Interview With an Eritrean Refugee - 20 Feb 23

Okay. I guess, like, can I start by asking what were your reasons for leaving Eritrea?

I was in the military, so I was doing involuntary military service for 9 years. So, I had enough, and I had to come here.

What did you have to do to get here?

Well, I had to abscond the country, so illegally. So I crossed the border by feet, and then, I was brought here by traffickers.

Oh okay.

So from Ethiopia, I came here.

What was it when they first gave you accommodation here in comparison to being in Eritrea?

Well, back home, I didn’t have freedom. Even though I studied accounting, I couldn’t work because I was forced to do the military service.

Yeah, the president is a total dictator. That shouldn’t be okay.

Yeah everyone has to go to the military service. You do like 18 months of training and after that, you do civil service, and I was there for 7 years and a half. I had quite a nice life with my parents. Because I was lucky, I got to go to my place of work. I used to go there at 6/ half 6 in the morning and I would come back at half 6 in the evening. I wouldn’t spend the night there, because I was like 18 kilometres away from my home. So I would take the bus.

Okay so this was at the military service?

Yeah. But when you get trained you are 3000 kilometres away from the capital city.

Oh wow.

Yeah so you go to the lowlands. So yeah, I was there for a year and a half, away from your parents. When you finish your eleventh grade, you go there and do your 12th grade there and then do a matriculation exam. After that you get your grades. And yeah. Some go to uni, but yeah, most continue with the military service. Yeah, it’s because entry requirements and they are very high.

Oh yeah so most people can’t.

Yeah. So I didn’t do the matriculation. Because I went to like a private school, so I went there, and I did the military service. And I always wanted to come to Europe to continue my studies. Because I was taught in an Italian school so yeah that was my advantage but I couldn’t continue my studies there. I know we have like college and universities there but. Yeah my cohort didn’t do the matriculation.

Why didn’t they?

It was like. There was something going on at that time. And then when I went to the military service, they didn’t give me the chance. And I was always like I want to go back to school. I want to study.

Yeah but they didn’t give you the chance?

What was working at the military service like?

To be honest it wasn’t that bad. But sometimes you know, you are like enough is enough...

Some bad things did happen to me but you know. I was in 6 years straight when my brother passed away, and I was supposed to be given leave, so I went back to my family, but when I went back, I was punished. I was abused.

I wasn’t supposed to be punished. Because I was someone who was always there, always doing my job.

That’s not okay.

Yeah, that wasn’t okay so then some other things happened which I’m not going to say because of confidentiality. But yeah, that’s when I decided to leave.

What is like once you got here?

Once I got here, *smiles to self* I was detained. At the airport.

Oh yeah, that is what they do isn’t it?

Yeah yeah, and then I had to claim asylum at the airport.

How was– what was being detained like?

I was scared for the first time and that’s when I regretted leaving my country. You know because I was so lost and you know it was so hard. I thought, why did I even come here. Because I thought– because when I was travelling, I saw like a bright future but when I came here. Because it was like all eyes on me so I had to be strip searched which I didn’t like because I wasn’t a terrorist or anything so. Yeah, I didn’t like it. From there they took me to the police station, then they sent me to a hostel. A hostel in Croyden.

What was the area, what was staying in the hostel like?

It was a rough place.

Yeah. I don’t wish anyone to go there. Because it’s like, like those hostels you don’t advise anyone to go and visit. Because it’s like a bad place for people to be put in. it was not well kept. Just we were put there and left there. With no support and anything. I only stayed there for 3 days. After 3 days i was moved to cardiff. Another hostel as well. So the hostel, I shared with other 2 girls.

Oh like you just shared one room?

1 room. And then there was like 2 bunk beds. And we were sharing a toilet with the other. So 6 people were sharing 1 toilet. Another place that was a horrible place and that was like a house but not well kept. Dirt, not well maintained.

So while you were being kept there, did you have any idea of what was going on or what was going to happen next?

No, I didn’t.

So yeah, they just put in

They just put me there so I had no idea of where I was going. I didn’t have any information so I didn't even know how long I was going to stay there but there was like an office inside the hostel which is used to help immigrants. And they didn’t do that much.

