My Voice My Voice Issue #1 Issue # 1 Birmingham Adult Education Service The people of Birmingham in their own words
My VoiceMy VoiceIs
sue
#1Is
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#1Birmingham Adult Education Service
The people of Birmingham in their own words
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My Voice is a Birmingham Adult Education Service (BAES) writing event for learners enrolled in our Writing Development classes.
�e aim of My Voice is to encourage creativity in our English courses, through
the sharing of stories and poems; to give learners a real opportunity to have
a voice, talk about things that matter to them and share these thoughts and
feelings with a much wider audience. Equally, we feel it is important to
recognise and celebrate the high level of work students are producing, with
support from our fantastic team of English tutors.
�e brief for this writing was simple; to write poems and short stories that
may be �ctional or based on real and lasting experiences from learners’
everyday lives. �e results have been hugely positive. All of these stories are
unique, many are entertaining, some are thought-provoking and others tell
inspiring tales of overcoming adversity. Overall, I feel this book represents and
celebrates the great diversity of our learners in Birmingham and I am extremely
proud to have been part of this project.
An Introduction To My Voiceby
Wen
dy M
ered
ith
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
1
Wendy Meredith is a Subject Leader in English, teaching both Writing
Development and Level 2 English to Adult Learners in Birmingham. Starting
out in Family Literacy, Wendy has more than 10 years’ experience teaching in
Adult & Community Learning in the Lifelong Learning Sector.
Sahra AbdiMy Step Mother . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Ahmed Abdulhafeth �e Place I Love - London . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Akmal Ahmed My Role Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Ghulnaz AjmalMy Mum, Queen Of My Heart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Yasmeen Akhtar A Sister’s Part In My Life! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Abida AkramMy Favourite Aunty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Sepideh Alavi�e Divine Gardener . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Mahdi Amini One Snowy Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Lamia AyachSouls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Farzin Bakhshi Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Selina Begum�e Place I Live - Birmingham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Fitore BerishaKosovo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Steph BrittainEddy �e Eagle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Miluska CanningHachiko . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Calvin Charles�e “Cherry Tree” Incident . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Hasna ChoudhuryMy School Days . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Natasha CohenMy Mother . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Coraline �e Wedding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22-23
Debi DeySpring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
FarahnazWaiting For Spring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Layla Fatahi Mother . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Parwana FerozyComparing Afghanistan To England. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Rebecca FordGrowing Up In Small Heath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Vanessa FortnamWhitney Houston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Shazia HaqMy First Day In College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Peter Hewitt My Restful Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Anetta Hojda Arriving In England . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Shazia Hussain �e Place I Love - Saudi Arabia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Rukhsana Ibrahim Liverpool Football Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
InnisMy Son . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Shanara IslamEid Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Ron JamesonA Puppy Abduction In A Loving Way . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
Tigist KetemaMy Homeland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Nazia KousaMy Son . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Tanzila Kousar My Life Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Kauser Mohammad�e Birthday Of Our Prophet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Valbona MorinaAn Act Of Kindness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Solani Muleya�e Day Of Celebration In Zimbabwe . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Rigoberthe MutimbwaChildhood Memories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Ritu NischalMy Earthquake Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Kathleen O’BryanMy Family Reunion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Amanda OsborneFinley’s Perfect Bike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
2
Contents
Jigisha PatelMy Earthquake Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Erenice PedroMy Wedding Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
Shabnam RabaniNightmare In Turkey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Rupa RamjeePeople Who Inspire Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Shabnum RaniMy Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Soraya RaziqiMy Best Friend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Anjean RoseA Hardworking Family In �eir Everyday Life And Finances 53
RoseWhy I Started Fostering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Genoveva RoyachkaMother . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Seham SaeidMy Mother Inspires Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Chithra Shanmuganathan My Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Ranjit SinghMy Son Arron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Vanitha SivakumaMy Daughter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Salaha Sohail Detective Hen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Neelofar Sultana Sartaj�e Spring Festival In Yasin, Pakistan.. . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
Hetal TailorA Day To Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
Miroslava TashiMy Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Rubina Vissiram My Little Nephew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Adiam Tsegazeab�e Best Times Of My Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Amanda WanklinMy Twin Girls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
Riffat Zafer Fruit Tart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Shahida ZebAll About Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Anonymous Voices
All About Myself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
Amsterdam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Christmas In Poland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
My Childhood And Teenage Years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
My Dad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
My Holiday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
My Son . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
My Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
One Day In My Childhood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
Parenthood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78
�e Day My Princess Went . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
When I first Arrived In England . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
Acknowledgements:�anks to the following tutors who have helped collate these pieces; Janet Culley-Tucker, Elaine Deakin, Lee Debney, Magdalena Galka, Kristy Mabbett, Kate McWilliam, Wendy Meredith, Kim Rose, Sunjeong Shin and Sue Walker.
Disclaimer: �e views expressed in My Voice are the opinions of the individual learners concerned and do not represent those of Birmingham Adult Education Service (BAES) or Birmingham City Council.
3
Issue - 1
�e person that I look up to is my step mother. She is a very important person in my life. We have a really good relationship as mother and daughter. In fact, we are more like friends than mother and daughter.
I have two mothers; one of them is my
step mother and the other one is my birth
mother. My two mothers are beautiful in
every sense and very wise. �ey are so
di�erent but they both have hearts of
gold. However, I am closer to my step
mother than my biological mother. My
step mother is a very patient, trustworthy,
honest and supportive person. I can talk
to my step mother about everything and
anything. �at is one of the best things
about her.
My father passed away in 1994. My father
wasn’t well and he had dementia. He was
completely dependent on my mother for
everything. She did everything without a
fuss despite the fact that it was hard for
her. She got up at dawn and always was
the last one to go to bed. In addition, she
was always there for everyone else too.
She moved to Somalia about 4 years ago
and I really miss her. She is in her 80s
now and su�ering from dementia too.
�erefore, she doesn’t remember people
or what is happening around her. It was
heart-breaking because when I called
her before, we used to talk for hours.
Now when I call her, she doesn’t know
who I am and just says, “Who is this
person on the phone?” �at really hurts
my heart, so I sometimes just weep for
days. Furthermore, she was always there
for me in good times and in bad times.
Especially, when I had my daughter and
also when I was getting divorced she was
the only person who stood by me. I wish
I could be there for her now when she
needs me the most.
In conclusion, I am very fortunate to
have her as my mother. I admire her
independence and strength. If I can be
one - ��h of the person she has been, I
will be more than happy. �at is why I
look up to her.
My Step Motherby S
ahra A
bdi
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
4
5
London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom. London has been described as a world cultural capital and one of the world’s most remarkable and exciting cities.
London contains many famous places for tourists to visit like the London Eye,
Westminster Palace, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, Wembley Stadium, British
Museum, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace and many other beautiful places
and parks to visit.
My favourite thing in London is the social life. �ere are many cinemas, clubs
and pubs to go to and tourist attractions as well.
I love London and I enjoyed every visit I made to this lovely city.
The Place I Love - Londonby
Ah
med
Abd
ulh
afet
h
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
My role model has to be my grandmother. My loving grandmother raised me up. �is is due to the fact that I spent the majority of my childhood with her because my mother gave birth to my twin brother and me. �erefore, she found it tough raising us both. So I spent all my childhood with her. As a result, this helped my mother as she managed to get more things done.
My grandmother’s character was very strong and independent. She was also
considered to be a great source of wisdom and warmness. She was respected
and loved; no matter how hard life became, the family always counted on her
to be there.
�e town where I lived was a mixture of Christian and Muslim neighbours;
however, both found my grandmother as the wise woman of the town. She
kept the community in harmony and peace. She devoted all her life helping the
poor and needy. She used to shelter orphans and their families when they lost
their homes. She continued to work in a determined and cheerful spirit.
I remember, in winter we used to gather together at my grandmother’s house
and have roasted corn on the cob. Moreover, she used to tell stories of the past.
When she spoke, everyone listened carefully. Furthermore, she gave a lot of
advice to people who had problems in marriage. �ey took her advice with
respect because she was direct and honest. She also had integrity.
I am proud to have her as my grandmother. I admire her patience and wisdom.
I am lucky to have her and to be raised by the best grandmother in the world.
My Role Modelby A
km
al Ah
med
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
6
7
My mum is wonderful, caring, kind, generous, funny and full of love, gratitude and appreciation. She always has a lovely smile on her face and plenty of hugs and kisses to give whenever we meet.
She is a very devoted mum, has a positive outlook on life and is always
encouraging me to be more optimistic. Mum’s support, always being there, her
wise, loving words and generosity always li� my spirits.
My three sons, Siraj, Shaan and Ibrahim, adore their Nanny Jee and are always
asking, “When is she coming over?” and, “When can we go over to Nanny
Jee’s?” My boys say that their Nanny Jee is the best. My husband says he is lucky
that he has the best mother-in-law.
My mum is so compassionate and sympathetic that everybody in the family,
plus neighbours and friends, come to her for advice and support. She loves
helping people in any way she can.
She is the life and soul of any party and loves to socialise and make lovely food.
Not only is she my mum, but my mentor, my best friend and I love and respect
her more than anyone. She is the Queen of My Heart.
by G
hu
lnaz
Ajm
alMy Mum, Queen Of My Heart
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
I am here just because of my sister’s help.
She supported me and showed me the right path to walk on.
She held my hand when I couldn’t walk on my feet.
She hugged me tight when I was missing mum.
She gave me a shelter when I had nowhere to go.
She means the whole world to me.
She is my sunshine because without her there would be no light in my life.
I love you very much sister!!!!!
A Sister’s Part In My Life!by Y
asmeen
Ak
htar
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
8
9
I had four aunties. �ey were very lovely but aunty Fatima was my best aunty. She was very friendly, kind and great. She always loved me like her own child. She had four children that’s why she was a busy lady.
She was a good cook. She always tried di�erent dishes. Her dishes were very
delicious. She cooked very fast. All children liked her cooking because the taste
of her cooking was the best.
She was a school teacher. She was nice and polite to the children. She always
played a good part in her school. She was a hard worker. She always helped
other ladies. Sometimes she went to di�erent places to convince people that
they must send their children to school.
She was a very brave lady. Mostly I went to her home during the holidays. Last
year I went to her home, I opened her letter then I was shocked. Her medical
report was not good. When I asked her why she had not told anybody about
her medical report then she said she didn’t want to disturb anyone. At that time
I realised that she was a very brave and peaceful lady.
I love her. I always remember her as a symbol of love and braveness.
by A
bida
Ak
ram
My Favourite Aunty
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
The Divine Gardener
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
Once a gardener was lucky. He had a beautiful garden. �e garden was full of trees with colourful fruits, heady aromas, singing birds, butter�ies and squirrels... It was like the garden of paradise. He loved his garden.
Everything started from the day that he met a
stranger in his garden. �e man gave him a strange
plant and said that the plant could change the
gardener’s life. Since he was a gardener who loved
plants, he took it and put it in the right place in
the ground and he began to look a�er the strange
plant.
�en a�er a few days the strange plant became a big
tree. It became the same as a hundred year old tree.
�e gardener just looked a�er the strange plant and
he forgot about the other trees, �owers and plants.
Suddenly he understood that the garden had been
destroyed by the strange plant and so he had only
one big tree that took over all of the garden.
A�er that the gardener was not happy and he didn’t
enjoy life. He knew his life was being destroyed.
�en he decided to �nd the reason that this was
happening and the best way to save his life and
his garden.
So he le� his garden and went to the desert for a
few months. �e gardener became disappointed,
defeated and tired. He was drowning in grief. He
lost his life, his power, his hope, his house and his
garden.
Since the pain and regret of mistakes is like water
that cleanses sins, so his own su�ering from neglect
led to his awakening.
He remembered his childhood when he heard that
there was a Great Gardener who knew everything
and had the solution to every problem.
He decided to �nd the Great Gardener. Finally,
a�er a long search and many hardships, he saw a
man who lived alone. �e man told the gardener
words of wisdom and the gardener loved him
and understood who the Great Gardener was:
a messenger from God. �e gardener described
his life and what had happened. �ey spent four
days together and the gardener learned a lot of life
lessons.
Finally, the Great Gardener told the gardener, “Get
back to your garden and take no notice of the tree.
Imagine that it had never existed because this tree
only lives if you give it attention”.
A�er that the gardener went back to his garden
and he looked a�er the other trees and plants in
the garden without taking any notice of the strange
plant. �e other trees started to grow and grow but
that tree became smaller and smaller because he
didn’t pay it any attention any more.
