I’m from Antigua originally. It’s a beautiful county with 365 beaches – one for every day of the year. I ran my own farm there. It was four acres and a half which I leased from the Government. It was one of the best things I had ever done. Life was hard for me, my mum and my dad. I had to give up school when I was 14 to work in construction, but I saved my money and invested it in the farm. I had goats, pigs, lots of different animals.
I met a lady and she asked me to move with her to England, so I sold my farm and moved over here. The best part about it was that I got to repay my mum before I gave up everything and I left her with some money before I moved to England.
I was living in Beccles for six months, but the relationship didn’t work out, and my life was heading down a bad road. I slept rough on the common in Beccles, I had lost faith in everything, in all the things I had a passion for. It was tough, I felt disappointed in everything. When I spoke to my mother, and she asked how I was, I had to lie to her as I didn’t want her to worry about me.
Antigua is very different to Beccles but there are so many good things about Beccles. I get along with people, I met some good people there. I am a big fan of sports, and I was helping some of the kids there play football. I was doing some good things but having some tough times too.
Then I met a beautiful lady whose name is Rose. God bless that lady; she took me from of the streets and put me in her house. She’s been like a mother to me.
Then Emmaus Norfolk & Waveney was recommended to me. I had never heard of Emmaus, but the lady who recommended it to me thought it would be a good place for me. She told me I would find happiness at Emmaus.
I’ve now been at Emmaus Norfolk & Waveney for about three months. I came along for my interview and met some lovely people, and I thought “yeah, this feels right.” I kept looking around, introducing myself to people and liked what I found
When I first came to Emmaus Norfolk & Waveney as a companion I tried to meet as many people as possible and talk to them so I could fit in. I’ve made some good friends here. I don’t even think of them as friends; they are brothers and sisters to me. We talk a lot, we share advice with each other, we have each other’s backs. We hang out together, we giggle a lot. We help each other, mentally and physically. It’s cool.
At Emmaus Norfolk & Waveney I work all over the community doing lots of different things, but I have a real passion for the kitchen. I work a lot in the café, and I am learning a lot. I listen, I ask lots of questions and I am good at making scones, mince pies, quiches, lemon drizzle, gingerbread, carrot cake….
I’ve always had a passion for cooking and that comes from my mother. I used to cook in Antigua. As a kid, I would always try to make life easier for my family to make ends meet. I used to make and sell sausage rolls and patties, selling them in the village I am from for $2. But I had never made cakes before I came here. That’s why Emmaus is such a great place, you learn lots of new things.
I am so thankful to Emmaus and the people here. I believe so much more in myself now.
No man is perfect, and I have made some bad decisions in my life, stuff that I regret that affect me every day when I wake up. I don’t want to be that person anymore. I want to be a different man. I want to move on with my life.
I am seeking asylum to stay here in England. Since I have been here, I have lost three friends to violence in Antigua. I fear for my life if I move back. I don’t want to go back to Antigua in that situation and live like that, being forced into gangs and violence. I don’t want to be the guy walking with a knife to protect himself. I don’t want to hurt anyone; I don’t want anyone to hurt me.
I want to do better for myself. Instead of just turning the page, I want to start all over again. I’ve learned that you can achieve great things with your life if you believe. Don’t let anyone try to stop you. Choose your friends wisely because I have made some bad mistakes through my choices.
I’ve experienced lots of new things since I have been in England, things that make you say wow, like watching fireworks on Bonfire Night. We visited “Africa Alive” and people could tell I wasn’t from here! I was like “wow, a lion… a Rhino…” I’d never seen them in real life before. That’s what I really enjoy about being over here, trying new things. Finding happiness in things you’ve never done before.
If anyone is reading this, I’d say come to Emmaus – you can change your life here. It’s a good place. It’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. If you ever find yourself caught up in the same situation as me, without a place to call home, you should definitely give Emmaus a go. Trust me, it will pay off. There are so many things you can do here; you can change your life if you just believe in yourself.
I don’t just have friends here; I have a family. If you come here, you can be my family too.