Karen is originally from Zimbabwe and is currently living in Leigh.
She came to the UK to study and has both an undergraduate and master’s degree in economics from the University of Manchester.
Karen did not plan to stay in the UK after graduation but circumstances in Zimbabwe have made it dangerous for her to return home.
She has applied to be granted asylum in the UK and has been waiting to find out if her application has been successful for over 3 years.
Karen explains what it’s like to live through that waiting process. This is her story.
Karen
Waiting for an asylum application to be processed in the UK is very tough.
Demoralising doesn’t begin to describe it. I used to keep a journal and I look back now and read about the person I was, and I don’t recognise that person.
The situation has taken away my hope, my positivity, and my identity. The difficult part is the life you have to lead whilst waiting to find out if your application has been successful.
I would love to work but I am not allowed to. I am really good at research, so I had hoped to go into consultancy and wanted to get a doctorate. I feel I could contribute to this country in that way, but everything is on hold.
Since living in the UK I have had a daughter who is now 2 years old. But even though she was born in the UK she is not allowed to have UK status, because my status is uncertain.
The worst part of this situation is knowing that my daughter is stateless. An integral part of who you are is knowing where you are from but because we cannot go back to Zimbabwe and because she is not recognised as a citizen of the UK, she is a child of nowhere.
Zimbabwe is a former member of the British Commonwealth, so we were brought up learning English. We learnt about British culture, British cuisine, etiquette, and manners. I had a whole picture in my mind of what Britain would be like so it can sometimes be disappointing when people assume that immigrants will erode British culture.
The street in Leigh that I live in is a great place because it’s so friendly. We have very nice neighbours, and they've been so welcoming and accepting. I wish every other street in the UK was like this.
One interesting fact is that since I’ve been living here, I have become more interested in my home culture. When I lived in Zimbabwe, I could speak and understand the native language, but I didn’t know how to read or write it, since much of my education was in English. So now I’m learning how to read my own language.
I’ve also started to cook foods from Zimbabwe. At home I wanted everything to be English!
This will sound strange but one thing I miss about Zimbabwe is the smell of the rain. I think because it doesn’t rain as often there and because the landscape is different, the rain smells different there. I miss my parents of course and they visit when they can.
A benefit of living here is the convenience of things, such as WiFi. At home people would sometimes have to climb a tree to get a better reception!
I do want to have hopes for the future and make plans. But I have decided I will think about the future when I have the ability to think about the future.
At the moment everything is too uncertain.
If you would like to share your story, get in touch by emailing pr@wigan.gov.uk.