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I worked in turn at ‘Dokumentacja Prasowa’ and ‘Przyjaciolka’ [a weekly women’s magazine]. From Przyjaciolka I switched to the Polish Chamber of Foreign Trade, where I dealt with xerographic publication and one day I learned that ‘Rynki Zagraniczne’ [a magazine published by the Chamber] needed a proof-reader. I went to the editor, there was a contest and I won.
In the Polish Chamber of Foreign Trade the work was such that you had to stamp a card, like in a factory, and after half a year I would get a letter from the human resources saying: ‘Citizen Ziemna was six minutes late over the period of six months.’ Later we would sit down and there would be nothing to do. The manager often told us to spread papers around so you couldn’t tell there was nothing to do. But when I started correcting ‘Rynki’ in the printing house of Kurier Polski, I felt good at work for the first time. Later I started working for Kurier Polski. I had two jobs at the same time. I also worked nightshifts in some other editorial offices, because I was already alone and had two children to raise.
In the Polish Chamber of Foreign Trade the work was such that you had to stamp a card, like in a factory, and after half a year I would get a letter from the human resources saying: ‘Citizen Ziemna was six minutes late over the period of six months.’ Later we would sit down and there would be nothing to do. The manager often told us to spread papers around so you couldn’t tell there was nothing to do. But when I started correcting ‘Rynki’ in the printing house of Kurier Polski, I felt good at work for the first time. Later I started working for Kurier Polski. I had two jobs at the same time. I also worked nightshifts in some other editorial offices, because I was already alone and had two children to raise.
Period
Interview
Maria Ziemna