Danilo Pejcic is one of the young people whose story is
somewhere in-between. He had lived in Dimitrovgrad all his life until
two years ago, when he found a job in a company in Bulgaria which
afforded him a better income.
He regularly travels from
Dimitrovgrad, Serbia to Slivnica, Bulgaria, about 30 kilometers away,
and sometimes stays there for a week or two at the company-provided
accommodation. At least he did, until the pandemic hit and borders
closed. Restrictions prevented him from traveling back and forth,
leaving him unemployed. He is currently without a regular income, now
remaining in Dmitrovgrad and helping around the house. “I hope I can
start working again soon,” he says.
In the meantime, he has taken a
part-time assignment working customs in his city, documenting the train
cars that arrive and sharing them with the agency. The job pays 50 Euro
per day, but it’s only a few times a month. Danilo has become afraid
that he doesn’t have a back-up plan. He was originally hoping to go back
to Bulgaria by the beginning of December, but because the pandemic
situation hasn’t improved, the borders may close again.