Finally the gardener restored his garden so that it
was as beautiful as before.
A retelling in English of a traditional Persian story:
by Sepideh
Alavi
10
11
I remember a trip I once made to my grandmother’s house. She lived about 30 kilometres away from us and we were always going there with our father. One day we decided to go to my grandmother’s house a�er school on a cold winter’s day.
When we were about to leave we noticed that some snow was beginning to fall,
and as we were driving along we realised that it was snowing more and more
heavily. Suddenly we had to brake hard and our car stopped. We skidded and
went o� the road into a hole. It was extremely scary, but we were lucky that
none of us were hurt. We got out of the car and my father phoned for help.
While we were waiting for help it stopped snowing and we played with a ball
and sang lots of songs to keep ourselves feeling positive. Finally, a truck came
and pulled our car out of the hole. �e car wasn’t damaged very much, but we
decided to turn round and go home. We couldn’t go to see our grandmother
that day. I will never forget it.
by M
ahdi
Am
ini
One Snowy Day
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
And I wonder
I can remember a cheerful little girl I can see her playing in the field I can hear her giggles with her friends
And I wonder
I cry for her to be happy I fight for her to be safe I love the world she loves I hate the world she hates
And I wonder
I can spread my wings and fly with her I follow her like her shadow I pray for her to be successful I dream the dream for her I feel the breeze before it gets her
And I wonder
If she ever wonders, who I might be?
Soulsby Lam
ia Ayach
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
12
13
Knowledge is sacred Whoever shares their knowledge Will live forever in the Present. For if you give a part of yourself Your heart will speak to us. It speaks to all of us. That is if it can reach us. We will certainly realise knowledge and its benefits.
You give us the prospect to understand life better. It’s a lot to take in. But for me it is essential Not to miss out on my part of this teaching.
Your passion in teaching shines out to us all. And also your patience is appreciated, Enabling our learning to be much easier.
Your unforgettable teaching will always be remembered. And so without a doubt we feel you’re the best.
by F
arzi
n B
akh
shiKnowledge
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
by Selin
a Begu
mThe Place I Live - Birmingham
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
Birmingham is the second city in England. �e population here is 1,036,900 estimated in 2010. �ere are lots of attractions and things to do from theatres to nightlife.
�e history in Birmingham is very interesting.
Birmingham by the early 19th century had
industries which had multiplied. It made toys,
jewellery, small arms, printing, nails, screws,
chocolate, cars and chemicals thus earning the
nickname of the city of a thousand trades.
During the Second World War Birmingham
was a major manufacturing centre thus making
it an obvious target for German bombing,
more than 2,000 people died as a result of
these bombings.
In 1974 the boundaries were redrawn and
Birmingham which at the time was in the
county of Warwickshire, became a metropolitan
borough of the West Midlands county. Today
the industrial decline in the 70’s has had a
big impact on Birmingham’s economy, the
city’s focus has changed from predominantly
manufacturing to the service industry.
Attractions in Birmingham are easy to get to,
there are buses, trains or cars. �ere’s a Sealife
Centre which is enjoyable for all the family,
you can walk through a glass tube totally
surrounded by a one million litre tank of �sh.
�ere is Cadbury World in Bournville where
you can discover the history of the chocolate
and watch how the chocolate is made, this is
enjoyable for the whole family.
�e most famous shopping centre in
Birmingham to shop is the Bull Ring, you can
explore the 160 stores in the centre. Nearby
you have the Rag Market where you can get
great bargains on whatever you want. Another
shopping centre nearby is the Mailbox. �e
Mailbox has something to suit every taste. �is
waterside location has become Birmingham’s
most sophisticated dining quarter.
�ere are two theatres in Birmingham
City Centre, the Alexandra and the
Hippodrome which both hold shows, ballets,
and pantomimes. �e main nightlife in
Birmingham is Broad Street and the Arcadian
Centre, they both have a wide range of bars and
clubs to suit any individual tastes.
During the Christmas season the German
Market arrives in Birmingham, here you can
purchase unusual gi�s, buy bakery products
and try German sausages. �ere is a wide
range of restaurants to eat in Birmingham
from English, Indian, Greek, Italian, Chinese
and lots more.
So, all round Birmingham is quite a good place
to enjoy yourself and have a good time.
14
15
Education is di�erent, we don’t have nursery like here we have reception from �ve years and when we �nish secondary school we continue with university straightaway.
�e weather is very nice especially in summer time and there are lots of
outdoor swimming pools. In winter time we have a place called Brezovica we
can go there as tourists for skating 2-3 days depending on how much money
we have got. �e view is so beautiful, I would like to take my kids there next
year if I can a�ord it.
�e food is the same as here it is just kebabs which are di�erent. Here in
England they are tasteless, I don’t like them at all. I don’t like meat as well, if it’s
not cooked much. If I see the blood coming out I feel sick.
�e roads here are better, there are many signs and if any are missing or broken
they replace them and if there are any holes in the roads they �ll them as soon
as they can. In my country there are just a few signs and many holes and they
take a long time to repair them. Tra�c lights sometimes don’t work and the
police aren’t there.
Kosovoby
Fit
ore
Ber
ish
a
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
Eddy was a normal eagle. To his owner he was something else! He was special. Eddy could sing along while his owner played beautiful songs with him on the piano.
His owner was called Betty; she would play for him every day when she had the
time. Betty was very tired all the time and she had a bad back. �is was because
she had two jobs so that she could keep them well fed and warm.
One day when Betty was sleeping he was thinking, he remembered that Betty
thought he was special. He decided that if she thought he was special then
maybe others would too! He decided that he would try to use his singing to
make his own money and help Betty retire early from all of her work.
It worked! Eddy started to earn lots of money. People would pay good money
to listen to him, he really was special! Betty was able to retire which meant she
could stay at home and work on many new songs for Eddy to sing. He learnt
these songs and sang them for even more people making himself even more
money.
Betty was special to Eddy too. With all the money Eddy was able to make he
could make her dream come true. �at dream was to move back to Dorset!
IT HAPPENED!
Eddy The Eagleby S
teph B
rittain
16
17
by M
ilu
ska
Can
nin
gHachiko
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
Hachiko is my cat, his name means “Good Luck” and there is also a movie called Hachiko, where the protagonist was a dog that waits for his owner for over 10 years.
He was born one year ago and he has got a sister like him. When we �rst got
him I was excited because I had waited a long time to have a cat. He is such an
amazing cat, he loves white �sh, playing around the living room and making
a mess with the plants in my home. I love him although I do still get angry
because I o�en have to clean the carpet a�er he has made a mess.
Hachiko likes exploring and being independent. Some neighbours make me
laugh when they tell me that they have seen my pretty cat and ‘she’ is a lovely
cat because my cat is actually male.
My husband loves him, although he doesn’t like him when he comes back from
the garden because he is totally dirty.
One time Hachiko was lost and I thought that I would never see him again, but
he came back and I know he will not get lost again because he is an adult cat. I
am glad we got a cat because he is more than a cat for my husband and me, he
is our son and he brings a lot of happiness to our lives.
Playing in the garden was one of the most enjoyable times for me and my sister when we were young. Our garden was quite long and narrow with a pathway down the side by the fence. It had a huge grassy area in the middle and a rockery made up of green and blue stones. We had an enormous washing shed down the bottom of the garden and next to the fence, over-hanging from next door, was large branches from a cherry tree.
Me and my sister Jackie, three years younger than
me, loved to play outdoors in our garden together
for hours. We usually played hopscotch, sometimes
tig and tag or even cricket. We even used to climb
into the neighbour’s garden and eat the strawberries
they grew out back. When Reg, our neighbour,
spotted us out of his back window we would o�en
get told o�.
I remember one particular time whilst playing in
the garden. I was already up next door’s cherry tree
trying to pick the biggest ripened cherries when I
decided to entice my sister Jackie to climb up the
tree with me, knowing full well she was not good at
climbing. I called, “Jackie, Jackie!” she came to me
and I said, “Let’s climb up and get some cherries.”
She replied “I can’t climb up there Dennis!” but
then quickly changed her mind and said I could go
behind her to help her. I was feeling so mischievous
- I guided her higher and higher onto di�erent
branches. Jackie was getting excited, but I could tell
she was so nervous by the sound of her voice saying
again and again, “When are we going to pick the
cherries?”
With the intention of playing a joke on her, I le� her
stranded up that huge cherry tree telling her, “Hold
on till I get back with a bucket to put the cherries in.”
She pleaded, “Don’t leave me Dennis I’m scared!”
(Which now I realise sounds cruel). I shouted
mischievously, “I’m going to tell mom you are up
the cherry tree!” knowing this would undoubtedly
get her into trouble. It was a kind of retaliation or
sibling revenge.
A�er telling on Jackie, my mom went to the tree
to see for herself. With panic in her voice my mom
questioned how she got up there, “What on earth
are you doing up there Jackie?” My sister told her
I was responsible, which I denied shamelessly. My
mom demanded I get my sister down straightaway,
which I did. She cussed my poor sister really bad
dragging her indoor crying. As for me - I laughed
myself silly! I did get told o� eventually but it was
worth it to get revenge on my sister.
When we both reminisce back to that time we
laugh thinking of our childhood pranks. With great
fondness we will always remember those times
together.
The “Cherry Tree” Incidentby C
alvin C
harles
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
18
19
I started school at 6 years old. It was okay but the problem was that it was a village school and there were no good teachers. �ere was only one teacher who was sitting and sleeping all the time. He wasn’t a responsible teacher and he didn’t care for us.
A few years later the City Council built the new school and three new teachers
came. One was for English and one was for maths and another one was a
geography teacher. Every student was very excited about the new teachers.
One week later the teachers told us about the test. We were very upset because
we couldn’t do any studying. We just played the games and passed the time. We
were really worried about the exam because we didn’t know what to do. When
the test started we didn’t know how to make practical things.
When I le� school I hadn’t any real education and even now I struggle my
whole life. Now we have started to study again and I am trying my best to
improve my basic skills.
by H
asn
a C
hou
dhu
ry
My School Days
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
My Mother
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
My mom is the most wonderful person in the world. She is a mother, a best friend, caring and loving. She is a very warm hearted and kind person. She showed me love and taught me how to and care for others.
My mom would wake me up in the morning to make sure I was not late for
school. She would prepare breakfast for her family. A�er that she saw us o� to
school then went back home to get herself ready for work. When I got back
home from school, my mom made sure she was home and created a nice warm
welcoming atmosphere to come home to.
My mom did a very good job taking care of me and the rest of her family. She
was always there to give a helping hand to my neighbours and other family. At
times we would sit and play board games together, which I enjoyed very much.
I love my mom because she takes time to listen to me. If there is a problem she
would try her very best to solve and take care of it. She would also encourage
us how to go about not making the same mistake.
My mom is very special because there is only one of her.
by Natash
a Coh
en
20
Spring is one of the four seasons, the time between winter and summer.
�ere are new green leaves on trees and emerging �owers at this time. Many
�owering plants bloom at this time of year, especially colourful tulips and
beautiful da�odils bloom in spring. Sometimes in spring there is heavy rain
which helps �owers and crops to grow. Lovely lambs are born in spring. Spring
so� sunshine cheers up everyone and makes people happy.
by D
ebi
Dey
Spring
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
21
Summer 2007 - I got a call from my favourite cousin, who is like an older sister to me.“Hi , good morning Coraline,” she said.
“Hi, good morning. How are you?” I replied.
Dulice said that she was �ne and then told me calmly,
“I’m getting, married.”
I screamed excitedly, “�at’s great news!” I paused and
said, “about time...”
Dulice then surprised me by asking something really
unusual:
“I would like you to play a character at my wedding.”
“A character what do you mean ?”
“I am having a role play. I want you to act for me”.
“Act?” I chuckled in shock
“Yes!” “I want for you and Jennifer to be the main
characters at my wedding.”
My cousin explained brie�y some of her ideas - the rest was
up to me and the others who were going to assist her with
the concept. “Oh my word thats a lot to deal with,” I thought
to myself. “I am going to need a shopping list �rst of all as I
have to sort out out�ts for the day.” �is resulted in a trip to
London, with my daughter and grandson, to help �nd the
right material for my ‘wedding’ out�ts. I had no idea of what
style my dress was going to be, even though I had bought
the material. I knew I had to create a strong image for
this wedding.
