wanted to go to organise events in the middle of the pandemic. So for the first few months, I literally did nothing at home and got paid for it.”
She started focusing on her savings instead of splurging. After that, her company notified them they would only pay 50% of their salary to everyone.
“This alarmed me. I live alone, I depend on my own income so I started thinking how am I going to pay rent, how am I going to eat next week? Yes, I have savings to survive for a while but after that?”
Then Natasha’s boss called her to tell her she had been let go
She had a sense of constant fear. But this amplified in July, when her boss called her one day.
“He apologised to me before breaking the news. I remember the tears and panic rushing in when he said ‘we have to let you go’. But there was nothing I could do about it.”
Natasha says how she kept herself composed during the call but as soon as the call ended, she went into a panicked frenzy.
“I called my mom and bawled my eyes out to her. I turned from a 25 year old to a 5 year old, crying to mummy. I loved my job and was not ready to lose it at all.”
She composed herself quickly and started applying for new jobs. The next few weeks she had enough savings to sustain herself, but as time went the numbers in her bank account got lower, and no one was hiring.
“No one wanted to hire anyone at that time. Understandable. I would not hire anyone too but it still sucked,” Natasha confesses.
She moved back in with her parents and depended on them for expenses like for food. “It’s embarrassing to be a 25 year old and still depend on your parents financially, but I had no choice.”
She added, “I still had to pay rent for my apartment since the lease didn’t end.”
Natasha started doing freelance designing and proofreading jobs
She moved back in with her parents and depended on them for expenses like for food. “It’s embarrassing to be a 25 year old and still depend on your parents financially, but I had no choice.”
Natasha still had to pay rent for her apartment since the lease didn’t end, so she started searching for odd jobs.
Luckily she picked up some skills such as graphic designing during her university days.
“When I saw posts in social media that they need someone to design a thumbnail for a video, I jumped at the chance to earn some small income,” she shared.
Eventually she came across more odd job posts on Facebook looking for someone to design or proofread, which suited her.
“The more you do, the more opportunities you would get, since they recommend you to their friends,” Natasha clarified.
Aside from her freelance income, Natasha is still applying for jobs all the time and constantly contacting people asking if they know about any offers. However, she’s been getting negative responses so far.
“Even if I do, they just say the position is unavailable, the job only starts in 2021 or when the pandemic is over,” Natasha explains.
There are times when Natasha loses hope, but she picks herself up quickly. For that, she is grateful for her family. They have been there for her throughout everything, and are always encouraging her.
“I have learned to be patient and positive. I know I can’t depend on my freelance work forever since it’s quite inconsistent and I have to find a steady job.”
“I have come to terms that my opportunity will only come when the pandemic is over and until then to hold on,” Natasha concludes.
For more stories like this, read: These Are Three Malaysians Who Got Fired for the Most Ridiculous Reasons and After Malaysia’s Borders Were Closed, Here’s What 5 Pilots Are Doing To Survive
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