This is my home

Further Info

Watershed staff worked with immigrants and refugees from Zimbabwe. At the time of the workshop, a controversial recount of election results had just been carried out and the Movement for Democratic Change were trying to gain control of the country from Robert Mugabe, who had been in power for many years. The workshop took place over three days at the Pierian Centre and was led by Aikaterini Gegisian, Paddy Uglow and Tom.

Transcript

When I cam here I found employment in a laundry company, and when I was working there I had no work permit, and when the immigration officers came, they got me.

I was detained for a day. Then my relative looked for a solicitor and I was bailed out. So I spent the whole day in detention and slept there, but the next day it was my birthday – it was something nice, and my relative phoned just to say, “Happy birthday.” And one of the police officers who was there just turned and said, “Oh, it’s your birthday? Happy birthday.” and I said “Thankyou.”

So, I was released by 4.30 in the afternoon. I went back home.

As I was staying there I’m not allowed to do any work – it’s just you’ve got to just sit.

Then there was a meeting, by the Zimbabwe Bristol association. I attended it, it was held at the Pierian Centre. And I just asked a question, “I am not allowed to work and you know I am not at home. I am far away from home and how can I survive? And staying in a four-corned house, looking at the walls every time, it will drive me mad. I don’t want to join the drug addicts, I don’t want to be a prostitute, I don’t want to end up stealing…”

So I just asked that question and, well, they tried to answer me but it was a little bit difficult for them, but one of the members who was there just said, “Well, there is nothing we can do. It’s just that it is their law. If you don’t have the permit you don’t work.”

So after the meeting there was June Burrough, the director of the Pierian Centre, she just said to me “Oh, can I have your mobile number, I will phone you.”

She phoned me during the week and I came to visit her and she said, “I can give you shelter. I can give you food. But I can’t give you work. So, if you want, you can come and stay with me.” The Pierian centre now is home for me.

So it’s like every day June wakes up, goes down, starts work, all that, and I just sit there and sleep and wake up and eat, and I saw what she was doing and I thought “I think I came help here somehow.”

I went down and tried to do what she was doing and she said, “What are you doing?!” and I said, “I am just helping you.”

The she said, “But I think we made it clear that I’d give you just home, food, and nothing else.”

I had put my washing in the washing room – so she had washed the washing, I didn’t know. So I thought, “Let me go and put my washing in the machine…” So I found it already washed and it’s hanging there. So it was: her clothes were there and mine were there. I took them both, went to the kitchen and then started ironing. I finished ironing, put her clothes in her bedroom and then when she walked into her bedroom she saw all this ironing done. She kept quiet.

The next morning she said, “Maria, why did you iron my things?”

To me it was like a blow: sitting every day is not healthy for anyone, it’s not really healthy. Even those who are in prison have got to do something, that is to be healthy.

“I ironed them because you washed them. Because you washed them together with mine, so I thought, well, as I am ironing mine I can as well iron yours.” Then she said “No. We don’t do it that way.”

And I went into the room and I thought, “Oh my God, what is this?” So I am here just like, you know, at home we have got chickens which we feed staying indoors and we call them broiler chickens and they are just there to eat, and eat and eat until you take them for slaughter. If not that, they will eat. Then I though, “Yeah, I’m just like one of those.”

When we grow up, even if you are at home, you help at home. It’s either in the kitchen with your mum or in the field, or somewhere. Even if you visit a relative in the city centre you do something to help.

Then one day I was sitting and I told her, “You know what June, I think if you want me to live nicely here with you, let me at least do something.”

Then she saw that I was pained and hurt and she said, “OK, you can help me voluntarily.”

So I started volunteering in the morning coming – oh I was very happy and I thought, “Now I am someone who is living. I have got something to live for and I have got something also to give, not just wait to be given and say ‘Thankyou, thankyou’.”

So I was doing this voluntary and one day I was cleaning the dishes and I was drying this big plate, and it just slide from my hands and it fell on the table.

It didn’t break the way I wanted. If it had broken ino pieces you’d think it would be better. But it just broke a small portion.

How can June look after me because she didn’t like me to do all this but I insisted and now I am breaking. So what kind of a person am I?

I cried and I cried and I thought, “Well, she must know that I have broken the plate.” I peepe down and saw Joe who was in the reception and just signalled to say “Come”. Joe came.

I sat with that plate there and I started crying, and he said “What’s wrong?” Then I showed him the plate and he said “It’s nothing. It’s nothing. It’s just a plate. That’s an accident. Are you hurt?” and I said “No, but how can I tell June because you know June didn’t like me to do all this and I just insisted and now I am breaking. How can she give me a home if I am someone who is breaking her things?”

Then he said “No, no no no, it’s nothing to worry about.” So he went down and said to June “Oh, Maria is in tears because she broke a plate.” Oh, June didn’t even wait for Joe to finish – she came upstairs running and she said, “What’s wrong Maria? It’s this plate? Only a plate?” Then I said “But it’s note yours: it’s somebody’s and the caterers – what will they say?” Then she said, “No, no no no no no. That’s nothing.” Then she said, “You know what? I was thinking maybe as the plate broke it hit you and you are hurt. No, no no no, don’t worry. I don’t want you to talk about this plate. Let me go with it and just go and relax.”

She went down with that plate. I don’t know what happened to the plate.

We were sitting here nicely – this is my home. Now my proper parents are dead and now I am looking at her and I say “Oh, so I have got a new mum and dad. So June is my mother.” I look and say, “All the love she has given me, it’s like my parents are back”.

One day I was looking for a bra. I had three bras and they were all dirty in the washing basket. And she said, “What are you looking for?” I said, “I am looking for a bra, but I can’t get it.”

She opened her drawers and she said, “What size do you put on? Have this one!” She didn’t even choose to say, “Let me give you a bad one or a torn one or the one which I don’t like.” She just pulled and said, “Have this one and if it doesn’t fit, you can take this one as well.”

Then I thought “Ooh, this is home now.”

Credits

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