Before I knew it, months had quickly passed. It was now
close to the wedding. It was time to meet up and go through
our paces, to have a rehearsal of the wedding ceremony. I
started to ask myself, “What did I really sign up to?” My
cousin asked how I was feeling, “Hmm, am not sure,” I
replied. “I felt ok up until now.” We met the woman who
was going to conduct the ceremony to talk us through it,
which sounded pretty straightforward, but what about my
acting debut? �ere was no script.
�e wedding day Saturday 14th July
What a beautiful day. �e sun was beaming down, the sky
was blue and there was not a cloud in the sky. You could
feel the heat in the room; it was going to be a scorcher
today. “Coraline you best get yourself motivated. You know
what you’re like,” I said to myself while I was getting ready.
What had I let myself in for? My uncle came to collect my
daughter, grandson and myself. It was funny coming out
of my house all dressed in my wedding out�t. I got a few
strange looks from the neighbours as we were getting in
the car.
On reaching the venue for the wedding, there were quite a
few cars already there. My daughter and grandson got out
of the car to stretch their legs. I sat in the car and hid while
waiting for the wedding party to arrive. It was hot - I was
burning up, and I felt the sweat running down the small of
my back. I opened the door a bit, a little girl walked passed
and looked into the car, “Is that the bride? She looks nice,”
she said. I just smirked to myself when I heard her. To
pass the time while waiting I was looking at the beautiful
colours of everyone’s out�ts: oranges, greens, pinks, reds,
and blues - it was a sea of beautiful colours.
The Wedding
by Coraline
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
22
One by one the guests entered the venue, but I stayed
outside and waited for my cue. I had to cover my face and
head with a veil. My mother had to walk me down the aisle
to my awaiting �ancé. By now, I was nervous, just a little
bit. �en it started. “Who is giving this bride away?” asked
the women leading the ceremony.
Suddenly I felt incredibly con�dent. Now I was in my role,
it was my moment, I felt so ecstatic. Trevor, the groom, was
waiting there at the front. Jennifer, ‘mother of the bride’,
placed my hands in the groom’s and announced, “Take
my beautiful daughter out of my hands and look a�er her.”
Trevor waited expectantly for my ‘mother’ to unveil me. “
Ooh no OOH NO!” shouted Trevor shocked by what he saw.
“�is is not my �ancé!” Trevor said.
“What do you mean I am not your �ancé? What do you
mean I’m not your �ancé?”
“NO, NO NO!” the groom exclaimed.
“How can you propose to me and embarrass me like this in
public in front of all our guests!” I asked.
“Embarrassed? You, you, you’re not my �ancé!” the groom
insisted.
“I can’t believe you’re hurting me like this” I replied. Fully
embracing my role as ‘fake bride’. “You did not have to wait
until now to be treating me like this. I was the best girlfriend
you could have ever wanted. I gave so much of me in our
relationship and now you choose to treat me like this?”
I pleaded with him. I was really in my role now. I WAS
THE BRIDE.
By now the guests were sitting, wondering what on earth
was going on. You could hear them in the background. “Oh
that really bad,” one voice said. Another person muttered,
“Why don’t she give up?” I was pleading with Trevor not
to ditch me like this in front of all the guests. I started
showing o� my �gure in my lovely wedding dress, turning
around and really showing him what he was giving up.
“I’LL MARRY YOU!” a good-looking man shouted in the
crowd and everyone started to laugh.
I walked back down the aisle, pretending to be in tears -
it was a long way to walk, “Go weh you dummy bride!”
a person shouted in the crowd. “You should be ashamed.
Look at you, all dress up and no man!” I eventually got
to the back of the venue and my cousin was sitting there
waiting. “�at was really good,” she praised me. “You was
so convincing you need to go into acting.” At the front we
could hear Trevor calling, “Where is my �ancé?”
On that note another bride walked down the aisle with a
veil covering her face. “A wah dis now?” an amused voice
shouted, “Another dummy bride?” �e guests found it really
funny and there was a lot of laughing. �e second bride stood
in front of the groom, the veil was taken o� and he shouted
out, “Behold unto you. Yes this is my princess who is going to
be my queen.” So �nally, the real bride had been revealed...
�e ceremony then took place and it was a beautiful
wedding.
As for me, I’m still dreaming of that starring role
in Hollywood...
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
23
Waiting For Spring
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
When will spring come?
I’m tired of dying beauties I’m tired of hearing cries I’m tired of hopes collapsing I’m tired of freedom jailed I’m tired of good words from bad mouths
When will spring come?
I’m waiting for her I’m waiting for blooms to grow I’m waiting for trees to live again I’m waiting for flowers to smile I’m waiting for the sun to shine I’m waiting for the world to laugh I’m waiting for ‘Mahdi, The Promised One’ to come
by Farah
naz
24
25
Mother
Oh mother my eternal love
I shall never forget your love
How can I ever forget your love and kindness
Now you have been gone for many years
And I still haven’t been able to replace your love
Now that I am a mother I cherish all of your kindness
The kingdom of the world should be yours.
by L
ayla
Fat
ahi
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
My country is Afghanistan I am going to compare it with England. Life in England is different from there.
�e education system is much better than before although I think we have not
got as many facilities as we have got here in England, but still the families try
their best to give their children a good education. With very great di�culty
the youths continue their education and �nish it. �e schools in my country
give lots of homework for children, but here the amount of homework is less,
however the school hours are longer than in my country.
�e weather in England and my country is so di�erent. We have got three
seasons, summer, autumn and winter. �e summer is very hot while the winter
is very cold, but here in England the weather is changing all the time and
raining, but I love it and am used to it.
In Afghanistan the health service is very expensive you have to pay for every
visit to the doctor and every medicine. �e hospitals are in quite poor condition
with little medical equipment, they have not got as many facilities as we have
got here.
I like living in England, but I really miss Afghanistan.
by Parw
ana F
erozyComparing Afghanistan To England
26
27
Growing up in the sixties in Small Heath, the inner city of Birmingham, it was a memorable time. �ere was my dad, mum, my three boisterous brothers and one sister. My uncle Dave resided in the same terrace house with his children.
�e people who lived in Small Heath were predominantly White British with
a remnant of Blacks, Asians and other ethnic groups. Most of us seemed to get
on with each other. My �rst neighbours that I can remember were an Italian
family who had immigrated to Birmingham in the ��ies. �ey were a friendly
family. As we all got on well as neighbours, we were in each others’ houses
quite o�en and they would invite us to sample their delicious Italian food. �e
food was tantalizing, mouth watering, and full of aromatic spices that always
awakened my taste buds. My favourite dish was spaghetti and I always looked
forward to it.
My Italian neighbours taught us a few Italian words, which we all enjoyed
learning. It was quite funny when we pronounced them wrong; we were on
the �oor in giggles. On one occasion, when we were saying silly Italian words,
Mum and Maria, the Italian neighbour, rushed upstairs and peeped through
the door, that was ajar, shouting, “Keep the noise down!” We tried to suppress
our laughter but a burst of giggles escaped. We quickly scurried down the
carpeted stairs into the garden. �e sun was beating down on our naked skin,
so I suggested that we �ll a bucket with water and pour it on ourselves to cool
us down. One of my brothers grabbed the bucket and threw the water at us
as he gleefully chased us around the garden. Loud screams ascended to the
heavens as we tried to avoid getting wet.
Whenever I think of my childhood experience, it always gives me great joy
remembering the fun times we had together.
by R
ebec
ca F
ord
Growing Up In Small Heath
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
Whitney Houston
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
by Van
essa Fortn
am
Whitney Elizabeth Houston was born into a musical family on 9th August 1963, in Newark, New Jersey. �e daughter of gospel star Cissy Houston, cousin of singing star Dionne Warwick and god-daughter of soul legend Aretha Franklin.
She began singing in the choir at her church,
�e New Hope Baptist Church in Newark
as a young child. By the age of 15 she was
singing backing vocals professionally with
her mother on Chaka Khan’s 1978 hit “I’m
Every Woman”. She went on to provide
backing vocals, for Lou Rawls, Jermaine
Jackson and her own mother. She worked
brie�y as a model, appearing on the cover
of Seventeen magazine in 1981.
She began working as a featured vocalist
for the New York based funk band
Material. It was the quality of her vocal
work with them that attracted the
attention of the major record labels,
including Arista with whom she signed
in 1983, and where she stayed for the
rest of her career.
Her debut album “Whitney Houston”
was released in 1985 and became
the biggest selling album by a
debut artist.
Several hit singles, including “Saving All
My Love For You”, “How Will I Know?”,
“You Give Good Love” and “�e Greatest
Love Of All”, were released from the album
setting her up for a Beatles beating seven
consecutive US number ones. �e album
itself sold 3 million copies in it’s �rst year
in the US, and went on to sell 25 million
worldwide, winning her the �rst of six
Grammies.
�e 1987 follow-up album “Whitney”, which
included the hits “Where Do Broken Hearts
Go?” and “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”,
built her success. It was the 1992 �lm “�e
Bodyguard” that sealed her place as one of
the best-selling artists of all time. While the
movie itself and her performance in it were
not highly praised, the soundtrack album
and her cover of the Dolly Parton song
“I Will Always Love You” topped the
singles and albums charts for months
and sold 44 million copies around
the world.
28
29
My First Day In College
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
When I was sixteen years old I �nished my school GCSEs. It was time to choose a new college and new subjects. I was very happy because I was starting new college life and new challenges. I had already planned to choose subjects. I chose medical subjects because I liked experiments although it’s very di�cult for me, but I always love to do new things. Doctors, surgeons and heart specialists always inspire me. �ese are great people who save lives.
In college I met di�erent students and teachers. If I compared my school
life with college both were totally di�erent. �ere was freedom. I made new
friends in college, there was a new atmosphere. �e principal of college was
very kind and gentle.
On the �rst day in my college in our country it was a custom that the second
year class made us �rst year fools with jokes like changing class numbers,
changing the teachers names on the notice board and telling the students the
teacher is not coming.
It’s all a good memory, it was a memorable day of my life, I did not forget
those days. I can’t compare students and teachers here and in my country.
Teachers in my country were very strict to students but here teachers are very
friendly. Students in our country are generally well behaved and have good
manners. Students are very punctual and disciplined.
by S
haz
ia H
aq
It was the morning of my day o� work. I thought “I know what I shall do today - I shall spend the day gardening in my allotment.”
It was a great day - I was doing some seed
potting-up and listening to the radio in my new
shed at the allotment. I was having a lovely time
as the morning went on in the bright beautiful
sun and in my brand new shed. It got to about
two o’clock when I thought, “Selena, my partner,
will be home from work about now.” So I went
home to make something to eat for the two of
us. A�er thinking of what to cook, and then
preparing it, time was getting on and I started
to wonder, “Where is she? Trust her - it’s my day
o�, I’ve cooked and she is late! Has her work
asked her to stay on longer today?”
Just then the phone rang. “Ah, it’s Selena’s work,” I
said to myself. I quickly picked it up but, before I
could speak, someone on the other end in a very
serious voice said, “Is that Peter? Are you Selena’s
partner? I am PC Collins.” PC Collins went onto
say, “Selena has had a tra�c accident. She has
been taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.”
I screamed, “I’ll be there straight away!” Getting
changed out of my gardening clothes I could
hear sirens and then a knock at the door. It was
not one but two police o�cers, “Hello Peter. We
will take you to the hospital. It will be quicker if
we take you...”
I sat anxiously in the back of the police car with
sirens blasting, blue lights �ashing screaming
through red lights. �e o�cer told me, “I’m
sorry Peter - it’s critical.” “Oh God,” I shouted,
“No!” and broke down. “I’m going with her -
she’ll need me, she’ll be scared,” I thought.
When we got to the hospital the police o�cer
asked me if I was OK and I said yes. �en they
sat me in a separate room called a family room.
“Is she dead or crushed to nothing?” I frantically
wondered. �e tra�c o�cer came into the room
and described the accident to me. It sounded
horrendous. A skip lorry had hit a parked car, the
car �ipped into the air, back onto the pavement
and had landed on Selena. “Are you ok?” asked
the o�cer. “I’ll take you through to see her now.”
As I approached the bed I could see Selena with
a neck brace on but incredibly she was OK. As
I spoke to her she asked, “How is the driver?
How are you Pete?” She wanted to �nd out how
everyone else was! She said she was ok and just
wanted to come home. As I was leaving the
hospital, the nurse con�rmed that Selena was �ne,
she had �ve stitches in her head and would be able
to come home in the morning. So, I went home
and enjoyed what was le� of my ‘restful day’!
