Community Partnership Football Tournament

Thanks to Sandra and Mojan for telling us all about the Community Partnership Football Tournament. Sounds (and looks) like a really fun time!

The players showed up looking charming and delightful in their When Strangers Become Friends t-shirts provided by The Forum (MRCF). They began with a warm up, took some pictures and introduced themselves, which was the best part, said one of our own, Nick, who was also one of the players. Nick also said that they were a bit confused at the start, not knowing how to begin, but finally got it together!

Freezing and windy weather did not prevent us from enjoying ourselves. The Forum and the Department for Transport were the first organisations present to start the football match. After a half hour, the first goal was scored by Ntambwe, one of The Forum’s players, followed by Amine, who scored three goals. However, the other players were also very good and talented. 

When Team London finally arrived, they joined the others for a catch up moment, which led to a friendly and positive atmosphere during the match. The players were playing seriously as if they were in front of cameras and a big audience and gave an impressive performance.

Media Group Wrap Up

Here's a message from Ujwala on behalf of the Media Group!

The Media Group at The Forum met for the penultimate time this year on 4th December, 2012. We did some revising together. The workshop was about editing pictures using Picasa, discussing what is a good photograph and why to perform basic editing, and attempting to reason why the picture was taken. The group picked their favorite pictures, inserted them into a Word document and typed a few lines about the picture and what it meant to them. At the end of the workshop, they also learnt how to attach the document to an e-mail to share. 

As for the insights gained through the workshop, let me share them in the participants' own words:

This picture was taken by Andrei.

I took this picture because I like the name of market. 
Yellow and blue colours are very nice for me as well, 
which is why I used them while editing the picture.

Fareeda tells us about this picture.

This picture was taken by Adel. 
I like this picture because of the building.    

This picture was taken by Mulugeta.

This picture was taken by me and I edited it. 
I like this picture because these two things are quite 
usual in London. Everywhere you can see people having 
a cup of coffee and fiddling with their mobile phones.      

Alain tells us about this picture.

This is the sunset at Portobello by Omid. 
I was not there when the artist took this picture but I can 

guess that it was the sunset at Portobello, not far to 
2 Thorpe Close which is the location of MRCF 

where I attend the IT, maths and English class. 
Through this picture I feel like I was there at that 

wonderful time and I say thanks a lot to Omid who 
makes me live that beautiful time through this picture.

This picture was taken by Geraldine.

This picture was taken by me during our media group class.
I edited it and added a frame.
I think it describes the life of an immigrant.

This picture was taken by Adel.

This is a picture I took. I like this picture because I like this place. 

This picture was taken by Andrei and selected 
by Unisa, who tells us what it means to him. 

I selected this particular picture because I love internet 

technology. It is very unique - the scenery, location and 

the colour, which has to do with communication. It 

also tries to reach the ordinary person throughout the

world. The picture also serves as a bridge between the

western world and the under-developed countries.

Storytelling Workshop

Thanks to Ujwala for giving us a window onto The Forum's recent Storytelling workshop.  Sounds like a really fun day!  Did you participate?  Please post a comment about your own experience. 

The 26th of October was the day of tall tales at Café Nova as part of our Cultural Friday festivities.  There was a buzz in the air and lots of laughter to come as we occupied a cosy niche and spoke about Storytelling and how it is important to all of us over tea and sandwiches. 

We also had two activities to get the creative juices flowing.  Participants were encouraged to draw inspiration from commonplace words like sing, dance, river etc. to tell a story.  Stories ranged from made-up fantasies which caused much mirth, to nostalgic reminiscences and folktales from distant lands. 

The other activity we had was to ‘make a story out of nothing’ where the participants drew something and each of the others added their interpretations or additions to the story.  This led to many interesting and sometimes very funny ideas.  A pizzeria was brought to life complete with impatient customers, a fiery oven and a cheeky mouse.  The yellow line in Birmingham train station reminded us to ‘Mind the Gap’. 

Finally we spoke about how storytelling can be useful in our everyday lives.  We discussed its entertainment value, storytelling in advertisements, and using it as a tool to share our personal stories.  We were all very sad to stop! 

