JOHN

                        ANDREA

Transciption of Audio 

Andrea 

Right, hello. Hello, John. I’m Andrea Gilbert, and I’m here today to interview you to find out more about the work that you’re doing, the work that you hope to be doing in the future, and what your thoughts are just generally about the UK and your stay here. Okay. John, can you tell us a little bit about how you came to the UK and what your experiences have been like? #

 

John 

Okay. To start off, my full name is John C. Mpaso, I am from Zimbabwe. I’ve been in England for about 19 years now. I came here in 2004. At the time when I came, I came with my parents because of the economic struggles that were taking place in Zimbabwe at that point of time. Things had gotten really bad compared to the few years before that. At that point, I decided to come here because of economic reasons and educational reasons. It would have been easier for me to get a higher level of education and at the same time, better quality of life and protection as a lot of things were going on in Zimbabwe at that period. Primarily, that’s why I came.

Primarily, that’s why I came to England for a better life and more opportunities, of course. But as I grow up, reasons start to change because at that point, I was just a child. My parents just wanted me to get educated so that I can have opportunities and take whatever routes that would lead me to a more successful life. But of course, coming here and growing up here from 10 years old, I faced a lot of challenges, especially in terms of integrating into the society. Because the societies between Zimbabwe and England, they’re quite different in a sense that Zimbabwe is very conservative in terms of the beliefs and just certain things that are expected of you, especially if you’re a child or if you’re a boy, it’s quite different. Whereas in here, it’s much more liberal in terms of the way people speak to each other and treat each other, it’s quite different. Not necessarily in a negative way. 

 

Andrea 

Just different. What challenges did you find when you were trying to adapt to living in the U.K  

 

John 

The UK? First was finding people that understood me. I came from a different country. I speak Shwana in Zimbabwe. At the same time, I was just finding someone from my own community that would be able to understand my accent at the moment. Of course, I still have my Zimbabwe accent, but then at that point, it was very strong. At the same time, I didn’t really understand the British accent. It was very strong for me at that point. Language was a barrier. Even though I spoke English, the accent did make it difficult. It took me about three or four months for me to get used to it. 

 

Andrea 

Do you feel like you were supported during those three and four months by anyone? 

 

John 

Of course. At that point, just going home was home in school. I was living with my father at that point, first days when I came. He was busy at work. Then, of course, I’m going to school. School, there isn’t any support at all to help this child or this young student integrate. It was nothing like that. It was something that I had to do on my own. Luckily, I would say the most helpful part was that there were also young boys from East Africa. Most of them came from Tanzania. I had a community, or should I say, people that understood me and my background. That was a breath of fresh air. I was able to have people that I could hang around with and speak to certain subjects that they would understand. That was helpful. Of course, it wasn’t institutional help, but it’s just something that was luckily available to.me at that point. 

 

Andrea 

You’ve brought up institutions. What support would you have wanted at that stage or do you believe would have helped you to adapt to your time here. 

 

John 

In the UK? I would say perhaps a counsellor, someone with a role in school that can help the students from different countries integrate. That could be just to have someone to talk to, maybe simple questions, but they don’t know how to phrase it in a way someone from England would understand or maybe another issue and maybe someone from a certain region or a certain country would understand. That would help, especially someone that can speak a native tongue. Of course, I understand that’s a tall order because people in England, they come from everywhere. But I think someone that’s accustomed to a certain culture, regional rather than focus on a country. Because from my own experiences, a lot of people from sub-Saharan Africa, they have a lot of similarities in terms of belief systems and the way that they speak, their food. I would say someone from a region would be a good person that can help integrate someone or community to a certain place, especially someone that has experience of the location. For instance, for me, if I had someone in school, like a counsellor that came from either Southern Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, it’s really similar. 

 

John 

They also have great knowledge in terms of Coventry itself and the organizations and institutions. That would be a big help because then not only myself, but my parents also have contact who they can call or just give an email and ask certain questions about, Hey, where can we take our child for after-school activities where you would feel welcomed and feel safe? Or where can we do extracurricular activities? Even if it’s sports or swimming because we don’t understand, we’re not really from here, so we don’t know where to go and who to speak to. That would be, I believe, a very big help. 

 

Andrea 

It sounds like to me that you feel that representation from your communities would have played an important role and it would have supported you in the sense of integrating into the new society here, but also having someone that’s come from where you’ve come from or surrounding areas who knows the area and could signpost you to places that you would be able to integrate into and actually get somewhere with. Moving forwards with it all, how do you feel now you support people from your community settling into the UK? 

 

John 

Well, I feel proud, but to be honest, it’s very overwhelming. Because you can tell a lot of the service users are very isolated, very isolated. A lot of people that face a lot of difficulties in terms of integrating one way or another, it really wears them down. At that point, it’s very difficult to help them, kind of help them the will, or should I say, the enthusiasm that’s required for them to take certain tasks that need to be completed. Because at that point, I think they would have lost hope or faith. It becomes very difficult because it transcends just the issue that they have in terms of if it’s dealing with a certain organization or if there’s a legal process they have to go through. It comes more about their own mental health. Because it’s these tasks that they have to do, they are very demanding. At that point, it’s difficult for them to be able to do these things. It’s very, very, very hard to make someone enthusiastic or confident. It’s something I don’t know. It’s something I’m still trying to wrap my head around. But I know that most certainly has something to do with mental and emotional health. 

 

Andrea 

Yeah. You brought up that you find it overwhelming. Could you go into a bit more about what overwhelms you with supporting people from your community? 

 

John 

They’re trying to motivate the community, especially in terms of finding a way of making them to believe in themselves. That they can do this and that the change can come from them. 

 

Andrea 

Yeah. In what ways do you try and motivate them? 

 

John 

Well, the biggest one is I try to make them understand that the only way things can change for them is they take the steps for the change. I think a lot of us, or everyone, most of us would like to have someone that can come to us and help us and give us all the things that we want. But unfortunately, I personally believe that’s not how it is. Unless you are in the environment and in the situation to receive stuff, but most of us are not, hence why we’re coming here. I try to make them understand that we’ve got to do this. It’s our work. That’s why you are here. Yes, you’re going through difficulties, but if you believe in God, then you know that we are here to do work, not just here to chill, here to work and grow. The things that make us grow are our challenges. Once we persevere through them, you’re a different person with a different perspective. You even look back and be like, ‘Oh, you know that thing that was really hurting me?’ It becomes kind of funny in a way. Or you just look back on it as a smaller thing than it really was in that situation. It’s more of trying to make them believe within themselves as the change that they want is only through them because they’re the ones that want it.