Justyna Pers
It is 1st of April and I am sitting in my bedroom, situated in a converted roof space of an old townhouse in Belfast. A beautiful Sunday afternoon. It has been almost two years since I moved to Northern Ireland, and almost four since I moved out of Poland. Before I left, I studied in Warsaw – Iberian and Cultural Studies; I also worked on concert tours of Polish rock and pop bands, worked as a fashion photographer’s assistant and a student journalist. My life in Poland was quite busy. I have two sisters one of whom emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1997 – her story is a subject for a book! Once I decided to visit her in Belfast during my summer holidays. This was when I met a Northern Irish young fellow from London whom I stayed in contact with for a year. After those 12 months I decided to try my luck in London, start a new life, see what the BIG WORLD was all about. London seemed to me a place plenty full of opportunities – but I had to start from a scratch, like everyone else. First, I worked in a French coffee shop where I met people who are my best friends till now, then moved to a 5-star hotel in Central London, and then, eventually, I started to work as an interpreter for the NHS – a job that I truly loved and enjoyed. Some time later me and my boyfriend decided to move to his home country – Northern Ireland. It was a big change not only for me but also for him. From a jungle¬like, busy metropolitan city to Belfast city – a very particular place that I found hard to define in the beginning. Soon after the move, we broke up and I fell out of a safe nest of a relationship. I found myself looking for a room to rent, trying to establish a new me in a new place. It was really hard. I had very few friends in Belfast and somehow it was more difficult to make friends in Belfast than in London. Everybody asked where I was from when they heard a foreign accent, whereas I was never asked that question in London. For the first time I felt what it meant to be a 'foreigner'.
The rainy, gloomy weather wasn’t helping at all! The fact that I had my older sister here was like a lifeboat – her presence kept me sane. But soon I started to work as an interpreter again and I came to meet Polish mi¬grant workers whose stories were sometimes eye-opening. I realised I wasn’t in such a bad situation after all. I could speak English fluently, I had had some experience with the British/Irish culture before, and I moved to Northern Ireland because it was my choice, not because I HAD TO. Day by day things started to fall into place and I got on with my life. After over one and a half years I can say I am almost used to the weather here, driv¬ers in the bus understand my accent better, I earn my living and I can also help my par¬ents in Poland. I have made new friends and learnt new skills; I am independent. I would never think I would be living in Northern Ireland but I do now and I have learnt to appre¬ciate what I have got. People here are very friendly, life is more laid back and straightfor¬ward. Yes, I do plan to go back to Poland as I miss my family and my culture, Polish food and the seasons! I will go back at the right time – whenever it comes.
Migration is about major changes in life, is about diving into the unknown in search of better life perspectives, migration is about fighting one’s own weaknesses and pushing the boundaries.
If someone told me few years ago that I would be living in Northern Ireland, a country I knew very little of, I would be surprised – to say the least. I am sure most of the migrants who came to live and work in Northern Ireland over the past three years would say the same My reasons for coming here were not economic. ¬I lived a happy student life and had an interesting job, but for many, the decision of moving here was a matter of sec¬onds, maybe days¬. It was a necessity.
As a community interpreter working for the NHS I get to know many Polish migrants and hear about their stories. The nature of my job allows me to get to know them better. In the waiting area of a hospital or a surgery, people often open up and tell me about how they came to live/work in Northern Ireland. Some people had it easier, some had to strug¬gle and went through hell.
I have noticed that economic migration is a chain reaction – it takes one brave (or crazy, or desperate?) person to leave their country. When he arrives, he usually has nowhere to stay and quite often has to sleep in rough conditions, relying on other people’s good heart and generosity. As soon as that person semi-settles in a foreign country (gets a job, finds a place to live, gets to know the systems), another person (a family member, a friend) fol¬lows. Then another person, and another... For the majority of people I have spoken to, leaving Poland was a necessity. To make a living in their home country was almost impos¬sible so an opportunity to escape that hard reality was something they didn’t want to miss.
The beginnings are usually difficult. As a migrant what you notice first in a new country are the differences: different food, weather, language, mentality, surroundings, culture, etc. Those differences don’t help in settling ¬in as we feel more safe in dealing with things we are familiar with (we know what to expect from them). Adjusting to those differences and making them a part of our new lives is, for some, easy, and for some un¬-achievable. At that stage many people consider going back home, some start to complain, some take alcohol. There is a lot of pressure and I have seen quite a few families going through some great difficulties. At this stage many people get depressed and I am sure there are a high number of people who suffer from depression, especially among men. I know of a few suicides – they were usually men. Lack of support (like your own family, a Polish speaking doctor, a friend), and not sharing one’s own feelings, this would be regarded as a failure – are some of the factors contributing to why people can take ill. I have noticed that those who came here with a clear aim cope best. Having a set goal helps one to struggle through the initial difficulties.