Miracles do happen.
My Restful Day
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
by Peter H
ewitt
30
31
I arrived in England because I followed my husband, who arrived 6 months before. I really wanted to be with him and my children as well. We came 4 years ago from Poland, part of the European Union, to Birmingham. We �ew for about 2 and a half hours. I was very scared because I don’t really like �ying. I was happy when we landed and I could feel the ground.
In Birmingham Airport my husband was waiting for us. When we walked
through the airport I saw people from di�erent countries and I thought
about what they were wearing, I saw it for real and not just from �lms. At that
moment I was thinking about my life with my family and people from all over
the world in Birmingham.
A�er that we went in a taxi, it was a little bit di�erent, not like taxis in my
country. When we were travelling home I saw lots of houses all very similar.
�e weather was absolutely di�erent here. It was really windy and cold, but in
my country in winter time it is colder than here.
I had a smile on my face and I was thinking I will start a new life here.
by A
net
ta H
ojda
Arriving In England
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
�e place I love to go to again and again is called Saudi Arabia. I went there �ve years ago with my family. I went to Saudi Arabia for the �rst time. We travelled by car from home to Manchester airport. �e �ight from Manchester to Jeddah takes four hours. When we arrived at Jeddah airport it looked like all the world was there. It was so busy you couldn’t move an inch if you moved you would disappear and have no chance of staying together.
During Hajj the motorways were very busy; Jeddah to Makah took ten hours
by coach. We were all so excited to go to Makah. We couldn’t wait to see Kabaa.
When we were near the Kabaa we could see all of the lights from far away.
When we arrived there everything looked so di�erent. �e things you watch
on TV were so di�erent in real life.
You could see day or night was the same and people were so busy in the Kabaa
for praying. �e bazer were full of crowds. If you liked anything you had to
wait in a queue for hours.
�e �rst time the experience was lovely and I really enjoyed it with my family.
It was a very hard time during the Hajj. I think Hajj is the hardest part of Islam;
it was not an easy job.
We stayed for four weeks, two weeks in Makah and two weeks in Median.
In Makah the two weeks were very hard. In the Median you could relax. I wish
I could go every year but the day to day costs were very expensive.
The Place I Love - Saudi Arabiaby S
hazia H
ussain
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
32
33
Liverpool was founded on 15th March 1892. �e ground belonged to Everton, another Merseyside team. Everton moved out and Liverpool stepped in. Liverpool’s nickname is �e Reds, that’s the colours they wear for the home kit. �e ground is based in Anfield and holds a 45,522 capacity where both home and away supporters come and watch their team play.
We have had our fair share of managers in our time. Bill Shankly was appointed
as a manager, he did his share, and then he le� Liverpool. Joe Fagan, Reuben
Bennett and Bob Paisley began to build Liverpool and reshape the team.
With them Liverpool became a better team. We started winning trophies. Bill
Shankly died. If you go to Liverpool his name is on the gate, Bill said ‘You’ll
Never Walk Alone’. �is song is sung by Liverpool supporters.
Liverpool had two major tragedies, �rst was at Heysel Stadium in 1985 killing
39 Juventus fans. In 1989 96 Liverpool fans lost their lives at a FA Cup match
between Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough. Liverpool still went through to
the FA. Kenny Dalglish le� Liverpool because of the tragedies.
We had good managers like Rafael Benitez, he made Liverpool win UEFA
Champions League for the ��h time in 2004-05. In 2009 Rafael le� by mutual
consent with the old owner. Roy Hodgson was appointed as a manager, he
didn’t last long, the new owner let him go a�er three months. �en came
Kenny Dalglish the manager he started building Liverpool back where we
belong, good as Liverpool used to be. Kenny brought in new players. Liverpool
is through to Wembley in the Carling Cup. Also we are still in the FA Cup, and
�ghting for fourth place to secure our place for next season in Europe.
Liverpool Football Club
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
by R
uk
hsa
na
Ibra
him
He was born on the 10 July 1980, in Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham. When he was born he weighed 7lbs 8oz.
He had to spend a week in hospital because when he was born he was yellow;
they said that he was jaundiced. As I said all of his skin was all yellow, so he
couldn’t come home until it was all cleared up.
For the �rst two years of his life he didn’t go to nursery, he just stayed home
and did what babies do, like going to the park, riding his tricycle, going for
walks, doing all sort of di�erent things, things that little children normal do.
From an early age I noticed that he liked books, he couldn’t get enough of
them, I had observed this. I remember at the time they had some books it was
called story teller they had the tapes and the books together, so I went out and
bought them for him. So day and night he would listen to them. Sometimes
I would get up to check on him and I would �nd him on the �oor fast asleep
with the tape still playing, I would just pick him up and put him back into bed.
�is is when I decided to send him to nursery school. T was quite a bright boy;
he was three years old when he started to read. He didn’t stay long at nursery
school; the teacher said the best place for him was school. So he went to school
from when he was four until he was eleven, took the eleven plus exam, and
didn’t do so well with that. From there I had to �nd him a secondary school.
I found one in Sutton Cold�eld, Plantsbrook, he did quite well there. He went
to university to study sport science. On leaving university he couldn’t �nd a job
so he went to work in a bank for a little while. He didn’t like that much so he
decided to go back to teacher training college. He completed his training. A�er
this he found a job in a school where he is doing what he really enjoys doing.
He found himself a nice girl they’re now engaged to be married next August.
My Son
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
by Inn
is
34
35
Eid is the main festival for all Muslims. We celebrate Eid two times a year. One is called Eid-Ul-Adha and the other one is Eid-Ul-Fitor.
Eid-Ul-Fitor is celebrated a�er one month of fasting. Eid-Ul-Adha is celebrated
two months a�er Eid-Ul-Fitor. On Eid-Ul-Adha rich people sacri�ce animals
like cows, goats and sheep. �ey share meat with poor people.
Eid means happy. Rich and poor people wear new clothes and they hug each
other. �ey forget their level and share their sorrow and happiness.
In Bangladesh, on Eid day, all Muslims wake up early in the morning. First
they have a shower or bath. �en all men wear new clothes and go to Mosque
to pray. Women and kids also wear new clothes and wait for the men. When
the men come back from Mosque, they hug each other. In all Muslim houses,
they make lots of delicious food on Eid day. A�er having a meal, people go to
their relatives’ houses. Everyone decorates their house nicely and rich people
decorate their houses with lights.
When Eid comes, I feel excited, although I enjoyed it more in my childhood.
I plan for Eid. It’s a really enjoyable festival for all Muslims..
Eid Festivalby
Sh
anar
a Is
lam
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
When I was a small boy living in Jamaica with my grandparents I had to fetch dry wood each and every day seven days a week for my gran so she could cook for us to eat, without the wood there would be no meal to eat. It was very essential to �nd something to burn. When looking for wood, I came across a young puppy.
I did not know who it belonged to. I decided to take
the puppy home. He had black and white colours.
My grandmother was very understanding - because
I was alone and I was only ten years old. She said
I could keep it. I was so happy with her decision
because now I had a pet to play with.
Well to my amazement a few months later my uncle
o�ered me one of his litter but, before I could accept,
I would need permission from my gran because
times were very hard. To be honest, I did not expect
yes for an answer considering the position we were
in. Yet, she did say yes! Maybe because it was my
uncle she came to that decision. So I ended up with
two puppies. �ey were both about four months old.
It was a really sad day for me when I had to go to live
in England leaving them behind.
A�er I arrived at my mother’s home in England I
was put in one room with my brother (where both of
us would stay together for around four years before
I got my own room). It so happened that some time
during the �rst year I was sitting in the room all on
my own when I heard a cry of a puppy in the back
garden. I went down to the garden and I found him.
He was so small that he could �t under my shirt. I
took him to my room - it so happened I had a shoe
box big enough that he could �t in where I could
hide him. For two days I kept him in this shoe box.
When the dog’s real owner returned I heard him in
the garden shouting for this puppy calling out his
name “Blackie, Blackie.” He eventually asked my
mother, “Have you seen him?” She said no, and she
asked me if I had seen the pup - well, I denied ever
seeing him.
A couple of hours passed by and my mother went
to the toilet and heard the pup whelping. She then
confronted me for a second time about the pup. I
had no choice but to admit to having it in a shoe
box underneath my bed! My mother went to the
owner and pleaded with him to sell the puppy to us
– thankfully he accepted. Now, I was overjoyed that
I had abducted the pup so I gave him a name which
was Rex. He was black and white, just like my �rst
puppy back in Jamaica.
Tragically, there was a horrendous �re in my house
a few years later. It was so ferocious it only took �ve
to ten minutes to engulf most of the house and sadly
poor Rex died in that �re.
I had a wonderful time playing with my dog, Rex,
and those times I had with him will remain with me
forever. I have no regrets about abducting him. In
fact, I would do it all over again. �e sad part is the
way he died.
by Ron
Jameson
A Puppy Abduction In A Loving Way
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
36
37
I le� Ethiopia when I was in my early twenties because of political unrest in the country. Until I le� my land I had been living with my parents, and never travelled to faraway places.
Life became unbearable and di�cult at the beginning of my years in Europe
because of the new culture and language which I faced. I was missing my
family a lot.
My family back home were rich and had about three full-time servants. I didn’t
have any responsibilities in my parents’ house except studying. When I went
to Belgium I had to do everything at home and that was very di�cult for me.
A�er two years I decided to accept everything as it was and become stronger
and stronger. I tried to �t in with life in Europe. I integrated with the people of
the land and studied the language and culture. A�er several years I felt Belgium
was like my own country.
A�er ten years in Belgium I decided to move to the UK (Birmingham) because
of my husband’s work. In fact there is not much di�erence between life in
Belgium and in the UK.
One of my major problems was the language. When I spoke English I found
myself using Dutch words. For this reason I have decided to improve my
English and so I have enrolled on a course.
My Homelandby
Tig
ist
Ket
ema
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
I would like to describe my son whose name is Eesa. He is six years old and he has black hair, brown eyes and his colour is white.
He is very clever boy. He loves school and loves reading books. He is in year 1
in school. He loves to go to the library and sometimes he brings some books
home. Sometimes he stays there and reads books. He always reads books
before his bedtime.
He loves his family and especially his brother. He always stays with him and
wants to do whatever his brother is doing. Although he loves his brother, he
also is very fond of his uncle.
by Nazia K
ousar
My Son
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
38
39
My name is Tanzila and I am from Pakistan. I have been in this country for about twenty years. When I came here at that time I could not speak English and could not read properly.
When I came to England I was living with my in-laws. �ey were a big family, I
spent all day doing the house work and never thought about anything else like
studying or work.
A�er three years we bought our own house. At that time my husband only
worked part time. He was not earning enough. �en I thought if I work this
will be a lot of help. At that time my son was only a year old and it was very
hard for me to �nd a job. My sister-in-law helped me to �nd a job.
I started work in a factory. �ere was assembly work related to cars like
windscreens, back screens etc. �e work was very hard, plus I could not
speak English and there were only people who spoke English there. �ey did
not understand me and I could not understand them. �at was frustrating,
but slowly I started learning English by talking with my colleagues and my
husband helped me a lot by encouraging me as well.
I worked there for ten years. When I �nished my job in 2005 I thought I should
do something else. I have learnt a lot, but have more to learn. I have passed
English entry level 1, 2 and 3. Now I am doing maths level 2 as well.
All this has made a big di�erence in my life. I have more con�dence when I go
to the hospital, the doctor’s or school, I can talk with con�dence.
�anks to my husband who helped me a lot. My teachers they were also helpful.
�is is why I am able to do this piece of writing.
My Life Storyby
Tan
zila
Kou
sar
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
�e birthday of our prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) is a very special day for all Muslims.
We are celebrating that day on the 12th of the moon month in the year. In
the Islamic calendar, the 12th day of Rabi-al-awwal marks the birthday of the
prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). We are all very excited and waiting
for that day to come soon.
When it’s 12th of Rabi-al-awwal every one is really very happy, we all invite
each other to our homes, wear nice and new clothes and cook a variety of food,
but some people are fasting that day.
We celebrate that day because we all as Muslims love our prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him).
We know he is a messenger of God and a very respectable person, he is a role
model for all of the population and he is very kind and special from God.
�e prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) always speaks the truth and he
loved every body.
Muhammad (peace be upon him) was as kind as he was polite. He always
treated people with kindness and tenderness and never showed harshness even
to his enemies.
