MATHEW
I was born in Hong Kong and moved to the UK when I was 15. Education is tough in Hong Kong and a lot of competition. I came to the UK alone. It was hard. I was 15 so I wasn’t even an adult. I had to learn to be independent. I made local friends, so I got to learn some slangs. We are taught English in Hong Kong, so it wasn’t that hard to understand. I don’t want to be too attached to one place and I can adapt to different places and different things. Home for me is comfort.
JUDAH
I came from Ghana at the age of 18 to study and gain exposure. Covid really messed up my first year, but it has been okay. We tried our best to make the most of the university experience. So, to get into parties, we would use a common name to try to enter the party. So, Ayo is a popular name in the uni. We would say we knew Ayo and get into the party.
Home is where the heart is and for me, my family is my heart. That’s where I feel the safest and the most loved.
ANGELICA
I was born in Hongkong because my mum was working there and then we moved back to the Philippines which is where my father’s roots are from and my mother’s as well. My mum is half Chinese. When I was 11, we moved to England. I had aunts that were here. Most of my family moved out of the country because the government is not that good. So, it was mainly to make a better living.
Back in Asia, it was like a dream to go outside the country but when I came here, I feel like my dream was kind of demoted. I had high expectation for London, but that was all changed.
Home means beaches for me. Because my dad is from the coast, so we’d go and pick seashells. That was a normal day when I was a kid.