I arrived in the UK in July 21, I was in a detention centre for 3 or 4 days, where I had an interview, then I was transferred to Birmingham where I stayed for 15 days, then they move us to a hotel in Liverpool.  I was there for 4 months, then they moved me to here.  I came alone, in a taxi.

A house is better than a hotel, but I was in trouble, because I had an appointment in Liverpool in 2 days, I told the Serco house manager but she cannot accept: “I focus only on the house, my job is managing the house, not about you, not about the person.  Go to hospital, go to a charity, call Migrant Help”.  I called twice, no help.  This is it.  After that, one guy…..  I ask him, he is in my house, he is very gentleman, and honest.  I tell him the problem, after tomorrow I have appointment, if I miss this medical appointment at Liverpool hospital then I get a problem, he says “Come, maybe today I can be late for my work, come”.  He showed me, he guide me, to Global Link, to the building, how to go one floor up, they will help you.  So I go inside, I explain “I am new, I have appointment…” and they arranged everything for me.  They got me transportation, someone took me there, and a covid test so I could go, it was Zia who fixed it all.

When I first arrived I was too stressed to tell you the truth.  I have back pain from a long time ago, 21 years ago when I was in prison, I was in prison four times, they beat me, I don’t want to miss the appointment, but I couldn’t go by train, I had only £8.

Now I have been 4 or 5 times to Liverpool for appointments, first Global Link refunded me for transportation costs then Gisela tells me how to use HC2 to get it refunded by the hospital.  One time I had a photocopy and they said no and Global Link helped me.  The fourth time I took the original HC2 and they paid me correctly!

And still now they help us, in case of job, how to apply, they help us… GP they apply for me, HC2 they apply for me, free hair cut, SIM card, a bag when I arrived, help to open a bank account, even guide me how to use a lawyer – they advise don’t change the lawyer now….. And still I continue with them, I work as a volunteer, like at Claver Hill, planting vegetables, clearing up… we plant potatoes, garlic, onions, cabbage, courgettes.  I enjoy working, I have free time, if I volunteer it’s no problem, I look at is as free sports and free exercise!

I also have been in the history group, the Migration Stories project.  I researched about Sylvia Pankhurst, you know aged 74 she lived in Ethiopia for 4 years, she migrated from the North West, Manchester, to London and then Ethiopia.  She was antagonism of facism, a very strong woman, she lobbied for Ethiopia when the League of Nations meet in Paris.  She travelled all the country, she wrote Ethiopia Review, she wrote about history, cities, development, she founded the first teaching hospital in Ethiopia.  She was very famous and her son Professor Pankhurst taught me!  And I am developing my language by writing this history:  I read too much from google, from libraries, even I had good contact with different people here.  We have finished now, and last week we got certificates.

In that project I learned even how human behaviour is complex.  We have different culture, different character, different behaviour, different values, but you must tolerate that. If they didn’t understand me – my English is weak – but they afford it…maybe I say I a word and that word is mistake, there is no laugh, there is no any silence.

I am going to classes too, right now I have English Level 1 and Maths Level 2.  With English my problem is with writing.  And sometimes with speaking.  I make grammar mistakes, I speak as present, I speak as past, it’s not easy!  I learned a little bit English in high school in Ethiopia, and from high school to university the medium for teaching is English, but from the beginning we have no base.  After we finish from college or university we stop everything with English, we don’t use English, we are working with Amharic or Oromo, Oromo or Amharic.  So when I started here it was new for me, sometimes I cannot speak, now I am good, little bit good:  from last year this is good for me!  It’s useful for me, I purchase my things from shopping, I communicate with people, I read books, I get the information if I read…if I listen to the radio of watch TV everything is in English, no second language, so there is no choice!  English only.  So it is useful for me.  I don’t like to listen to the news in my own language, I need English.

Now I am translating for Global Link, in person, when they call me I go and translate to Amharic or Oromo.

I made my digital story with Global Link.  It was good because I explained it all, it helped me recall what I forget.  It was nice because it helped me remember and to write it, it’s five minutes I think.  They put a picture to go with the words.   I told them not to use my digital story, if they want to show to people from the UK, to British people it’s OK, but my family are in Ethiopia, I don’t have leave to remain, I need my family, even now, I would be mentally free, I get headaches, stress anxiety… I have not seen my wife and three children for more than 6 years.  I have good contact when they were children, I carry them on my shoulder, I feed them on my knee, I am enjoying being with them, I roll the stone on the floor with them.  Sometimes when I call them it makes another headache for me, they say “Babi (they call me Babi, ‘dad’ it means) if we were a bird we fly and visit you, we want to see you but we can’t…”  That is making headache for me.  I can’t do a [Home Office] interview by myself, it is in another person’s hands, I don’t know, it takes a long time, for them in the Home Office it is a short time, 1 year and 4 months, for me it is a long time, very heavy time. This phone is important!  If I don’t have this phone it’s too much of a problem.

The lunches on Tuesdays are good.  There are different countries, different cultures, from Arab, from Syria, Iran, Iraq, Sudanese, too much, different!  Every Tuesday there is lunch, if anyone can go they can take.  I am not going for eating lunch but to enjoy with people.  You share ideas, you get information.  Each time we get information about different things, about job, about health, about law, about cultures… today it was about health, our mental health, how to keep yourself.  There is long time waiting here, there is stress, now Home Office is busy in case of Ukraine.

I’ve travelled to the Lake District three times this year, climbing up and climbing down.  I like it, I enjoy, you see everything’s green, fresh air, different peoples come there, females, males, some people go alone!  You heard birds singing, it’s very interesting.  Sport makes you strength.  Gisela is bringing lunch for us all, she is carrying for us all!  I thought “why didn’t I bring my lunch, she is carrying a big bag”.  But it’s good because the men from the hotel don’t have money to buy food and bring.

Also with Global Link there is ceremonies, get togethers, celebrations… Christmas, Easter, Ramadan, sometimes birthday of somebody, we do like this and it is very nice.

I also like to go the gym, Global Link has it for us, two times a week for two hours.  Healthy is wealthy!  It helps me to avoid stress and to increase my IQ.  Depression and anxiety run away from me when I do gym.

Gisela is very strong managing people from different countries, different behaviours, different values, all these people in one place, with diversity of languages, it is difficult – even if you have one kid in your house it is very difficult!  Some migrants do not obey, but she is patient, she does not reflect back, she controls herself.

Yesterday I did an interview for one company, I hope they selected me, this is my hope.  Job is Production Operative, at Elis Laundry in Lancaster, RAIS helped me with the application.  Global Link applied for my National Insurance number, they give me an appointment, I travelled to Preston (RAIS paid for the train ticket), after two weeks, they send it to me, in the post.  But when they sent for interview I did not have it!  And I needed to show my National Insurance number in the interview!  Gisela wrote a letter to the company to say that I have applied, I am just waiting, I am so happy I can still go to the interview.  And then after two hours it arrived!

If get leave to remain I won’t go to a big city, Lancaster is better for me.  I don’t like noisy place, here it is quiet, silent!  Big cities have its advantage and disadvantage.  Advantage is you get widely everything.  Disadvantage you get widely addictive thing, alcoholic, noisy, different complex things.  I don’t like that.

For Global Link I say it is fair and good, keep this!