The Birthday Of Our Prophetby K
auser M
oham
mad
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
40
41
by V
albo
na
Mor
ina
An Act Of Kindness
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
In 1999 I le� my home country Albania because it was no longer safe to live there - there was a war. When I arrived in the UK I was with my husband and it was very cold weather.
Immediately we were taken to London
to talk to Social Services because we
had nowhere to live. We were feeling
lonely because we didn’t have any
friends or family around us to speak to
or support us. Social Services arranged
an interpreter for us to tell us where
we would stay - in a lovely hotel with
friendly people, and then the next day
we would go to another city called
Birmingham.
So there we were my husband and I
stranded alone in the middle of London
wondering what life would be like in
Birmingham. We sat there thinking and
asked ourselves questions like “How will
we �nd life there?” “Will it be easy or
hard compared to our own country?”
“Will we �nd a house to live in there?”
Also, worrying about how we would buy
food, clothes and who would support
us. We didn’t know what would happen
to us. �at was a di�cult time and I felt
very emotional in the middle of this
dark, cold, shiny night.
�e next morning we were taken on
a coach which dropped us o� in the
middle of Birmingham. We had only
a piece of paper with an address for
Social Services on it and all we could
do was show this to strangers and ask
“Address? Address?”. We couldn’t say
any other words in English even yes or
no. One kind Englishman felt sorry for
us and actually caught a bus with us
to make sure we safely got to the right
address. Because of his help thankfully
we arrived at Social Services.
Here we are now - 13 years later. We
don’t have those worries we had when we
�rst arrived. We have a nice house and
a beautiful big garden. I have a happy
family with happy, healthy children. I
have a great life with fantastic feelings
compared to what I had in the beginning
when I came in England. Finally, I feel
proud of myself and my family. I have
been to college to learn English as I feel
the language is the most important thing
to learn to communicate with other
people. Now we are settled as a family
with a perfect busy life.
I had a day of celebration when I was ten years old back home in Zimbabwe. President Robert Mugabe visited my school in our local rural area.
All the children at my school made the preparations by cleaning the classrooms,
toilets and the gardens, they we all cleaned until everything was neat and tidy.
Everybody was very excited at the prospect of meeting the President.
Our parents slaughtered four cows for the celebration meal. I was very excited
that I was going to eat some meat, in fact eat as much as I liked. �is is because
we didn’t eat meat all the time, it was only for special occasions.
Our parents cooked meat stew, cabbages and sadza for everybody to eat that
day. Sadza is a ground maize (corn meal), this is a Zimbabwean staple diet food
that can be eaten as lunch or dinner, it looks like thick porridge when cooked.
�e Sadza is normally shared by several children all eating from the same plate
or bowl, we all sit in a circle on the �oor. �is is done so that the children can
all learn about sharing. In our culture we clean our hands and use the right
hand to eat.
All the teachers, parents and children wore their special African clothes that
day. �e children all lined up and we sang the national anthem song called
Nkosi Sikelela Africa which means God Bless Africa. All of our parents sat on
the benches watching us. A�er that all the children in the school greeted the
President, we all lined up in rows. One by one we shook his hand and greeted
him as the father our Country.
Before he le� he gave an address to the parents. In this he promised that he
would build facilities and roads in our area, he would buy some books for our
school and all other things we needed.
It was a very, very exciting day!
The Day Of Celebration In Zimbabwe
by Solan
i Mu
leya
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
42
43
I will never forget what happened to me when I was six years old. I was living with my family in Lubumbashi, one of the towns in Katanga in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was a nice, quiet town. It was a beautiful a�ernoon. Mum wasn’t at home, but she le� us to be supervised by our big sister whose hobby was reading books.
We were busy doing our homework when
my older sister told me she had found a
new game; playing with the wardrobe
pretending it was a swing. I was so happy
and excited about starting the game. We
used the door; I put my arm over the door
and started pushing. �e game was fun
but dangerous. �en I heard something
starting to break. It was the wardrobe
door. I fell on the �oor and all the clothes
fell on top of me because my sister was
pushing the wardrobe door hard and then
the wardrobe fell on my leg.
�e wardrobe was made of special wood
and it was very strong. It fell heavily on
my leg. I screamed and cried. I could
not move my leg and the pain was
unimaginable. When my sister heard
me she jumped to her feet, dropping her
book, and found me on the �oor. �ey
tried to remove the big wardrobe but the
pain was horrible and I was still crying
and screaming. What they could hear
from me was, “My leg, my leg!” My sister
called my mother. We rushed to the
hospital but it was too late, my leg was
broken and they advised her to allow the
doctors to amputate to prevent me from
su�ering. She didn’t agree and went to a
di�erent hospital where, by the grace of
God, we found a foreign doctor who had
come to that hospital to do research. He
told my mum he could do the operation
but it would not be easy and I might lose
my leg.
�e operation went well. I spent a couple
of months in hospital and some months
at home for my rehabilitation. I didn’t
�nish my �rst year at school. Now I am
�ne because I didn’t lose my leg. My
parents blamed my sister but realised
that she was only eight and forgave her.
Now when I take a bath I can see my
big scar and because of that I will never
forget what happened to me.
by R
igob
erth
e M
uti
mbw
aChildhood Memories
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
It was a sunny spring a�ernoon and I was studying in my room when suddenly, I saw that the clock on the wall was moving. For a second I wondered what was going on.
�en I felt the walls moving and the whole house was shaking and then
I realised, ‘Oh, it’s an earthquake.’ �en I heard my mum shouting, “Come
outside, earthquake, earthquake!” I dashed outside on to the terrace. We were
all standing outside on the terrace and then we realised we were not safe on
the terrace and that we should stand on the open ground. �en we went to an
open space.
�ank God nothing horrible happened and everybody was safe. �e next day
we found out that some old buildings were damaged but nobody was injured.
It was the most frightening experience of my life.
My Earthquake Experienceby R
itu N
ischal
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
44
45
�e last time I saw my brother and his wife was when they invited me down to Bournemouth where they were living at that time. When I came out of hospital he thought it would be good to invite me down for one week convalescence also to get to know them both. �ey looked a�er me very well.
A�er that I didn’t hear from them until I asked my older brother for their
phone number so I could get in touch with them. When I got in touch with
them it was very emotional on the phone for me because I had not heard from
them in 20 years and when they said that they were coming to Birmingham to
see me I was very shocked because I did not think that I would see my family
again.
Standing there not seeing them for 20 years I didn’t know what to expect. I
didn’t recognize them because it has been a long time. We had a lot to talk
about. �ey were talking about my childhood it was very emotional also
upsetting.
�ey stayed with me for three days. We went out every day. �ey took me out
in their car. When they were leaving I said to them please keep in touch with
me so we can be reunited as a family together again. It is very hurtful to know
that only my brother and his wife are the only ones out of all my siblings that
have kept in touch with me. I think it is so sad.
My Family Reunionby
Kat
hle
en O
’Bry
an
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
Finley was a �sh, but not just any ordinary �sh! Oh no, he wanted to do things that other �sh wouldn’t dare to do.
One day Finley went to his mom and said “mom, your
know it’s my birthday in a few days, please oh please
could I have a bike?” “A bike” his mom cried! “Yes a
bike” Finley said. “Don’t be silly” his mom said, “us
�sh can’t ride bikes”. “Why not?” asked Finley. “It’s
because we’ve got �ns instead of hands and feet like the
humans that live up top in houses” replied his mom.
Finley sighed “hhh” and wasn’t happy with what his
mom had said.
Finley thought and thought... if he had a bike, what
type would it be? Would it be red with white stripes or
blue with spots, or just plain black!
He was so desperate to own one that he decided to
make one just right for himself. So, he got some paper
and crayons from the cupboard, then sat down and
started to draw some long lines, some short lines, a few
triangles and oblongs. He then took his scissors and
cut them out!
Now, Finley thought, with all these shapes he could
put them together and make the perfect bike for
himself. He put the shapes this way and that way
until he was happy with what he had made. “�ere”
he said out loud to himself “my bike!” All Finley
needed to do now was to ask his dad to help him.
Finley swam over to his dad who was working on
something else very important indeed. “Dad, dad,
dad” he shouted, “Yes” replied his dad. Finley was
so excited that all he could do was rabble on and on.
His dad couldn’t understand a word Finley was saying
“Slow down, slow down” he shouted “What’s all the
excitement for”. Finley slowed down and explained
about him wanting to have a bike for his birthday.
Finley’s dad just laughed and said “come on then son,
let’s have a look at what we can do”. He took some
measurements then scratched his head, “mmmm I
might just have to make some adjustments, ok?” Finley
agreed but said “ok dad, but not too many, I want it
almost like that one”, he pointed to his design which
he had made earlier. “We’ll see”, said his dad, “Now it’s
getting late, o� to bed with you!” “Ohhh dad” Finley
replied with a frown on his face, but he did what his
father had asked of him and went to bed.
In bed all Finley could think about was his bike, he
wished and wished his dad could make it in time for
his birthday. It was ages before he went o� to sleep.
Finally he slept and dreamt of himself riding around at
the bottom of the sea on a shiny gold bike.
�e next morning Finley got out of bed, pulled back his
curtains, rubbed he eyes and then rubbed them again.
To his amazement there stood one big shiny gold bike,
just like the one he designed.
Still in his PJs and before anyone could wish him happy
birthday he swam out to his bike, got on it and rode
around on the sea bed, exactly like in his dream!
by Am
anda O
sborne
Finley’s Perfect Bike
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
46
47
I was living in a town called Anand in Gujarat in India. It was 9.30am on 26 January 2001 which is our Republic Day. We have a national holiday on that day. Everybody was watching a parade and celebrations which were broadcast from the capital city, Delhi. Schools were having their own displays and functions.
Suddenly everything changed because of a natural disaster. �ere was an
earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter Scale with the epicentre in Bhuj and
Ahmedabad in Gujarat. �ere was a lot of damage. Buildings had collapsed
and many people inside were fatally injured. �ree hundred children who were
participating in the street parade were crushed underneath houses. About ten
thousand people lost their lives.
I felt the tremors. Everything vibrated and I felt dizzy for a few minutes. I didn’t
know what was happening but my dad told us to get out of the house and stay
in an open space. Luckily there weren’t any further large a�ershocks.
Six weeks a�er the earthquake I had an opportunity to visit Bhuj as a doctor.
We stayed in tents and visited a�ected places to help the injured people. �ey
had very bad memories about the incident, many having to start rebuilding
their lives a�er losing their family members and facing �nancial ruin.
Governments, the Red Cross and voluntary organisations came to the aid of
the people. Now the people are doing really well and everything is back to
normal.
by J
igis
ha
Pat
elMy Earthquake Experience
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
My wedding was one of the best days of my life. I remember that day. It was a very busy day.
I woke up at 7am and I had breakfast then I went to the Registry O�ce. A�er
that I went to my witness’ house for lunch. �ere were lots of friends.
When the lunch was �nished I went to my hair dresser. She did my hair and
my make up. I went back home and put on my dress. It was really beautiful.
At 6pm I went to church and I stayed in the car for one hour because I had to
wait for my brother to come.
I saw lots of friends come to the church. I came to the room on our church and
waited for my brother for another half an hour. My sister went to look for my
brother. He was nowhere to be found. He came back a�er the ceremony and
started explaining that he was too shy to take me down the aisle.
When the service ended we went to the party and we had dinner. We took lots
of pictures and we had a fantastic time. We said good bye to everyone and we
went to the hotel at midnight.
My Wedding Day by E
renice P
edro
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
48
49
by S
hab
nam
Rab
ani
Nightmare In Turkey
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
Last year myself and my family went on an extravagant holiday to Turkey, it was my �rst visit. Turkey is a beautiful country, the food is lovely which I enjoyed, the weather was just perfect.
�e �rst few days we all sPent sightseeing,
there was so much to see: old castles,
museums, parks and of course the beach,
it was amazing.
�e day before our �ight back to England
I went shopping with my two sisters, we
bought gi�s for our friends and family.
�en we went to a small restaurant by the
beach to have our lunch.
A�er our lunch we made out way back
to the hotel on a mini bus. As I stepped
o� the mini bus I realised I had le� my
bag which contained my passport, my
children’s passport as well as all of my
money. BUT the mini bus had driven
away before I could stop it! I started to
panic, I couldn’t think straight, what was
I going to do? How could I have been
so careless? My sisters tried to calm me
down! I ran into the hotel crying, I asked
the reception if they would alert the bus
driver about my bag immediately!