Odi's Story - Life After Detention

This is the fourth instalment of Odi's courageous story of his political imprisonment in Iran, his difficult voyage to London, and his struggle towards asylum and a new life for himself and his family in the UK.  This very personal account is representative of the horrors and challenges faced by so many asylum seekers around the world. 

When I was released from detention, I didn’t know what to do or where I could go and was shy to ask anybody for help.  But I called a friend and he said not to move, that another friend would come to Heathrow to pick me up.  After two hours he came and brought me to my friend’s house, where I still have accommodation.  

I was very lucky because this guy came and helped me.  I know lots of failed asylum seekers are living on the streets and under bridges.  A lot of horrible things come to them because they don’t have a chance like me to have a friend give them accommodation.  I feel for them completely because I was homeless.  I ate beans from a tin.  I got in fights with other guys on the street over my sleeping area and lots of things.  

But even though I had accommodation, I still had a lot of problems because when you are a failed asylum seeker you don’t have the right to do anything here.  Because I didn’t have an address, I couldn’t get a library card to borrow any books or use the Internet.  And I couldn’t register with a GP.  For over five months, I tried to register with a GP.  Finally, when my friend saw the difficulty I was having, he decided to let me use his address.  People are often afraid to do this because they worry they could get into trouble for helping someone with accommodation, but in reality the Home Office is happy to have an address to arrest and deport you any time they want.  After that, the Refugee Council wrote a letter for me with my friend’s address, and with that letter I was finally able to register in my local GP’s office. 

Another problem was not being able to work.  I needed to buy food and clothes for myself to survive, but I didn’t have a work permit from the Home Office.  My church helped me, and I got some food and second-hand clothes from the Red Cross.  But I would like to ask UKBA how failed asylum seekers are supposed to survive.  Do they not think about how to sort out this matter?  Are they always just thinking about deportation and how to reduce the number of migrants to this country?  I’m sorry for their human rights.  Their human rights are not being looked after at all.

Going to the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, By Qandagha Faryad

During summer holidays I received a phone call from my school: they wanted to give me a ticket for the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games because they said I am a good student.  At the beginning I was scared because my friend showed me a movie on Youtube about bomb threats during the Olympics.  My cousin told me that I was very lucky to have the chance to go and if I was not going, I should give the ticket to him.  He advised me to go.  Moreover, the college told me I could not give the ticket to another person, so I decided to go.

On Friday, 27 July 2012, I went to the Olympic Stadium.  When I was there and watched all around, I was really impressed to see all those flowers, lights and many people performing.  The Olympic village was also very beautiful.  I saw a lot of police and a lot of people.  There was no space to sit and I stood for more than 4 hours near the mountain with all the flags of the countries.  Somebody passed me an Olympic flag and I waved it.  I also saw a lot of fireworks and, inside the stadium, a lot of artists performing with costumes.  Among them there were also some children acting and I wondered about how they could manage to do that with so many people watching and without being confused!

Despite being there and enjoying the show, after a while I did not know what to do because I was alone.  After the ceremony finished I decided to go home.  I tried to go home by bus but it was full of people so I walked home.  I enjoyed going there and I think I was really lucky to see the ceremony because many of my friends did not have the chance to go.

Qandagha is originally from Afghanistan and has lived in London for four years, since he was 14.  He lives in Stratford and attends Newham College - Stratford.

Odi's Story - Fresh Start in Dublin?

This is the third instalment of Odi's courageous story of his political imprisonment in Iran, his difficult voyage to London, and his struggle towards asylum and a new life for himself and his family in the UK.  This very personal account is representative of the horrors and challenges faced by so many asylum seekers around the world. 

My friend gave me £100 to get to Dublin, and that same evening I went to the National Express coach company and bought a ticket to Belfast, in Northern Ireland, for £70.  The bus was departing the next evening at 8:30.  To get to Belfast, you need to pass over the sea.  I was really scared about this but when I thought about my family in Iran and about making their life safe, I thought I could do it.  The next night, I went to Belfast by bus and ship.  When I got off the ship, another bus was in port, waiting for passengers, and took us to a very big terminal in Belfast.  In the terminal I asked how to get to Dublin and a guy pointed me to the ticket office, where I purchased a ticket for £25.

