New job for blogger Filip - 'I'm back'
Before his accident, Filip ran a successful carpentry business. Business went well, but after his accident he was completely rejected. Now he has a new job and it's just good for him. He reports about it in his new blog.
Blogger Filip (38, married and father of three children) decided to have his left leg amputated in 2016 after a water sports accident. After his amputation, he was finally able to get on with his life and took up sports again. With his blogs he gives insights into his life and inspires others with his activities and experiences.
Most regular readers here will know that I moved to Switzerland at the end of 2020. My wife is from there. We are now temporarily living on one floor in my in-laws house. We bought a plot of land near their house where we will build our own house. The architect's drawings are ready and we are busy preparing for the start of construction.
Build your own house
I recently spoke to the contractor because I really like being fully involved and also want to help as much as possible with the construction of our house. The contractor was very enthusiastic about it. He asked me if I would like to do a work trial at his company for a day. I did this and then I was offered a job. I started in February. The company does everything with wood; from a built-in wardrobe to an entire home. And I have a flexible contract, I'm paid per hour worked. There is a lot of work, so if I want and it works physically, I can work as much as I want. But I also get the space to take care of myself. On average, I now work two to three days a week. I'm finally doing what I was doing before my accident - beautiful carpentry!
Working with a prosthesis
The start was exciting. Can I do that with my prosthesis at all? This job keeps you on your feet all day. You take many steps in a day, sometimes 20,000. At the construction site you twist, turn, carry and crawl under things all the time. I had to figure out how that would work. But I was really looking forward to it. In Belgium, I was always advised against going back to work. It would jeopardize my social benefits, so actually working was financially disadvantageous. Luckily this is not the case in Switzerland.
In practice it works very well. Although I have to admit that at the beginning I was very happy after a day's work when I was home in the evening. Then I was physically very tired. After cooking and eating, the prosthesis also went out, because my leg needed a proper rest.
Jokes among each other
But it's all worth it. Of course I'm new to this country. And I already had social contacts here, but they also work a lot. Now I meet a lot of new people. This is a very nice extra. My colleagues are also very relaxed about the fact that I am “disabled”. For example, I find it difficult to carry heavy things, the weight limits the maneuverability of my prosthesis. My colleagues help me when needed. I think it helps that I also have a lot of self-mockery and there is always room for jokes. Recently we had a joke with a colleague. Not everyone knew that I am wearing a prosthesis. We staged an accident and put my leg at an awkward angle. Some colleagues wanted to call the ambulance. We all laughed a lot about that.
Belonging
Now I really can tell something when my wife asks how my day was. I daresay I felt excluded from society for a while. Now I see a meaning in it again. I feel useful again. Life seems to be "more normal" again, this is a very special experience. It mentally really gave me a huge boost. My wife and other people around me noticed these changes.
A nice extra from my current employment? I will soon be able to work on my own house as a colleague instead of a customer. We expect to start construction after the summer and be ready around Christmas 2022.