Moments later the bus company
contacted the hotel sta� and said that
a passenger had found the bag and had
given it to the driver, the driver of the
mini bus o�ered to come back round
towards the hotel, but it would take at
least half an hour.
It seemed like the longest half an hour! I
waited impatiently for the bus to arrive.
So many thoughts were going through
my head, what if the passports were
missing? What could I do? How would I
get back to England?
�e bus arrived and pulled up outside
the hotel, the driver handed me my bag. I
opened it, all my belongings were there...
I thanked the driver.
I thought to myself that I would never
have got my bag back, but thanks to
the bus driver and the passenger I did.
I will forever remember this dreadful
experience which luckily had a very
happy ending.
Someone who inspires me is my father in law. When I came here and saw my father in law he was never tired and he is always full of energy. He is never lazy. When I see him I am encouraged to do some work. I don’t like to be sitting down and watching T.V.
He is 48 years old and still working. He is working in a cash and carry, in his
work his boss is very happy with him because he worked another worker’s
work as well. He is never tired, a�er work he comes home and he still has the
same energy to do some work like gardening or car work. He is a workaholic.
He always encourages me to be active and not to be lazy.
People Who Inspire Meby R
upa R
amjee
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
50
51
I would like to share my story with all of you. I hope you enjoy reading.
I have liked dress making since I can remember. I used to see my mum making
clothes. If there was any spare material le� over I used to make clothes for my
dolls. Now it’s my passion to design new clothes. When I do sewing it makes
me relaxed, in other words you could call me a control freak when it comes to
my clothes. I don’t like it if somebody else makes my clothes.
Now I am a mother of two. �e children go to school full time and I have
plenty of spare time. I thought I should do a course.
One day I was doing research on courses that are available in the local area.
One course caught my eye, that was dress making. I enrolled on the course.
Since I joined my class I have made a few new friends. Also on the course we
learn about each other’s cultures, we learn from each other. I really enjoy doing
my course. It has given me so much more con�dence.
Now I make clothes for other people, I can earn some extra money and I can
choose my hours. I still go out with my friends and have fun. I also look a�er
my mother and father-in-law, but I can work around them as well.
Sometimes I used to go shopping and I would see a nice dress but couldn’t
buy it because it had no sleeves or a low neckline. As a Muslim that’s not
appropriate for me, but now I can copy the design for my own clothes. �is
course has given me that freedom and now I can wear what I want.
Now I can see what I want to do in the future - carry on with my course and
later open my own clothes shop.
by S
hab
nu
m R
ani
My Story
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
�e person who is important to me and I look up to is my best friend Kerstin Edie. Kerstin is 72 years old, and she is originally from Sweden. She has been married for 45 years to an English man who is a very charming old man. She has two daughters and grandchildren.
Kerstin is the kind of person who has thoughtful discussions about everything
around her. She has a friendly face. She always has time for her friends and for
her children. Also, she is enthusiastic about learning new things. Moreover,
she loves supporting people around her.
I met her in 2006. Since then, she supported us in many di�erent ways. She
found a good college for me and a good state school for my children. She also
has been helpful and generous with her time to support my children’s English.
Kerstin loves books, such as novels. She works in an Oxfam charity shop
every Wednesday. She likes swimming too. Furthermore, she enjoys going on
holidays with her family.
At the moment she looks a�er her ill husband. Again, she cares for her husband
whole heartedly.
In conclusion, I have been inspired by her sincerity. I am grateful that I have
such as amazing person as my best friend.
My Best Friendby S
oraya Raziq
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
52
53
Times are hard for people right now, more than ever because of the recession. We are working hard, but still can’t pay all the bills. If you pay all the household utility bills you can’t buy food and if you get paid monthly it’s even more di�cult to get the money to last.
�ings cost more: VAT is higher and petrol costs more. Food and clothes also
seem more expensive, just like everything else. People are �nding it really hard
now - even more than ever - to pay their bills and to buy food. Our money
needs to stretch further, but it just can’t reach - we are at breaking point.
Take your average bill for example. You can choose to pay monthly or yearly.
However, if you pay monthly and miss a payment the companies will then
ask you to pay it all at once. Our government says “WE ARE ALL IN IT
TOGETHER” but when we are faced with household bills and not able to pay
them we have no help.
People who aren’t working have bills paid by the government - all their housing
and council tax, and even have money le� over to buy their food every week.
But, when you are working on a low wage it’s really hard, and our money just
doesn’t stretch far enough. It’s frustrating when you are doing the “RIGHT
THING” but still not getting by. It doesn’t seem fair that if a hardworking
person can’t pay their bills, they could end up in prison or the baili� could
come around, but if you are unemployed and have a family, your bills are paid
for you by the government.
A Hardworking Family In Their Everyday Life And Financesby
An
jean
Ros
e
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
I would like to tell you why I started fostering. I was always looking for a caring job so I chose fostering.
Also I read an advert in the local Forward newspaper and an advertisement on
the West Midlands buses. I talked to my children and told them I wanted to
be a foster carer. �ey all laughed and said to me mum please don’t try to be a
Mother �eresa. �en I explained to them, “I am doing it because you are all
grown up. Now I want to do something for others because these children need
love and care. I think I can do this job nicely because I am a caring person.”
�en I went alone to Corporation Street in the city centre and I got the
application form from the o�ce. I �lled this form in with my daughter so the
procedure started. A�er the application one social worker visited my home.
�en she passed my home because my home was safe for children. �en
another social worker came to assess me and came back every week and talked
to me about di�erent topics. She wrote down everything and she said yes
to me.
I made a portfolio and wrote everything about my life. I wrote everything
about all my life experiences some of which were bad and some good. �ey
checked our CRBs.We were all clear.
�e last step was the panel.�is part was very hard for me because there were
so many people round the table and they asked me di�erent questions. I went
with my social worker into the o�ce. I was very nervous but I hid my feelings.
�en I gave them the right answers so they were all happy.
Now I am a foster carer. I always keep myself busy and ready for my next task.
�ere are di�erent children coming into my care. When children leave me
and go back to their parents I feel happy for them but if they go to other foster
carers I feel sorry for them. �is is the life. I try my best all the time..
Why I Started Fosteringby R
ose
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
54
55
A mother understands what children aren’t saying .
Nothing can compare to her gift given to you - ‘life’.
She is always with you when you grow up, when you are sick, happy or sad.
Even when children are fully grown they are forever their mothers’ children.
She can promise to give her energy to you even when she is not with you.
Nobody knows when you need help but she knows!
Only a mother is never alone in her thoughts.
She always thinks about her children.
A mother’s love grows by giving, it can never stop.
There’s nothing like a mama’s hug.
There’s nothing like a mama’s love.
Only a mother can give you your first moral, intellectual and physical education.
To be a mother is wonderful!
by G
enov
eva
Roy
ach
ka
Mother
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
I am writing to speak about my mother. I lived with my big family. I have six brothers and one sister. My father died when I was eighteen years, and all my brothers were younger, my last sister was ten months old. I was so sad and cried all the time because I never saw my father again.
My mother was very young and beautiful. My mother looked a�er us, and
she was a good mother to bring up her children. I really so love my mother
because she didn’t leave her children, she had hard work to gives us anything
we needed, she gave us advice all the time for good behaviour.
I never forgot in my life she had hard work to bring up her children and got
very tired even then she was very patient, kind and helpful.
My Mother Inspires Meby S
eham
Saeid
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
56
My name is Chithra and I am from Sri Lanka. I came to England a�er I got married. I enjoy my family life, my studies at Birmingham Adult Education Service and my placement at a primary school in Harborne.
I feel I am lucky to study with Birmingham Adult Education because I really
improved my literacy skills by attending an English class last year. I am now
attending a Writing Development class which is very useful for my ‘Specialist
Support of Teaching & Learning in Schools’ course and for my day-to-day life.
My Storyby
Ch
ith
ra S
han
mu
gan
ath
an
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
57
58
My son was born at 5.15 pm on Saturday the 31st January. He was 4lb when he was born. I was so ecstatic when they told me he was a boy and I jumped for joy. I phoned my mom and dad excitedly to tell them the wonderful news. �ey were over the moon with joy.
Because of his birth weight Arron was placed in an incubator. �e next day
the doctor checked my son. He listened to his heart and found my son’s heart
was not beating correctly. So they took him for an X-ray and found he had
two holes in the pipes to his heart. He would need surgery when he was a little
older. My wife and I were shocked and felt devastated but couldn’t show our
emotion to our daughter because we didn’t want her to be sad.
�en when he was �ve months old Arron had heart surgery and it took 7
anxious hours for the surgery to �nish. He was in intensive care for two whole
days. My wife and I were so scared he might not get through it. When he was
a bit better and out of danger he was taken to the ward to recover. Two weeks
later he was out of the hospital. A�er a further two weeks the nurse came to the
house. She said “He’s OK now. He looks happier and healthier.” We felt relieved
at this news and straight away told the whole family the good news and that
they could now all come round and hold Arron and have their picture taken
with him.
Now he is 8 years old and he is full of life. He likes playing sports. He does
Jujitsu two times a week and he is a red belt. Now he is lively, energetic and
healthy. He is our little miracle.
by Ran
jit Sin
ghMy Son Arron
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
My name is Vanitha; my daughter is called Anita.
She is a sweety; but sometimes naughty.
She is brown and beautiful; she makes everyone cheerful.
She loves everyone in the house; she has a school friend who is close.
She likes chocolate and ice cream; she wakes up at night with a dream.
She loves me forever; I too love her forever.
My Daughterby
Van
ith
a S
ivak
um
ar
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
59
60
In the world there are many hens, but Grandma loved this one with all her heart. �is hen was very di�erent from others. �e hen always laid her eggs in the storeroom cupboard on top of a pile of blankets. She was allowed to do this because she was Granny’s favourite.
My cousin, Sajid, was very intelligent and he was
the best student in his class. He loved reading
story books and was never seen without them. He
loved to study but he didn’t like to go to school.
Sajid was also one of Grandma’s favourites.
One year I went to visit my aunt and uncle that
lived in a small village. My auntie got up early
to get the children ready for school. When
everyone got ready and had breakfast, they went
outside to uncle, who was to drop them o� at
school. I did not have to go because I was still
only a toddler. �ey were just about to leave
when uncle realised that someone was missing.
“Where was Sajid?”, he asked the children. “We
have no idea! We haven’t seen him all day,” the
children replied. Everyone began searching
for the boy. �ey searched every corner of the
house, the neighbourhood and even the school,
without success.
By now, everyone was extremely worried. At
the same time there was another problem - the
hen had suddenly begun to shriek. �e noise
made everyone even more frustrated. In their
desperate state, they failed to realise that the hen
was trying to tell them something.
A�er many frantic circuits between the
storeroom and Granny, the hen �nally managed
to catch granny’s attention. She followed it to the
storeroom, assuming that a predatory animal
had somehow made its way in; she took a long,
thick stick with her. She used it to smack the
blankets on top of which the hen laid her eggs.
When nothing came out, she smacked it even
harder. �is time, she thought that she heard
a child scream. She looked around, but saw no
one. She continued to hit the blankets harder
and harder, each time hearing a louder scream.
�is made it obvious that the screams were
coming from under the blankets. She removed
the �rst blanket. Nothing. She removed the
second blanket and saw a �gure forming under
the third. She tried li�ing the third blanket, but it
was too heavy to move. Realising that something
was inside the blanket, she slowly opened up the
�rst crease. �e sinister �gure became clearer.
Slowly, her hands trembling, Granny completely
began to open the blanket. She found...
Sajid! He had been there reading his stories. Both
he and his beloved books were safe. Granny was
extremely angry with him for causing so much
trouble, but she was happy when she saw him
safe so, he was saved from punishment.
Detective Henby S
alaha S
ohail
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
Yasin is a beautiful valley in Gilgit Baltislan, in Pakistan. I would like to say it is like paradise. �e Yasin valley is one of the most traditional valleys of Gilgit. It is in the extreme north of Pakistan, its borders touch the Karakorum mountains and Tibet.
�e people of the valley celebrate a spring festival
in the �rst week of March every year. It is to
welcome the spring and say goodbye to the snow
and cold winters.