What did they do?

They just asked me questions. But they didn’t like- They need to assist you so they need to know you. They need to put you in the system.

Um hm, oh okay so it was kind of just for them really?

Yeah, for them. Yeah and I stayed there for 3 weeks. And then after that I was moved to Southampton in 2018.

Oh was this the temporary accommodation?

Yes, it was in the home office accommodation.

Was it better?

Yes, it was better. Better than the Cardiff accommodation. So in Cardiff, we were 6 girls in 3 rooms. When I came here I was in my own room and that’s when some help started coming. I was getting 37 pounds a week.

Which isn’t enough really?

It wasn’t enough but for food and clothes you have to make it last and basically. I stayed there and waited for my interview. Before 12:17 not transcribed. So I waited exactly a year for the interview.

Did they give you any help for the interview?

No they didn’t, but you are allowed to have a lawyer, but they can’t give you any advice.

In the temporary accommodation, were there facilities you wish you could’ve had or you had that were useful?

I wish they informed you on what to expect. At the beginning they should inform you, like so you’re gonna have an interview and you’ll be waiting a certain amount of time.

Did they not tell you how long you would be waiting?

No, they didn’t tell you. That was like a long wait for me for a year. So like I didn’t think I was going to wait a year, because I planned everything. I was like okay I’m going to go there, then I’m going to start going to school but it was long without knowing what was going to happen. And yeah, then I did my interview at the end of January and then after that I was given my right to remain. And then after that I was given 28 days.

Oh yeah, 28 days what did you do to like-

I started looking for a place. Within those 28 days, I was supposed to get a proof of address.

How would you get a proof of address?

A bank statement then you have to get a passport. They don’t give you a passport, but they give you a travel document. I was supposed to have a bank card and a provisional driving licence which can be accepted as a proof of address. But at that time, I didn’t have my residence card. I was still with my application registration card so that’s not acceptable so I was waiting for the residency permit and it was a long process. Doing all those things, I had to go to the job centre. So the support stopped so I was directed to the job centre. The 28 days wasn’t enough. Because I had to do 4, 5 things at the same and then look for a room which wasn’t easy for me and at that time I was doing my gcses.

Oh right okay. At the same time as all of this was happening?

Yeah, so it wasn’t easy so in September 2018, I started doing my gcses. I could’ve tried to move somewhere but I wanted to stay in Southampton because I wanted to finish my GCSEs. And I was doing a customer service course which i needed for my course as well. So i was so desperate. That’s when I went to the red cross and asked for help. And then they helped me find someone that could help me.

Oh okay. So would you say the red cross were helpful?

Hm hmm the red cross they were helpful.

So were you able to sort everything else in the 28 days?

Yes.

Oh okay that’s good.

Yeah, within 27 days.

Oh wow that is crazy.

Yeah, it was crazy. And then I sorted my accommodation so I didn’t sort my bank because they needed the proof of address and then for that I needed to apply for the provisional driving licence which didn’t come within the 28 days.

Wow, that is crazy. I don’t know why it is like that. They make you wait all this time, then all of a sudden they rapidly make you leave.

I don’t know they do that. I went to the council and they told me they wouldn’t help me.

How did you know you could go talk to the red cross?

There is a church here that I knew and I used to go there. And there were like charities over there and every Friday, you can go in and ask for help there. So they would direct you to some places but the charity that i was introduced to wasn’t helpful but I met someone from red cross there.

What did the charity do that was helpful? Did they just not do anything at all?

They didn't do anything. So I went. I turned to them for help telling them my situation because I need to stay in Southampton because I need to finish my GCSES. IF I don’t finish it, I don’t do my exam so it’s going to be like a year wasted. And so I asked if they could find me place to stay just even for a month until I sort things out but they weren’t helpful. They just told me that I was going to be homeless and that I was going to sleep in the streets. That was their help.

That’s not okay.

At one point I was considering a homeless shelter.

Wow.