There is no border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.  I didn’t know that.  When the bus stopped in Dublin, I thought we were stopping for lunch or the toilet.  I asked the driver, “How much longer for Dublin?”  He laughed and said, “You’re kidding me. We’re in Dublin now.”  I asked where border control was and he said there wasn’t a border.  I went into the centre and asked two more times where I was, and people said, “This is Dublin.”  After an hour I stopped a policewoman and said, “I’m a refugee.”  She opened the door of her car and told me to sit.  Her colleague was a man, and they were very lovely and kind.  

They took me to the Dublin immigration centre.  After a half hour, I was called to a room.  A guy sat there behind glass and started to ask questions.  I explained my case to him and said, “You can call England and ask them.”  He was writing, and when I said “England,” he stopped writing and said, “Oh. You were in England.”  I said, “Yes” and that I was telling him the truth and didn’t want to lie.  He said, “I’m sorry, but according to Dublin II immigration law, you have to be deported to the first country you claimed asylum.”  When he said that, I just leaned back, put my hands on my head and started to cry.  He said, “Don’t cry. Maybe it will be good for you when you are deported to England. I don’t know, but it’s the law and I can’t do anything.”

Issues Against Injustice – Behind the Curtain

Look. This is when I was suffering.
I was told I'd get another appointment for a
proper check-up. Up to now I haven't got it.

Outside Praxis: This is the place where I went to see the 
people who could help me with what the GP's not doing.

Thanks so much to this thoughtful blogger, who writes anonymously, for sharing these poignant reflections with us. 

There is a curtain, and each and every person can look behind and see there is a question and an answer to be given. 

The reason why I want to write this blog is because I can see that here in this country there is no justice.  They say there is a human right here, but it has gone backwards.  They just say "human rights," but the rights do not apply to the system.  They say people are taking advantage of human rights, but those who have rights are not the people who are suffering.  Those who are suffering are not noticed. 

The government dispute what you tell them, and they don’t trust you.  Even though you tell the truth, they dispute the truth you are telling, and psychologically they harm you.  You end up with a problem.  And the main problem is that people end up doing crimes which are contributed to by the government itself because they keep people for a long time without deciding their case in a just way.  We would like to see the justice system working and taking people as human beings.  Those who suffer do not like to depend on the government.  They can help themselves, provided they are given the green light.

That is according to my own experience.  I can see most of the people end up in hospital after being tortured mentally for a long time by this government.  I don’t mean Conservative or Labour - it is all one system.  All the parties are doing the same thing to the people who are suffering.  In election time, these people talk about immigration - only then.  People are still suffering. 

A human being is a human being.  You can’t keep one like a pet.  Yes, we can appreciate what the government is doing.  They help us with a small amount of money.  But we don’t want that situation.  If you are hammered (i.e., oppressed) for 1, 2, 3, 10 years, you are damaged.  You are not born to be damaged.  You are born to survive.  They should think twice before they pass their laws which go against people.

I found MRCF.  They are good because they listen.  If you get someone who listens to your situation, then maybe you can find a way out.  I can see that MRCF have humanity because they sympathise with the people who come to see them.  And once they hear the stories, they also struggle to help.  We really appreciate what these people are doing.  If only they were the people who pass the laws.

Daddies - Our Unsung Heroes

We are very grateful for this moving tribute from Ujwala to her father... and all fathers. 

I have been thinking a lot about daddies recently. I hung out with a friend whose daddy is her superhero, someone no man in the Universe can ever hope to live up to; had a long conversation with a new da, who after 9 months is still struggling to come to grips with 'what just happened'; and gained new perspective into my relationship with my father.