Some people leave their country to run away from personal problems. After they have left, they realise the problem still exists and a person needs to face it on their own, away from home. Some people leave again as they have simply nothing to do. If the new coun¬try doesn’t offer them “that something” they’ve been looking for ¬they start to make things happen: get involved in fights, crime, etc. The problem here is that human nature makes us believe the grass is always greener on the other side. The clash with reality on that other side can be painful.
Life in a foreign country is easier for migrants when some parts of its reality relate to their own culture. That’s why there are a growing number of shops selling Polish food. Tesco and Dunne’s Stores have a range of Polish products. Almost every Polish family has access to Polish TV, people have a chance to go to a Polish mass at least once a month, there are Polish nights at some bars, Polish welfare associations are increasing in num¬ber. As far as my work is concerned, patients can ask for an interpreter if they do not speak sufficient English. One cannot imagine how stressful it is for a patient when he is not able to explain to the doctor what is wrong with him, his child or his family member.
Having an interpreter means a lot to them. Here we come to one of the main issues of mi¬gration: the language barrier.
Migration is much easier for people when they can speak the other country’s language. They assimilate more quickly, get involved in social life, get to know the locals. At work, they are able to ask for a pay rise, make sure their rights are respected. They can get a better job; are more independent and so much more. It is so easy to exploit workers who cannot speak English. Not to know the language is like being socially disabled: you cannot have a chat with a shop assistant or a postman who brings you mail every morning; you would like to pay a compliment to your neighbour about his garden, but a simple word 'nice' seems so infantile in your mouth. Women are in a particularly difficult situation – those who stay at home looking after the children. Most of the time they have no one to speak to for a whole day: their husbands work long hours, Monday to Saturday. I hear they find it very isolating and disabling not to know the language. A health visitor paying a visit together with an interpreter is one of the rare occasions during a day when they can chat with someone. We do not realise how much of our lives is based on communica¬tion. If you do not speak English, that communication is severely limited and your life feels the same. People develop social skills, learn to be independent and self ¬reliant all their lives. Moving into a new country means depriving oneself of all that you’ve achieved in these terms.
But there is help available. People from Northern Ireland have turned out to be sensitive to the needs of migrant families. Churches or technical colleges run English classes. There is an organisation called Sure Start that supports families from the disadvantaged areas; they are doing a wonderful job in trying to understand and meet the needs of migrant families with children. Recent social changes in Northern Ireland have been very rapid and I have to admit (based on my own experience and observations) that most of the times local people do their best to make the new residents feel welcome in Northern Ire¬land and feel at home. Wherever you go in the world, you will always find racism, discrim¬ination and violence towards migrant workers, towards emigrants. As I said in the beginning: people tend to fear the unknown, and that fear, fed with prejudice and stereo¬types, can lead to violence and discrimination – whatever country we consider.
As far as my life is concerned, I have been through different stages of adaptation in a foreign country. The beginnings were difficult and I used to complain a lot about the food, mentality, weather, and would long to go back to Poland. Today, I know that as long as I am happy with myself and I accept the changes that have taken place in my life, as long as I have friends around me ¬it doesn’t matter so much where I live. I do still want to go back to Poland because I think the life style here, in Northern Ireland, doesn’t suit the life style I want to live. But for as long as I am to stay here, I will enjoy it and I will learn from local people all the things that I couldn’t learn in my own country. So many doors are open here and people are very friendly.
These are my thoughts on migration, although I feel like I have just touched the issues I wanted to write about. The more I think of it, the more different aspects come into my mind. It is a never-ending story. Recently I have realised that another interesting subject to talk about would be how people who have lived abroad for several years feel whenever they go back to their home country. I have just been to Poland and I must say a part of me felt like a foreigner there. It’s like stepping from a stream of one river into another. It’s like juggling with your identities, adjusting your behaviour appropriately to the reality you are visiting. I speak Polish but not with the same confidence as I used to. Do Polish people regard me as a foreigner as I have become more open, friendly and happy? Have I lost their trust by leaving the country? Do I have too much enthusiasm and optimism (and maybe a bit more money in my pocket) to be regarded as a genuine Pole?
Anne Beattie
My name is Anne Beattie and I rent in Stranmillis in Belfast, Northern Ireland. I am 26 years old and have three big sisters. They are not all older than me, just taller! My oldest sister just recently got married in May and has her own house with her husband. My other sister is living at home with her boyfriend and the youngest has left to live in Edinburgh for a year. My home which is where my heart is, is at Newtownstewart, Co. Tyrone and I visit my family as often as I can. It is a beautiful town and the people talk away to you as they know who you are. I have lived in Belfast for almost five years and enjoy the life here. I have lovely friends who are from all parts of the world, Justyna being one of them. I met Justyna when she was renting off my sister in Finaghy. She is very sweet and has a very good job as an interpreter.
