A Few More Minutes

Finding a new place to live in London is extremely difficult for us. I am studying full-time, and my partner is the only one working a full-time job. We can’t afford to live in our own private space, so the only option is to rent a room in a shared house or flat. It is important to feel comfortable where you live. Over the past year, myself, Ruslan, our lovely flatmate Alex and her boyfriend Toni were living together in the shared flat in East London. We were lucky to find this room and to get to know these people, but it ended too soon. Together we went through happy and difficult times. We planned on traveling together, even considered moving out for good to another country, but it all came to an end on the 22nd of March, just one day before the UK’s official COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

Alex was about to start a new job in IT as she recently received a Master’s degree in the field. Toni was working in the local Italian restaurant where he didn’t feel appreciated and had too much pressure from his mother about unfinished studies. These were difficult times for all of us. We had to keep together and help each other every single day.

Due to Coronavirus, we had to be separated and will no longer live together. The decision to leave was made in a matter of seconds on the 18th of March while doing grocery shopping. They didn’t want to be stuck here for long because there was nothing they had to hold on to, just their cat- Pisica Mica-Gina. Not only that we lost our friends and great flatmates but also should we now have to find a new place to live and move out to during pandemic lockdown when it is illegal. The contract of the flat is signed by the girl’s mother, father and a colleague from their work. 15th of May is our move out date. It is extremely difficult times when we’ve lost our friends, are separated from our families 10000 miles away, I am trying to finish the 2nd year of studies and my partner is working as a key worker for a food delivery company.

Missing our day-long talks in the tiny kitchen and messaging each other from our rooms.