Ujwala's parents giving her away at her wedding

Most dads I know, on the other hand, are enigmas. They have a real tough job. They are expected to provide for us, be the disciplinarians occasionally, 'part with the dough', and yet be entirely clued in. Yes, they toil hard at evenings out and plough through birthday parties (my dad should be crowned king of the Jokes AND the Dance Moves). But there is not much opportunity to have a deep conversation about things other than studies/jobs, money, The News, National Geographic and Cricket, or the like. Braiding hair (mine was 'to my knee' long) and cleaning scrapes, on the other hand, is the perfect setting for some soul searching. Mums have it good!

Odi's Story - Arriving in England

This is the second instalment of Odi's courageous story of his political imprisonment in Iran, his difficult voyage to London, and his struggle towards asylum and a new life for himself and his family in the UK.  This very personal account is representative of the horrors and challenges faced by so many asylum seekers around the world. 

On the 12th of January, 2009, the driver said, “This is England. You are safe now.”  I saw green land around me.  I had 200 Euros in my pocket and paid a taxi to bring me to London from a city two hours away.  I said, “I’m a refugee. I want to go to any organisation that helps refugees.”  He took me to the main UKBA (UK Border Agency) office in Croydon.  It was 5 p.m. and a young male immigration officer said, “We’re closed now. Come back tomorrow.”  I said, “Where shall I go? I don’t know anyone,” and he said, “It’s none of my business.”  I saw lots of cameras, and I was scared of cameras.

I was back on the street.  I started shouting and crying in front of people, but nobody asked me what happened.  I found a subway and sat under there and spent the night without food, water or money.  When I woke up, there were two pounds in coins all around me.  People thought I was homeless and it’s true, I didn’t have a home.   I saw the pound for the first time.  It’s a very heavy coin. 

In the morning, Croyden was busy.  At 9 o’clock there was a long queue outside the UKBA office.  After an hour, I was told, “Go in and sit.”  Two hours later, a young female officer called me in with an Iranian interpreter and asked me about my case.  There was glass dividing me from them.  When I said it had taken me between 20 and 28 days to get to England, she said, “He’s lying.”  She judged me very easily and said it should have taken just 10 days.  If during the screening interview the Home Office doesn’t believe your “way” case, it can affect your main case as well.

Why Can't I Be

Many of us will identify with the latest poem by Mahmood, our most prolific contributor.  He writes, "This poem is about people like me, who are unusually anxious and worried ."

I am tired of all the fears,
That haunted me all the years.
The meadow outside is quiet and peaceful,
The wind is fresh and soft
But my fears are stagnant and fierce.

Why can’t I be carefree,
Leaving all frustrations behind?
Why can’t I be like the trees,
Or the birds in the fields?
Alas! The fears refuse to leave!

4th September 2012
Smethwick, Birmingham

Memoirs of a Posy

We are honoured to publish this poem by new contributor Ujwala.  Below, she shares a little bit about her background and inspiration in writing the poem. 

I first arrived in London on November 3rd 2010.  I am a qualified dentist attempting to register here and this is how I got to know about the MRCF.  The organisation has helped me immensely during the exam process and I hope to give back in any way possible.  I love to write, it is my hobby, passion, stress buster, and the written word is probably the best way I communicate.  This is a poem I wrote when I first came here.  I am lucky and didn't endure even a fraction of the hardships that some people have in a new country.  But it was an extremely tough time for me anyway.  Writing this poem helped me cope.  I don't know much about rhyme and meter and I guess you will see that in my poem.  It is about the life of a flower starting from when it was a bud.  I hope you enjoy reading it and I hope it leaves you with a smile.

My first memories are of a murky green haze,
A tiny dwelling I reviewed in a quizzical daze.
Until a nagging buzzing as annoying as can be,
Made me stretch out in an attempt to break free.

Many visitor had I from down below and up overhead,
Wearing coats of many hues, some yellow and black, some green, some red.
Jolly tradesmen bearing their precious cargo with ease,
And colourful gypsies dropped in to dine, entertain and please.

Odi's Story - Journey from Iran

Odi, from Iran, courageously shares with us his story of political imprisonment in Iran, his difficult voyage to London, and his struggle towards asylum and a new life for himself and his family in the UK.  We are publishing his account in instalments, starting with how his journey began.  This is a very personal account but one that is representative of the horrors and challenges faced by so many asylum seekers around the world. 