As March starts people clean their homes, wash
the curtains and even the rugs, to dust away the
winter. �ey decorate their walls and ceilings,
and they even buy new clothes. Girls buy bangles
and boys always wear traditional hats and
decorate them with colourful peacock and goose
feathers. Everybody prepares everything with
great love and enthusiasm. �e ladies prepare
food in the oil made from apricots and walnut
stones.
On the day of the festival all the people of the
valley gather at the Raja’s House (the chief of the
tribe) and the musicians start the show. All the
people love to dance. It’s a custom there that only
the men dance. Firstly the elder ones dance and
then comes the turn of the younger ones. �ey
take it in turns to dance.
Every year lots of foreigners come to see the
festival. �ey also enjoy dancing along with the
locals and in the evening they enjoy a marvellous
feast. As night falls, hundreds of people take in
their hands wooden sticks lit with �re to use as
torches, and they sing Spring welcoming songs.
�e Raja is dressed in traditional dress and rides
a beautifully decorated horse and the rest of the
people walk along with him. �ey go two miles
away from the house where the festival starts into
a huge hall, called the �rone Hall. In the past this
hall was used as a feast hall. �ere they celebrate
the rest of the festival in their traditional way. At
the end the Raja throws grain seeds among the
gathered people and the people try their best to
get a few grains so they can sow them with their
own seeds to get the best crop.
�e next day, early in the morning, people gather
at the Raja’s house with their horses. From there
they start the second part of the festival. All
the people go to a place where a horse jumping
competition is held. �ere the horses have to
jump with their riders over huge heaps of rocks
and pebbles. �e winner gets lots of praise.
�e last part of the festival is a polo match, which
is played without any rules and regulations; it is
free-style polo. �ousands of people scream and
shout to encourage their favourite teams.
�is is the beautiful Yasin valley, I love my valley
and the Spring festival.
by N
eelo
far
Su
ltan
a S
arta
jThe Spring Festival In
Yasin, Pakistan
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
61
62
He was 5 days old when he came to our house in India. We named him “Jackie”. His colour was white and he had lovely blue eyes. I looked at him as my little brother. I used to tie a friendship band on him every year. He liked milk and bread for his breakfast. He loved all kinds of food especially meat and chicken. I had so much fun with him. I played ball games with him.
Once I went to my neighbour’s house with him they had some religious
ceremony and o�ered some sweets to God. When nobody was looking “Jackie”
went and grabbed the sweets and ate them. When everybody saw what he did
they all laughed.
He was always �ghting with other dogs so but he was very obedient with us.
We all loved him and he loved us. He was always eager to see me. He died �ve
years ago. I miss my dog a lot. �at is the end of my story.
by Hetal T
ailorA Day To Remember
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
I am Miroslava Tashi, but my nickname is Mira. I was born in Serbia (former Yugoslavia). �e place of my birth now belongs to Kosovo because it is separated from Serbia and now it is an independent country. Some of my family still live there, my younger son with his wife and three children.
I spent my childhood in the village where I was
born. I was married very young by my family’s
arrangement. My education at the time I had
together with my husband, both of us together
graduated from university. He studied philosophy
and I studied pedagogy and Serbian grammar.
When we married, my husband and I le� the
home of our big family in the village and lived
in the town because we studied at the university.
We had two children with just three years between
them. My mother-in-law looked a�er our children.
Once when we came back home from university
our �rst son, our little boy, didn’t want to hug us; he
turned his head and eyes away from us and hugged
my mother-in-law because he didn’t recognise us.
Later we had a good relationship with our son, but
just in the beginning it was di�erent. Now they
are married young men and have their children.
�ey have good jobs. My older son is a teacher at
Solihull College and my younger son is a
professor in the main town of our country
Kosovo. I am a very happy grandmother with
my �ve grandchildren from age eight to eighteen
years old.
I worked as a teacher maybe for only three years
and then I changed my work. As a teacher I
worked in another town, not in the town where
we lived. However, my two sons needed me to be
with them longer than I could because I was in
another town all day plus travelling on two buses.
So, I accepted a job in the parliament in my town.
�ere I worked as a speech writer to the end until
I became a pensioner.
Because we had wars in my country I came
here to my son’s home. I looked a�er my two
grandchildren and had all the responsibility
of the household for his family. I was there for
four years and I le� them because the children
grew up.
Like most old people I receive bene�ts from the
British Government: pension credits and a �at.
Now I am an independent and happy person. I
enjoy my life. When I can I help other old people
in many ways. I do everything with my heart
because I understand what it is when someone
has and someone has not got money to live or
has not got the strength to do some basic things
for themselves.
by M
iros
lava
Tas
hiMy Story
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
63
64
In September 25th 2008 my nephew was born in Birmingham. He was a little, tiny baby, healthy and beautiful.
A�er one year on 23rd December 2009 he had an accident, he fell o� his high
chair and passed out, we called the ambulance that arrived very quickly and
took him to the hospital. A�er the doctor found what happened with him they
decided for him to have an MRI, and keep him in hospital for observation. �e
result came and they didn’t �nd any damage in the brain, so they said he has
a disease called anorexic seizure, and a�er 2 years it will disappear. Without
any medication he came back home and in six months he fainted six times, the
doctors always said the same, he has anorexic seizures.
In August 2010 we went on holiday to Portugal he saw another doctor. �e
doctor started with some blood tests, but he didn’t �nd anything, so in October
2010 he decided to make one more MRI, the result was the worst we could
have had, my nephew has a tumour at the front of his head. With all of the
results, a cd, a letter from the doctor and some medicine to prevent him from
fainting he came back.
�e doctor who was with this case sent my nephew to the hospital to see a
neurosurgeon with all of the results. �e outcome was he would have a meeting
with another colleague and we would receive a letter. A�er 8 months we
received a letter for another MRI. �e result wasn’t good, the ball was growing
and they must remove it urgently before it caused damage to another part of
the brain. �ey put him on an urgent waiting list, JUNE, JULY, AUGUST no
letter from the hospital. On 12th September 2011 he had an operation with
success and now he must be in observation for 6 months. He came back, now
he is in preschool and a very active boy.
by R
ubi
na
Vis
sira
m
My Little Nephew
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
Every moment in my life has been precious to me, beginning from my childhood. �e fact is that life is full with good and bad experiences. �ere is no such thing as perfection. Simply a perfect life does not exist. However, I want to mention two particular happy memories of mine.
Most people say, “�e best period in a person’s life is the childhood.” �e best
period in my life was also childhood because I did not know the real problems
in life and I was so innocent and honest, I did not care about serious problems
that adults had. I knew that I was safe at my home with my family. At the same
time I was interested in many things. My childhood was unforgettable. It was
so nice that it brings me just happy memories and thoughts. I wish I can be
that child again. I had a safe home with mum, dad, my older brother and two
sisters who loved me without limit. Sometimes I was mischievous and caused
problems; however, most of the time I was good and played with my friends.
My childhood shaped me to become who I am now.
Secondly, when my sister was getting married, I had a wonderful time and I
was so happy. I danced all night and had a major party with my families and
friends. �e best kind of memory from that wedding was seeing my sister in her
wedding dress on her wedding day. She just looked so beautiful. It was special
because of the atmosphere rather than anything else. All family members were
dressed in smart clothes and they looked very happy. It was just perfect!
In conclusion, I believe there are good and bad aspects in everyone’s life, so I
try to treasure every day of my life as if it’s the last yet best day of my life.
The Best Times Of My Life
by Adiam
Tsegazeab
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
65
66
Having my three beautiful girls alive, living well and healthy is the most precious things in my life.
I have four daughters by birth, but only have three living with me. Sadly my one daughter
died peacefully a�er ten weeks of being born. She was premature, she was eight weeks
early and was born weighing only 3lb 4oz. She was whisked straight away from me
and taken to the special baby care unit and put into an incubator. She had to have an
operation on her tummy so she went to the hospital. My prayers were answered and she
made it through. Doctors made me aware that she might not make it through because
she was so tiny.
As time progressed she started putting weight on. Six weeks into her being born she had
to have another operation on her lungs because she was breathing in one lung and not
the other, I was assured this was not connected to her heart. She however only lasted two
more weeks a�er this operation, she died peacefully without any pain. She had a smile
on her face and her eyes were open. I will always remember that smile... it was as if to say
“mommy no more pain. I am free and happy and at peace”. It was a comfort to know that
she wasn’t in any more pain.
Letting go was so hard to do, at this time my �rst daughter was only one and a half years
old. If she had have lived she would be twenty two years old this year, born 21st August
died 21st October 1990.
I ended my relationship and started a new one, I am still in this relationship now a�er
13 years. I endured an ectopic pregnancy 10 years ago and we had to try IVF as I just
couldn’t get pregnant. A�er lots of tests and a very long and depressing wait I �nally got
pregnant, I was blessed! When I was seven weeks pregnant I went for my scan, seeing two
little babies growing inside me brought tears to my eyes. I was having twins! �at was the
happiest day of my life!
My daughters are �ve and a half now and I would love to be a mommy one more
time, but I don’t think it will happen now. So, I am looking into adoption, this time
I am hoping for a baby boy, or even twins if luck is on my side!
My Twin Girlsby A
man
da Wan
klin
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
67
by R
iffa
t Za
far
Fruit Tart
Ingredients • Pu� pastry sheet - 1For the �lling• Cream cheese - 6 oz• Sugar - 3tbsp• Vanilla - 1.5 tsp• For the topping: (choice of fruits)• Strawberries - hulled and halved• Blueberries• Bananas - sliced• Kiwi - sliced
• Mandarin oranges canned• Pineapples - sliced • Grapes - cut in half • For the glaze:• Orange juice - 6 tbsp (for a milder citrus
�avour, use 3 tbsp juice and 3 tbsp water)• Sugar - 6tbsp• Salt - pinch• Water - 2 tbsp• Cornstarch - 2 tsp• Orange zest - ¼tsp
METHOD:
Defrost pu� pastry according to package directions. Preheat the oven to 400f/204c.
On a �oured surface, roll out one sheet into a thin rectangle (9 x 13in). With a fork, gently perforate the
pastry to prevent it from ballooning up.
For the �lling, add cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Mix until sugar is completely dissolved.
Keep aside.
For the glaze, add all ingredients (except the orange zest) in a pan on medium heat. Keep whisking for
1 - 2 minutes until the sauce thickens.
Remove from the heat and add in orange zest. Keep aside to cool.
When everything has cooled, spread the cream cheese mixture evenly on the pu� pastry.
Arrange all the fruits so that every piece has a little of each fruit.
With a pastry brush, cover the entire tart with the glaze.
Chill for 1 - 2 hours before cutting and serving.
Serves approx. 8 - 10.
I tried it myself at home when I had party at my home. Everyone appreciates it a�er eating the dessert. It is heavenly dessert so you should try it. Try this light and delicious recipe for your next get together. It is easy to make at home. It’s healthy and energising for everyone.
68
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
My name is Shahida Zeb and I am 21 years old. I have got one brother called Hussein and one sister called Mariam. I also have �ve cats called Pablo, Getto, Browny, Tommy and another Browny. I have two friends called Na�ssa and one called Raina. My mum and dad are originally from Pakistan but moved here before I was born. My mom’s name is Samina and my dad’s name is Zeb.
I like doing many things such as going out to the cinema, going to the country
side, I also like going to the gym and to friend’s houses.
A�er my studies I would like to take a course in travel and tourism as I would
love to be an air hostess and would love to travel around the world. I would
also like to take a course in childcare as I like looking a�er children.
I am quiet but occasionally can be loud. My favourite food is McDonalds but I
also like tuna crunch from Greggs and pizza and chips from Soho Road.
I have been on one holiday, to Pakistan last year in a PIA747 (a type of plane).
I went to see my cousins, my grandpa and grandma and also my mum’s sister
who has two daughters named Ruksara and Muskan, a son named �eyub and
another daughter named �ezebe.
by Sh
ahida Zeb
All About Me
I am from Syria.
I came to England eight years ago with my husband and two children.
My �rst child was 15 months old and the second child was one month old.
When I �rst came to England I lived with my family in-law and a�er a few
months I moved to my own house.
My �rst three years in England were very di�cult and hard because I could not
speak English properly and did not have any friends. My kids were very little
so I was not able to join in any English courses to improve my speaking.
A�er the three years I had a new baby girl and the boys started school. So
when I started to take the kids to school I was chatting to other parents, this
made my speaking improved and I had friends to speak to. I thought I would
never get to speak with con�dence in front of people and I would never learn
anything, but a�er �ve years I have done three English courses. I have also
done a sewing course and passed my driving test.
