it was 'only' ten hours...

It was “only” ten hours

Last Saturday was one day I am certainly not ready to forget. I took up the challenge of surviving in the streets of Birmingham

armed with only £1 and a broken umbrella… It was a radical change from my weekend routine of abusing a poor keyboard in the computer room at the library!

The day started out smoothly, members of my groups (Alex, Allan and Vanessa) were really enthusiastic and full of motivation. We took plenty of pictures, learned new words in many languages (Tamil, Mandarin, Arabic, Turkish…), and even managed to get free doughnuts from Krispy Kreme (thanks to Alex…!).

However, as the day unfolded, we were soaked till the bones, and our empty bellies were getting louder and louder… It then dawned on us how difficult the remaining 8 hours would be.

The only word that comes to my mind to resume the day is the word sharing. With my peers, I shared food, shared laughs, and shared frustration of not being able to have more choice. I don’t think I could have managed on my own, and this makes me realise how difficult and painful it must be for asylum seekers who go through destitution for days months and even years. The experience was a real eye opener, and made me realise how often I take things for granted in my life.

I would like to thank Nic for organising such an event, am sure it has reached it’s goal of raising awareness on what it fells like to be destitute. Thumbs up for all of us who participated and see you all (and many more) next year.

Romban Nandri (which means thank you in Tamil)

Kesso BAH