When I was in Iran, I was working for the Education Department, teaching computer science to 16 and 17-year-old boys.  During the breaks, I would speak about history because the boys were hungry for real history that wasn’t in books.  Because I was working for the state, it was a problem that I spoke about history and also that I resisted going to Friday prayer.  In Iran, religion is inherited and has more to do with your identity than your faith.  I went to the mosque when I was a boy because my father hit me, but I never understood why I had to be scared of God or why I had to pray in Arabic and not in my own language, Farsi.  

I was eventually arrested, I stopped receiving wages and insurance, and I was told that I wasn’t allowed to work.  I wasn’t fired, but I didn’t know what I could do.  I had a wife and young son to support, so I started teaching privately from home, but we had an awful life with no money.

I found another job as a civil servant working in IT.  I was a supporter of the Reformist political group of Khatami, who was in power before Ahmadinejad.  The current regime tortures and kills people in the name of Islam, but Khatami stood for democracy and cooperation among countries.  I continued to support Khatami after Ahmadinejad came to power and started speaking to my colleagues about the group.  

The Iranian Authority began to secretly monitor me and, after two years, arrested me without any warning.  At four o’clock in the morning, members of the Iranian Authority pushed in the door and attacked my house like they were arresting a killer.  They searched the house and collected our documents, pictures, notebooks and reading material, even outdated newspapers from the bin.  My son was crying, and they told my wife to sit down and shut up.

They told me to put on some clothes and then they covered my eyes and put me in a van.  I didn’t know what I had done and worried for my wife and son.  I asked them what my crime was and they just told me to shut up and let them do their job.

We got to where we were going after an hour or two, and when they were moving me from the van, they hit me with whatever they had.  It was 2 or 3 minutes, but for me it was 2 or 3 years. 

Prossy's Story

On May 30th, Prossy, from Burundi, shared her experience in Yarl's Wood Detention Centre at the Dover Detainee Visitor Group's Ex-Detainee Conference held at Amnesty International's London office, and she shares it with us here.
 
I was kept at the Yarl's Wood Detention Centre for about a month and a half.  The night I was arrested, UK border officers came to my apartment looking for someone else.  They asked everyone for their identification, and when they didn’t find who they were looking for, they took me.  They brought me to the Tottenham police station where they kept me in a cell overnight.  It was so cold and it was a traumatic experience.  I didn’t know what was going to happen to me or where they would take me.

An Introduction to Capoeira

On Monday, July 2 a large group of us participated in the Capoeira workshop, sponsored by Big Dance in connection with Big Dance Week, and led by Goia and Noah from Kabula Arts and Culture.  Goia and Noah taught us that Capoeira is a Brazilian art form that blends music and dance with martial arts.  It rose out of slavery, with slaves using music and dance to disguise martial arts training intended to empower them to escape.  Goia and Noah had a non-threatening teaching style that encouraged us to set aside feelings of self-consciousness and to focus on gently moving in harmony and response to our partners.  We all had a chance to practise playing the instruments (some of them improvised with kitchen utensils), singing along to the soothing and uplifting music, and play-fighting with each other.  Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves, even if they had initially been unsure what they were showing up for! 

If you attended the workshop, please

post a comment with your own impressions.

A Domestic Worker Speaks Out

A domestic worker in London writes about her difficult situation.  Before coming to London, she had never worked as a domestic worker.  In her country, she had worked in a garment factory, but here, as a domestic worker, she makes a little bit more money to help her family back home.  She is glad to be an active member of J4DW, a group of domestic workers supported by Unite the Union.  Since finding out about the group, she feels better and more confident.  Before, she was ashamed to speak, but she says now it’s hard to stop her!  If you are a domestic worker in need of a support network, J4DW could be a valuable resource for you.  Click here to find out more about it. 

I am a domestic worker.  I have had bad experiences but what I discovered with one employer is very different.  They show no respect at all and I have a lot of friends having the same problems, even worse.  Some of them never go out, sleeping on the floor, eating expired food, with no day off, no holiday pay, long hours of work, with low salary.  They do not pay the minimum wage.  They do not pay tax and NI.   Even when they have a written contract they never follow it.
  
