JRS-UK Community Blog

London Eye - by Christopher Chan

Charles wrote a poem about this city London.


In London

by Charles

In a place where I thought that Big Ben is the best sight to see.
In a place where I thought that Buckingham Palace is the best castle to see.
In a place where I saw green because Wimbledon tournament is on grass and green.
In a place where I thought, women are powerful, because the ruler is a Queen.
In a place where women can choose regardless of their background, as dear Princess Diana did.

But London, with Hooliganism, you gave us the impression that you are not immaculate.
But London, you start your shy revolution with Protestantism.
But London, you gave us the impression that you are the best place to acquire education.

Although you, London are welcoming, life is hard in you.
Although you, London are very tolerant, racism still exists.
Although you, London are equal, competition is tough – London, you may have saved some lives but you did not save our soul.

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The main subject of discussion during the annual JRS meeting in Portugal was hospitality. Hospitality is the welcome, one of the most important things that we do in JRS.

JRS is going to run a hospitality campaign around hospitality, community and destitution. The word community came up for me. I think it is important being able to form a community for the refugees. For example, through church or through activities like sports. In the UK, we do that with all the activities and workshops we offer such as the creative writing sessions. Through those activities, refugees can become a part of something and belong to a community, in contrast with the isolation they live in when they first come. They feel that they are not out on a limb and more a part of us, as we are part of them, feeling all part of the same community.

I believe we are doing the best that we can in the UK, although we are sometimes limited as an organisation because of the way things are politically here. Hospitality first and foremost is about being a welcoming presence, being a place of safety for people to come to where they feel accepted and safe. It would be wonderful if we had the means, if we could for example provide accommodation for the homeless people who come here. I would love to be able to do that!

The trust that asylum seekers have in us comes quickly, and you can see a change in people thanks to the hospitality we offer. At first, they are apprehensive but later, they see that we are just here to help them and the next time they come they are all smiles.

The Portuguese team put hospitality into practice with us, the participants. They went out of their way to make the everyday really interesting and enjoyable. I felt how I want our refugees to feel when they come to us. It has made me realise even more how it feels for those we see.

From Sister Bernadette

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Jesuit Refugee Service UK is based at the Hurtado Centre in London. Why is the Centre named for him and what relevance does this Jesuit have for JRS-UK’s work?

I REMEMBER

In the morning bathing was a hell.

7 o’clock in the morning after bath

She dressed me up and served me breakfast

The school was miles away

And I had no money to pay for my bus ticket.

In the morning walking to school was a hell.

A long sandy road in the noon

Full of hot sand, I remember.

My feet got burnt

When walking back home from school.

However the drop of rain can be heard

And puts a smile on my face as I can walk

Without feeling the heat of the sun in the noon.

DESTITUTE

Each journey entails a hundred possibilities.

I have been thinking all my life

To make my way to this land,

Many of us called the rich land.

But when I reached

This so-called rich land,

It’s like a white storm,

The whole land is so cold

As Arctic

With no home, no shelter.

These two poems by ‘Naz’ appeared in the New Londoners magazine for their Refugee Week 2013 special supplement. You can read an interview with their author and more information about the partnership between JRS-UK and English PEN charity that ran our creative writing workshops here: www.thenewlondoners.co.uk

Fr Michael Pastor volunteered with JRS in the UK for six months moving on to undertake his Jesuit tertianship in Chile.

We have been lucky to run more creative writing workshops with English PEN, the charity working for freedom of expression. They are very popular with the refugees who participate in them.