How my mother escaped from Macedonia to London with only £5 in her pocket
In 1991, the collapse of former Yugoslavia and the introduction of Macedonia’s own currency, the Macedonian Denar, led to grave economic internal and external shocks. In 1993 – 1994, Macedonia faced extreme loss of markets and increased transportation costs due to the United Nation’s economic and political sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro which were Macedonia’s largest economic partner. More recently, in 2006, Macedonia stood as an outlier with an unemployment rate of 36% in comparison to other transition economies. At a time when political stability was particularly necessary, it remained scarce. With arguably one of the toughest political, social, and economic transitions, it is unsurprising that emigration is a rapidly growing concern in the Republic of North Macedonia, heightened during the 90s.
My mother, Jasminka Nasevski, serves as my muse and is the heart of the many stories on the escape from Macedonia in search of a better life elsewhere in Europe. From a one-bedroom family home located in a small village in the east-side of Macedonia to the heart of vibrant West London, Jasminka, at the young age of 23, had conquered all. Visiting my mother’s upbringing home recently, despite having already visited it numerous times, compelled me to find out more about her journey to London. As she narrated with ease, I learned that her arrival was everything but easy. On a stroke of luck she was offered to work as a nanny for a family in London for £50 a week, working Monday to Saturday from 7am to 7pm. For many, this opportunity would be laughable. For my mother, however, it meant everything. It was certainly the moment she told me she arrived with £5 in her pocket, a single suitcase of clothes and no knowledge of the English language, that struck with me the most.
Over the years, Jasminka has taken strenuous steps to alter the destined path of her inherent roots; from creating a new home for herself, away from her family, to studying in a foreign language to gain a qualification in accountancy whilst raising two children, there is nothing this woman can’t do. Now, at the age of 49, she has opened her own accountancy company.
This story serves to inspire you, as you too can certainly create your own financial destiny as a woman with better opportunities in modern society.
Collectively, as female students at University College London, living in a city full of opportunities, we too have access to financial markets in some shape or form. Our greatest student event, Wednesday sports night at SCALA, which should come to no utter surprise, soars in popularity each week. Even our final years are continuously tempted by the sound of a sports night outing. Consequently, we have witnessed how reselling Scala tickets has become the new stock market. I myself have engaged in reselling activity and realised the great opportunity in tackling the common struggle of student life. This example is one of many ways you can enter a ‘financial market,’ even as a student.
Another student life hack: pay more attention to the walls in Print Room or the Refectory or the Torrington Building. Rumour has it that our final year students or postgraduates attempting to finalize their dissertation project often are in need of subjects to carry out a research question. The freedom to decide between watching Friends or a scary movie in comparison to a functional MRI screening as part of one’s study is up to you; however, this decision could be determining whether your participation is awarded £10 or £240.
Evidently, whilst engaging in ticket selling or experiments won’t immediately alter your financial discourse, it can promote creative thinking to participate in alternative methods to facilitate your financial destiny. Whether that’s selling clothes on Depop, content creation on Tik-Tok or even trading for those with investment knowledge and skills, the possibilities are endless. With the rise of modernization and globalization, it is necessary for us women too to take advantage of the modern favourable circumstances granted to us.