They don’t give sick pay, and along with all that, they are shouting, breaking their bodies with sticks, and throwing boiling water on them.  They treat them like rubbish.  They call them a cow (bagara).  They call them a dog (kalba).  They call them a donkey (hamara).  And they call them stupid (ghabiya).  And the domestic workers, they don’t understand what is the meaning of the words. 

The Magic of Mentoring

Paula shares with us her reflections on her experience as a mentor with the New Beginnings project. If you are interested in becoming a mentor or mentee, please click here. 

When I started mentoring, I never for one second envisaged the enriching journey that would beckon. Certainly, life can be joyously wonderful, but difficulties can also pop up, and as a vulnerable refugee with no place to call home, these difficulties can be felt more profoundly. It is my experience that you don’t necessarily have to be a certain type of person to mentor or have a particular job to be qualified. You only need to be able to listen to what another person has to say, to empathise, and just to really see yourself in another. In the end, it is the simple things that count. Going to the cinema, seeing a nice exhibition or even going for a coffee are all invaluable when faced with immense pressure or 'rejection.' Furthermore and more significantly, it makes a huge difference, or it is rather a pleasant breath of fresh air to have someone to talk to, to share stories with, and just to partake in normal everyday activities with. It was not only possible to see the positive changes in my mentee, but I also saw positive changes within myself. Indeed, it is a journey where the mentor reaps as much as the mentee. I saw that it is possible and realistic to withstand the hurricanes and emerge stronger, wiser, kinder and more compassionate. In perfect honesty, it felt as though I did nothing but listen and turn up, but when our mentoring meetings came to an end, there was a tear in my eye, as it was truly wonderful to see my mentee confidently getting ready for her life ahead and genuinely happy about the opportunities that lay before her. I could not believe it was the same person. What quickly became clear to me is that everyone at some point benefits from a gentle word of encouragement. It felt really good to echo the message to my mentee that nobody can reject you and that things can and do improve with time. 

Papercrafting Workshop

From Aissata: These past three weeks, we have had the opportunity at MRCF to learn some techniques in the art of paper crafting. This was really fun as we made some very nice greeting cards. Some of them were donated to the elderly and we were lucky to keep others for ourselves. It is very good to be able to attend those kind of activities. While making the cards, we had some nice talks and laughs. It was great! That is why I am very grateful to Sonia who offered the material that we all worked on and Sue who was so dedicated in teaching these new techniques. Hopefully, we will see them soon for more workshops.

Amell's Corner - Depression

Depression is a word used often and often misunderstood. The stigma attached to depression can be due to a lack of understanding of the disorder. If people understood that depression is something that could affect anyone at anytime and is actually very common and nothing to be ashamed of, then maybe more people would be able to come forward and seek the support they need in overcoming it.

Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, guilt, unexplained episodes of tearfulness, bleak thoughts about the future, fear of going insane or losing control, thoughts of self harm, irritability, indecisiveness or a loss of interest in activities usually enjoyed including sex....are all signs that one may be experiencing depression. These are by no means the only symptoms of depression. There are many, including physical symptoms such as chest pain, digestive problems, headaches, bad memory, lack of appetite and sleep, back pain, body aches, weight gain or loss amongst many others!

So why do people get depressed?

Letters from Tomorrow

Recently, Shazea Quraishi, English PEN's writer-in-residence at MRCF, led a workshop with the Theatre Group entitled Letters from Tomorrow. We invite you to listen to the group's moving podcasts by clicking on this link.

Stories that heal, stories that harm

Check out this exciting upcoming event through St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace...

Stories that heal, stories that harm

Friday, 29 June, 2012, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

A participatory day of cross-disciplinary dialogue and discussion. The aim is to pool learning from those working with personal and community narratives, in order to build a more complete picture of the field, stimulate best practice, and allow cross-fertilisation of ideas.

In collaboration with the London Inter Faith Centre, The Forgiveness Project and The International School of Storytelling

Engage to Change: Integration - Where next?