Yeah, because I had to explore all my options. So I went to a homeless shelter and I waited for an hour to be seen and I had seen the place. So I went there and I told them my situation. They asked me do I have any addictions. If I have any mental illnesses or if I have any problems. But I told them I didn’t have anything and they told me this place is not for me. They said you are someone capable of paying your bills and that you don’t have any problems so if we place you with homeless people. You are going to be living with people who have mental illnesses and addictions so you are not going to cope in that environment. Even if we found you a place the environment will not be for you. That was their advice and it was helpful.

Yeah. Yeah.

They could’ve put me somewhere they said but an environment that is not me is not gonna be good for me, so I started looking at charities. I had help from friends that said if you arrange yourself with a charity, they can find you a place to stay temporarily but they weren’t helpful but the red cross was helpful. In fact, they even helped me with the deposit. So that was it.

Yeah, from what I read it seemed like the 28 days is when people need the most help and it’s crazy that they don’t guide you through the interview. Did you know the 28 days was going to come after you did the interview?

No, I didn’t.

So you just found out you can stay in the country but you only have 28 days to leave the place?

Yeah, when they sent me the acceptance letter. They sent me another letter telling me I need to leave the place within 28 days. That’s when you know.

Wow, okay.

For me it was 28 days, for them it was 21 days. For the people that appealed. I had a friend that was given 21 days.

Do you know if they managed to sort their situation out?

Because she knew from me. We had been living in the same place. She started looking for places before. Because we did an interview 2 weeks within each other. And she knew me and I was stressing so she started looking in advance.

Yeah, that’s good.

Yeah, she found a room. So yeah, people need help AFTER the 28 days. Because you need time to transition and that’s when you need help. You see you tell them you need help and they direct you to the job centre but the job centre just directs you to find a place and to find a job.

And to do that in 28 days! There are people that can’t find a job at all.

Yeah, it took me from March til May.

That’s a really big problem that people are given no warning of the 28 days or anything.

Yeah, they are given no warning and some people don’t have nowhere to go. They should offer help after the 28 days or they should inform people a lot earlier.

Yeah because you’re in this temporary accommodation. You don’t know what to do. Yeah.

They should inform you. And even like the day after you’re interviewed you should be able to look for a place. Because it’s not easy to find a place. Like forget 28 days, even within 6 months. I’m still here because I can’t find a place of my own. If they also allowed you to work while in temporary accommodation that would be good.

Yeah. Thank you in fact yeah, in Germany they let you work 3 months after you’ve asked to seek asylum. I think that’s most of the questions I had in mind really. I was just thinking, was there anything you had to get used to once you moved into the UK that was different to once you were in Eritrea?

No, except the weather.

Ahahah. Okay okay.

Yeah, the weather. And then integrating wasn’t easy because like you don’t find someone that’s from your country that a lot. So integrating wasn’t easy. Still isn’t easy. Because there’s a lot of stuff you have to get used to. It’s not easy to get integrated.

Is there anything they could've implemented to make integrating easier?

Centres for refugees. There wasn’t one in REDACTED.

Wow. That’s crazy because they put you in REDACTED knowing there weren't any centres here.

Yeah, because there’s many people that come in here and get lost. If there was a place to go in and ask questions. I was lucky because I’m a person who asks and I was lucky because I knew the language so I can go and ask. Because there are so many people that want to learn, they want to go here and not even go to uni or something but like to do some courses but if there was a centre that could direct people in that direction, it would be helpful.

This sort of thing is going to be my next project.

Oh what do you mean?

As in, when I qualify-- I’m going to go qualify [as a nurse], I’m going to work with refugees. That’s what I’m planning to do, because I have an elective placement.

What’s an elective placement?

A placement that I choose. So I’m the one that’s going to shape my career. Where I wanna go? So that’s what I wanna do. Because I’m doing adult and mental health nursing so work with refugees because anything that can help them really. They are stressed. Because coming into a new country is so stressful. Not knowing what to do what to expect and maybe you have other expectations and what you find here isn’t up to your expectations so how can people like balance their expectations and the realities. That’s going to be my placement and if it’s something I can do, it’s something I'm going to do in 2 years. Are there any other questions?

No, thank you. That was really really useful.