I have had numerous jobs since leaving college in Cardiff, Wales. I worked in a health food store, pharmacy, curtain making shops and even in a call centre which I do not recommend. I now work in the civil service which is office work, and which I find challenging. I love to go out to pubs with my friends and talk and dance to the music. I have had Spanish, Italian, Chilean and Polish friends over for a big slap up meal. I like watching classic and quirky films. I have a lovely new flatmate who is from Poland originally but has lived in Spain. She has been teaching me how to cook Spanish/Polish traditional food and learn the Spanish language. Unfortunately I tend to set off the fire alarm when I cook! I have noticed in Belfast and in my hometown Newtownstewart that a lot of people have come over from different countries to learn English or work here. I think that it adds to the culture of Northern Ireland, and the people that I have known are very interesting and friendly. I haven’t travelled a lot but I feel I know more about other countries from my friends talking about them. I am a very lucky person to have brilliant family and friends.
When asked for my thoughts on migration – my first thought was 'Help!' I really don’t have much to add to what other people have said. Only one thing - ¬that migration is a positive way forward for Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland has, as the rest of the world knows, a problem with religion etc. But I think with the peace process the problem is becoming surmountable. I am sorry to bring this in but it is very topical here and always will be. With people from other countries coming here, I totally welcome them. It is an exciting, interesting and progressive time for Northern Ireland and its people.
This is what Northern Ireland needs - ¬a breath of fresh air to remove the musty stale smell of our past.
Martyna Plotnicka
My name is Martyna and I am 23 years old. I come from Poland. I am a student of Lithuanian language at the university of Adam Mickiewicz in Poznan ( the city where I was born and where I am living), but now I have a break (dean’s leave), because in October 2006 my daughter Nel was born. I spent 14 months in Belfast. I was working as a housekeeper. At first I wanted to stay in Belfast for the birth and during maternity leave, but finally I decided to come back to my country, so now I am on maternity leave, and I am bringing up my little one. I am living with my parents. I would like to finish my studies, but maybe I will have to find a job. In January I started to attend a school for stylists and make¬up artists. When I am at lectures my mum helps me with Nel. This school lasts just one year so I have some time still to decide whether I want to go back to university or finish this school and find a job.
Over 14 months in Northern Ireland, living and working there taught me maturity. A lot of my friends and family were left in Poland, so for the first time in my life I had to take decisions and cope with many things without their help or advice. It taught me how to be responsible. Simply I have grown up in Northern Ireland. I think it was a very good experience. Also I was financially independent which was also a big advantage. I think my life in Poland is a little bit different from my friend’s life in Northern Ireland. As I wrote earlier I am living with my parents now because I couldn’t afford to rent a flat as a student with a small child, even without a child it would be difficult for me and I think for many young people in my country. In Northern Ireland I could afford it. I was renting a room there and I was working. I don’t know if there was anything that surprised me at the beginning, maybe the fact that people are so open minded there. In Poland it’s different, people are very closed and in Northern Ireland they seem to be smiling all the time.
There are many people from Poland, Slovakia, Lithuania, who move to other more economically developed countries to find a better paid job, and many people from my country in the UK. I went to Belfast in summer 2005 with my friend from university just for two months to earn some money and then go back to Poland. We both found a job. At the end of the summer she went back to finish her studies and I decided to stay longer. I came back in September 2006. I met a lot of nice people from Poland there. Most of them had decided to move to UK for at least two years. Many of them are well educated, graduated from universities, but they didn’t know English very well. So at the beginning they worked for example as housekeepers. I visited Belfast with my daughter at the beginning of May this year and I found out that most of my Polish friends in Belfast have found better jobs, because they started to learn English. Now they can communicate without problems. This effort was worth it. I think they are really brave, strong and ambitious. If there was a better economic situation in Poland they wouldn’t move, but the Polish situation is really at a bad level, so I am not surprised they want to work there where wages are better. This group of people is hard working. They want to achieve something. They are kind and intelligent, but there is another group of Polish people in UK who don’t give a good pattern. They came to UK thinking that a job will come to them. They are lazy and to be honest I am ashamed of them. Many of my Polish friends are ashamed of them as well. When I visited Belfast in May I had a chat with my friends about it and they told me they don’t want to identify with Polish people who act in a bad way even if they are from our country. They put all of us Poles in a bad light. I wouldn’t be surprised if people in UK are angry because of so many people from other countries settling down there, but I had a really nice chat with my friend from Scotland recently and she said something really clever; that we shouldn’t generalize. There are nice people and un-¬nice people everywhere and she said it’s really interesting to have foreigners in the UK because they make it more cosmopolitan.
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