You are invited to attend the Migrant and Refugee Communities Forum's

Engage to Change: Integration – Where next?

Thursday, May 24, 2012, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Our key note speaker is Don Flynn, Director of Migrants Rights Network.

The government’s Creating the Conditions for Integration strategy transfers responsibility for integration to local areas, without refering to any models or guidance about what successful integration looks like, whilst also hijacking integration as yet another excuse to speak about security and extremism. Resources, of course are not attached to any of it. It was also disappointing for those of us working on the integration of new citizens that the government completely ignored our efforts, expertise and contributions.

Amell's Corner - Panic Attacks

Imagine you’re walking down a dark alleyway and a suspicious character appears behind you with a knife in hand! Sight of this puts you in an immediate state of anxiousness - your heart is pounding frantically in your chest, your breathing becomes fast and shallow, your body is trembling and your legs feel like jelly, your throat becomes dry, and you feel dizzy and nauseous. You turn around again and now they are running towards you. You panic and are now physically ready to protect yourself from the perceived attacker or run as fast as your legs will carry you. This is known as the "fight or flight response,'' a natural human survival mechanism used to protect us from danger.

Sometimes we have thoughts and fears triggered by a whole range of negative and stressful life experiences which can subconsciously activate the fight or flight response even in the absence of danger. Our mind communicates to our body that it needs to protect us from perceived danger. When this occurs in the absence of any real danger, the body physically reacts in a way that the conscious mind cannot understand as we begin to physically prepare to protect ourselves from a danger we cannot see. This is when we experience all the unpleasant symptoms of an anxiety attack such as palpitations, trembling, shallow breathing and dizziness, alongside a whole range of other physical symptoms, but can’t quite understand why this is happening. These symptoms are simply our body physically preparing to run or fight off an attack. The first time a person ever experiences an anxiety attack is usually reported to be an extremely terrifying experience mainly because they didn’t know what was happening to them.

Highlighting Homeopathy

Jeena, an advocate of homeopathy, explains how it works:

Homeopathy was started by a German scientist. The British Medical Association does not endorse it because it has not been scientifically proven, but Prince Charles is a big advocate. 

If you drink coffee during the night and can’t sleep, a homeopath will take the same substance in the coffee that causes you not to sleep to treat you. It’s like an immunization. They treat you with what causes the problem.

They take the substance and dilute it and drop it on small balls of sugar that are lentil sized. They shake this, and the number of times they shake it is the strength or concentration.

It works with the body like drugs, or magic, and is even used to treat moods and emotional trauma, and children and animals.

Tablets must be soaked with a dry mouth, and you can’t eat or drink for half an hour before or after you take them. You should keep them away from  perfume. You should only take them when you have symptoms and immediately stop taking them as soon as the symptoms finish.

Poems by Paula

Paula shares with us THREE of her beautiful poems and the philosophy behind her writing:

MRCF has made a positive difference to many people's lives and continues to do so. It makes you feel so hopeful, like it's possible to create change. The social aspects of life have always interested me. Why is the world the way it is, for good or for bad? Is a human being strictly limited by his or her circumstances, flaws or conditions? The clearest thing to me is that society is a reflection of every human being.  It's kinda true, you have to be the change you wish to see. Sometimes it is easy to underestimate our impact on our world and to each other but every act of kindness goes a long way. Nothing is ever lost by sharing. Every defeat, every tragedy and disappointment is, in my opinion, a gift so that we can strengthen and renew the human spirit of love, forgiveness, compassion and kindness.

Fresh Bread

London Elections 2012

Do you care about the next Mayor of London? Or do you perceive local politics as a distant sphere with little connection to your everyday life?

On May 3, 2012 Londoners aged 18 or over will elect the new Mayor of this town and the 25 members of the London Assembly. The Mayor’s job ranges from housing, transport, environment, policing, health, culture, (emergency) planning and development, all the way to economic development and regeneration. The Assembly Members hold the Mayor accountable by examining his/her decisions and making sure the Mayor delivers given promises to Londoners.