All that I can say is it is not hard or impossible, just start to learn and never
give up. Learning is very important for everybody, so try hard and you will get
there.
All About Myself
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
69
An
onym
ous
70
Holland is a beautiful place. Amsterdam is the capital city. I would say it is an international city where all di�erent cultures are found. It is a cosmopolitan city.
Amsterdam is a popular place where a lot of tourists come to enjoy their
holidays in places such as co�ee shops and huge shopping centres. Also there
are great museums. You can see a wide variety of well-known works of art by
Rembrandt, Da Vinci and Picasso. In addition, it has a famous football stadium
called �e Arena and canals which you can tour by boat.
Education is more progressive compared with other European countries. As
a result, most of the population speaks English from an early age because the
government has made it compulsory to learn a second language in secondary
school, for instance English or French.
Transport is also very e�cient because the government pays a lot of money to
develop and maintain the main roads, usually at night.
I would recommend that you go and visit Amsterdam and I hope you will �nd
many more worthwhile places to go to in the Netherlands, such as Rotterdam
and the Hague.
Amsterdam
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
An
onym
ous
Christmas In Poland
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
In Poland, Christmas is supposed to be a time for family to spend together.
It starts with special dinner, where there should be 12 dishes. �e �rst important
dishes are �sh called carp and bread, mushroom soup and other dishes. �e
idea is the dishes should be as simple as possible. And the other very important
thing is that on the table should be one more set of plates for someone who
doesn’t have a family and may come to us to join us. We should welcome that
person and share our time and dinner with them and be joyful all together.
Before dinner, we share a special piece of bread and give wishes to each other
for next year and say thank you for this year.
It happens very o�en that families are separated by quarrelling or other bad
things like envy or money problems or something else. When it is Christmas
time, we should forgive all the sins we committed against each other, but
usually it is very hard because we make the same mistakes and all the bad
things are repeated.
In houses where there are children usually the Christmas tree is decorated.
In the past there were some people who went from house to house and they
sang Christmas carols and played with children to scare them. Usually the
group of people was made of someone who played Death, someone who
played an angel, someone who played a devil and they asked if the children
had behaved well through all the year. If not Death or the devil could scare
them that they will take them away from the house. �e angel could give them
some sweets if they behaved well and in the end the players were rewarded
with some coins for their playing.
71
An
onym
ous
72
I would like to tell you about when I was about 9 or 10 years old. I was living in Lahore. My dad’s uncle wanted to go Hajj and his �ight was from Karachi.
My dad was going with his uncle to Karachi airport and he was staying at his
brother’s house for four weeks. �at time we had school holidays. Me and my
sister were very excited.
We asked dad, “can we go with you because we have a school holiday.” My dad
was going to Karachi by train. �e journey was one and a half days by train. We
were so happy because we were going on a train for the �rst time.
One day we were going with our dad shopping. We were travelling by bus.
When we were at the bus stop my dad said you sit down on the women’s side
and when we went in the bus I saw my dad was standing at the bus stop and
the bus le�. Me and my sister were screaming to the driver. My dad was not
on the bus.
We were screaming to the bus driver to stop the bus and let us to go o�. �e
driver stopped the bus and let us o�. �e people who were on the road asked
us if we were alone “come with us we will take you home.” we said no we were
not alone. �en we asked which bus went to that area. We caught the bus and
safely came home. �at was my childhood story.
My Childhood And Teenage Years
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
An
onym
ous
Six years have passed since you passed away; every day increases my love for you.
Dear father, how I miss you, to talk with you, to hear your voice so
compassionate and respected, to the chest on which I rested, to your eyes
�lled with love, to your tips which are still always useful for experience and
expertise of a full life.
I miss you and I need you. I went through some di�cult times in my life I
wished you could be next to me. I wanted to talk with you and tell you what
was on my mind and how I felt.
I wished you could still cuddle me as usual and wipe over my head and whisper
in my ear, “nothing to worry about, any problem has a solution.”
�ank you my dad for everything.
I hope to meet you in the Paradise.
My Dad
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
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74
In the holidays I went to Pakistan with my family and relatives. I went to Pakistan four years ago. I went for seven weeks. I live in Azad Kashmir, Mirpur and I really love this area in Pakistan. It has an absolutely amazing view of the environment around it and it’s just beautiful.
I went to Pakistan because it was my niece’s wedding. I really enjoyed the wedding as it was
a really lovely weather. �e sun was shining brightly away on my so�, shiny face. It was a
family based traditional wedding as my niece got married to my uncle’s son. �e day was
really fun and it was nice seeing my family all gathered together celebrating the special
event. It was a really long day as we had many guests there and we had responsibilities
such as inviting people to the wedding, decorations and organising the house.
�e wedding took place in August. My niece’s wedding was long as in the Asian wedding
times there were di�erent days which took place before the wedding, for example Mendhi
night and wedding day. It was getting close to the wedding and we began preparing. We
called some special people to do the decorations and they made it look really nice as
they added a colour scheme on the stage and it was �lled with posh designed chairs and
balloons.
Me and my family had bought our clothes for the wedding in the local bridal shops in
Dadyal. �e clothes were heavy made and they were �lled with sequins. �ere were two
days of the wedding. On the �rst day my niece wore a red Asian type dress which was just
astonishing and it looked dazzling on her. On the second day my niece wore a pink and
blue dress which was also beautiful. I had worn heavy clothes as well.
On the wedding day there were a lot of family and relatives. �e food was delicious,
there were di�erent types of food, for example samosas, rice, kebabs, desserts and roast.
�ere was a camera-man who took professional pictures of the bride, groom, family and
relatives.
Overall, the wedding was a wonderful experience and I enjoyed it.
My Holiday
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
An
onym
ous
My life changed when I had my son. I was so happy. I had him a�er 14 years.
I can’t express my feelings, with all the complications, �nally we had a son,
Masha Allah.
He is very beautiful and very special. He is six years old, Masha Allah.
My husband was very happy. When he held our son in his arms for the �rst
time, my husband was very overwhelmed he cried in happiness. We love our
son very much. We hope the very best for him in the future.
My Son
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
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76
I was born in Ethiopia. Ethiopia is found in the eastern part of Africa or Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is a very beautiful country with beautiful landscapes, hills and mountains. In Ethiopia there are di�erent animals, like the Ethiopian red fox only found in Ethiopia.
I was born in the western part of Ethiopia the place was called Hurumu.
Hurumu is very far from the capital city of Ethiopia around 400 miles.
When I was 5 years old I started primary school, a�er I �nished primary school
I went to Mettu Secondary High School.
A�er I completed high school I was not given the chance to go to college or
higher education. I stayed home for more than 3 years.
A�er 3 years I got temporary work as a charity relief worker until the work was
�nished.
At the same time I got married and gave birth to 2 children, a girl and a boy.
I have got a very happy family.
My Story
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
An
onym
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When I was 4 years old my stepmother gave birth to my brother. I had to look a�er the baby goats by myself for the �rst time. At about midday the kids gathered under a big tree to shelter from the hot sun.
I was standing amongst the kids when I suddenly saw something huge running
towards me. I didn’t wait to see what it was. Instead I ran as fast as I could
towards the house where my stepmother and the baby were. I was screaming
that there was a huge monster coming to get me.
My stepmother heard my screaming and she rushed out of the house carrying
the baby in her arms. She asked me what had happened. I told her what I had
seen. She took me into the house, got me sat down and put the baby on my lap
then she went to see the kids. When she got there one of them was missing and
we never found it.
People said to me what I saw was a fox but I don’t believe it was a fox because
I think it was something much bigger like a lion. �ey said to me it looked big
because I was only a small child but I still think it was something else.
One Day In My Childhood
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
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When I �rst found out I was pregnant, I was extremely happy and ran home and couldn’t wait to tell my husband. Soon a�er came the morning sickness. �is was di�cult because I naturally hate feeling sick or being sick. I thought if I didn’t eat much then I wouldn’t be sick but this made me even sicker though I didn’t know it then but found out later.
I would say the �rst three months of
pregnancy are worse than labour pain,
because labour pain lasts for a few hours or
maybe a day but imagine hating everything
you are smelling and not enjoying food but
eating just to stay alive.
A�er the �rst 3 months I stopped feeling sick
and the rest of the pregnancy was easy. I and
my husband were happy and we had bought
all the baby things in advance. Now we were
just waiting for the baby to arrive.
One day before my due day about 9 o’clock
in the morning I was still in bed and my
husband was getting ready for work I felt a
sharp pain in my back. My husband asked
me what was wrong and I told him today
may be the day. �e pain went away a�er a
few minutes and didn’t come back but it was
much stronger this time than before.
�ere were no mobiles in those days so I
couldn’t call my husband. Luckily I phoned
my aunty and told her about the pains that
I was having. She told me that she was going
to get a taxi and come to my house straight
away. By the time she got to me the pain
was coming every 5 minutes and it was very
painful and she called the ambulance straight
away. My husband called us just before we
le� for hospital and he said he would meet
us at the hospital.
When we got to the hospital the midwife
examined me and she said that I had a long
way to go. I was in labour for twelve hours
and the pain was like nothing I ever had
felt. �en �nally my daughter was born at
11.30pm. As soon as I saw her little face I
forgot about the pain that I had been through
and I just smiled at her and felt amazing. I
knew this little thing now depended on me
for everything.
It has been many years since then and now
my daughter is sixteen years old. I also had
�ve other children a�er her. I think being
a parent is the hardest job you can ever
undertake but sometimes it is the most
rewarding and joyful job that you will do in
your lifetime.
Parenthood
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
An
onym
ous
The Day My Princess Went
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
I will never forget the day my princess went away to live. My own family had turned their backs on me.
I have su�ered with depression for most
of my life, it keeps coming back. It didn’t
help that I had a bad childhood and that
my ex-boyfriend had treated me badly
too. When I came back to Birmingham
I thought my family would support me.
But how wrong I was.
It was the day before my birthday and
I just couldn’t take it any more. My
princess was playing me up all the time
and it didn’t help that she didn’t like
living in Birmingham. I was looking a�er
my dad who was not well, he couldn’t get
up and look a�er himself, it was just too
much for me! I had lost my job and I just
thought how much more can I take...I
told my princess’s dad to come and get
her, I couldn’t cope any more.
Not a day passes that I don’t miss my
princess. Some days are ok, some days
are not. I feel lost and sometimes I
would do anything to have my princess
giving me hugs and kisses.
I will never forget that day, the day my
princess went to her dad. She is the most
important thing in my life. She was the
only one to show me love and make me
smile every day. When you su�er from
depression like me you just can’t see any
light at the end of the tunnel.
Some of my family have turned their
backs on me. �ey didn’t ever want to
help or even ask what was wrong. �ey
just wanted to kick me to the �oor and
judge me. How can your family judge
you if they have never been through
depression.
I have days where I don’t ever want to go
out or even speak to anyone. I hide my
feelings well as I just carry on, I know
if I stop I will break-down. If I had had
the support I needed things today might
have been di�erent.
I am waiting to see a counsellor and I am
going to �ght this depression all the way
and get better for my princess. I want to
look a�er myself and her, I will never let
her go.
�e bottom line is that we speak all the
time and I see her when I can.
79
An
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When I �rst arrived in England from Pakistan the plane landed at Heathrow Airport, in London. I was pleased to see my family, it had been a long time since I last saw them. I was very excited and nervous, because I did not know what to expect. I had never been to a place like this before, it was a new experience.
As each day went by I got used to England’s cold weather, because my country
is a hot country.
I was marrying my husband and it was the �rst time I was going to meet my
in-laws. So it was something to look forward to.
England is very di�erent from Pakistan, the shops in the UK are very high class
and have the latest fashions, that is di�erent, but I love it!
I made some lovely friends, who I am still in contact with.
When I First Arrived In England
My Voice - The people of Birmingham in their own words
80
An
onym
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Do you needhelp finding
Birmingham Adult Education Service
o�ers a range of courses that can help
you improve your everyday reading,
writing and speaking skills.
Call us on 0121 303 4318, or visit us
at www.bg�.org/learnbaes to discover
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The people of Birmingham in their own words ...
...as for me, I laughed
myself silly!
We noticed that some snow was beginning to fall...
...but not just any ordinary
fish!
It was a very, very exciting
day!
I had a smile on my face I was thinking I will start a new life here
he loves playing around the
living room... and making a mess with the
plantsWho is this person on
the phone?
I am quiet but
occasionally I can be
loud
...he really was
special!