In order to vote you need to register where you live before April 18 but also have to know where, when and how to vote. Answers to these questions can be found at the London Elects webpage. 

However, a more important question is why vote in the first place? The answer to that question was given by Kristina Hemon in a new post: Why should migrants care about the Mayor of London?

Still, if you have any doubts, then join us on March 27 at MRCF and find out more how the Mayor can improve the quality of our lives and communities, but also how you can influence this year’s elections!

Let your voice be heard!

DO try this at home!

Sofi shares with us how to make some delicious sounding and looking Ethiopian specialties!

The lentil dish Mesir Wot is a sauce that is especially popular during the Lent period. It's a healthy dish that can be eaten hot or cold and is easy to cook. 

Ingredients:

2 cups of lentils

1 medium onion (finely chopped)

1 teaspoon salt

4-5 garlic cloves (peeled and finely chopped or mashed)

1/2 cup of cooking oil (your preferred oil - I use corn oil)

2-3 tablespoons of bebere (red chili powder - this is very spicy and hot with a strong flavour so don't put too much of this)

1 can chopped tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes boiled for about 2-3 minutes so it will be easy to peel the skin, and chopped)

Directions:

Food Stories: Submissions Wanted

Food is essential for our survival, but it is so much more - our food stories are often our most personal and most beautiful stories.

Shazea Quraishi, a visiting writer from English PEN, is putting together a booklet of recipes and food stories, for a sharing of memories and favourite food at MRCF.

She is looking for recipes for food close to your heart – perhaps something your mother or grandmother made, or something you make for yourself or friends.   
To accompany the recipe, please write a short piece - perhaps a memory of eating that food, or how it makes you feel.

Send to: shazea.q@gmail.com by April 1st, 2012     

     

*Entries received before March 14 will also be submitted to the PEN anthology unless you indicate you’d prefer not to    

Amell's Corner

MRCF's resident health expert, Amell, introduces her column, Amell's Corner:

Amell's Corner will "inform-advise-and motivate’’ the reader, providing them with helpful hints and facts on how to tackle common mental health issues so they can begin their journey to recovery and regain ownership of their life!  

The term health covers an extremely broad range of physical, emotional and psychological facets. Having good health is not defined by the absence of physical disease, but rather is a broad term that embraces the mind, body and spirit of an individual.

It is often the case that an individual will attend to the physical condition of their body and neglect their mental health issues, unaware of the fact that there is a strong connection between mental health and physical health and that it is difficult for one to exist without the other. Many physical symptoms experienced by an individual can be misdiagnosed and treated with unnecessary medications such as pain killers etc., when in fact the symptoms are a result of the individual's mental ill health. 

Knots Outside, Not Inside

During a 6-week workshop in January and February, dedicated volunteer knitting instructors from the Knitting for Others charity group very patiently and expertly shared their craft with a group of MRCF women that expanded each week. Some of us were beginners and others saw their previous passion for knitting reignited. We worked on scarves, hats and baby clothes with instruments ranging in size from giant plastic needles to a tiny crochet hook. While learning to knit, we chatted (some of us have a hard time chatting and knitting at the same time!) and got to know one another. What fun to have a knitting circle at MRCF and learn a new craft that will not only make TV watching productive, but also has calming and meditative effects. Jeena said it best when she said, “I create knots outside so I don’t have them inside.” Later this Spring, we hope to expand our skills to papercrafting and jewelry making, under the friendly direction of the same group. Look out craft world, here we come!

An Apology

Mahmood shares with us his reflections on the attributes of donkeys!

Lately, I saw a TV video asking people to donate 3 pounds to help donkeys. The video showed donkeys carrying heavy loads and falling to the ground because of these loads and exhaustion.

At the same period, I received an email from a friend in Iraq telling the story of a donkey in an American military camp used to carry ammunition boxes inside the camp. An American officer admired this animal. When his service ended, and before returning home, he managed to have this donkey transferred to his farm in America. This cost him a good sum of money. Photographs of this donkey in his habitat in America showed the nice stable and the joy of the retired officer. Many Iraqis envied the donkey for his good fortune.