I came to London

About I came to London

The podcast about people who make London

Publisher

I came to London

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

1 Dec 2023

Latest episode

20 Mar 2024

Latest episodes

17 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   20 Mar 2024

   Montevideo

   Meet Stella.  She came to London in 1977 from Buenos Aires.  Born and raised in Montevideo she lived there until she was 17 whenupon she fled for Argentina.  Growing up she experienced the consequences of huge economic instability in Uruguay and was subsequently chased out of her home escaping dictatorships.  3 years later her and her husband registered as refugees with the UN in Buenos Aires and when they saw their names on a list titled 'UK', they booked one way tickets to London on British Caledonia.  Within 2 months of arriving, Stella gave birth to her first baby, her post natal depression compounded by the effects of migration and familial seperation.  47 years later she is retired and a great grandmother.  You can hear Stella talk about continuing the grand Italian traditions of her childhood,  her joy in connecting with shy Londoners and her love of Portobello Market and Crystal Palace park.  Just don't make any mention of Fray Bentos.

2. 

   13 Mar 2024

   Ngawa

   Meet Drukthar.  He came to London in 2017 from Dharamshala.  Born in the tiny village of Ngawa, in Tibet,  his parents made the decision to move the family to India while their children were still very young.  Aged 6 he travelled overland on foot for 18 days into Nepal with his mother and siblings, with little belongings and very little food along the way.  Growing up, Drukthar wanted to exploit the best education India had to offer and continued in that vein when he had the chance to do a Masters in the UK.  These days he both studies and teaches in London and you can hear Drukthar talk about his combined love of International Relations and Manchester United.  You can also listen to Drukthar explain how living in London provides him with the best opportunity to advocate for the rights of Tibet and Tibetans everywhere.

3. 

   6 Mar 2024

   Nikopol'

   Meet Natalia.  She came to London in 2022 from Ukraine.  She was born and brought up in Nikopol', a historic town built on fantastic reserves of minerals, in the South of Ukraine.  She had been living and working in Dnipro with her husband and teenage daughter when Russia invaded.  On the 4th day of the invasion,  she and her husband made the decision to split the family up,  with Natalia and her daughter travelling to Lviv, a town in the West of the country.   When the UK Government announced the Homes for Ukraine scheme they secured a place to stay in London and took an evacuation bus to Chelm, on the Polish border.  From there they travelled almost three days across Western Europe to France.  Their journey took a different route from other refugees as the family dog Mira was accompanying them.  Listen to Natalia talk about the challenges of trying to settle in the UK on a temporary visa,  what she thinks of the British obsession with fish and chips and what London is offering her incredibly academic daughter at a crucial stage in her high school development.

4. 

   28 Feb 2024

   Nougran

   Meet Esha.  She came to London in 2023 from Nougram,  a small village outside Jhelum.  She entered London on a fiancée visa and went to Nottingham three days later to meet the man who paid her family in Pakistan the equivalent of £4000 to bring her here, with a view to marrying her.  Relations with him quickly soured and she sought help in Nottingham with local forced marriage groups who facilitated her departure back to London.  A self confessed Anglophile, she had long been interested in Western Culture and thought a new life in the UK would be the answer to her problems at home.  But Esha's positive philosophy is helping her adjust to a different set of circumstances from the ones she dreamed of.  Now she is in London awaiting the outcome of an asylum application and hoping to start a new life in the UK.

5. 

   21 Feb 2024

   Crumlin

   Meet Larnie.  She came to London in 2011 from Weymouth.  Born on a British Army base in Northern Ireland, she grew up in various locations around the UK before her parents decided on settling in a classic British seaside town.  Wanting to act, she came up to the Capital as a teenager to fulfill what she thought was her dream.  It took less than a year for her to realise she had a different passion and she found herself back on the South Coast, navigating a way to turn her newfound love of raving into a profession.  Hear her talk about the pros and cons of growing up by the sea, life as a music producer and Drum and Bass DJ and the one thing she really misses about Weymouth.  You can also hear about her biggest bugbear; London's cost of living.  But there are still (some) ways to do this city on a tight budget; Larnie can give you the lowdown.

6. 

   14 Feb 2024

   Kabul

   Meet Bahadur.  He came to London in 2003 from Kabul.  A broadcast journalist on the front line in Afghanistan, he made the decision to leave after some of his colleagues 'disappeared', when the Government of the time took issue with their reportage.  Listen to him describe the way in which constant war led to huge expansion in Kabul, how some Taliban policies have led to real pain for the population and how much he misses homegrown Afghan produce and food.  A Black Cab driver here in London, he likes his job but being a father and grandfather, there's one associated element that causes him constant anxiety; the task of shepherding inebriated young Londoners.

7. 

   7 Feb 2024

   Leeds

   Meet Charlotte.  She came to London in 2005 to study musical theatre in Hampstead.  Originally from Leeds, she arrived in town aged 18 and graduated from early mornings at the ballet barre to the West End stage, doing every type of job in between to keep the money coming in.  Her break came when she successfully auditioned for the stage show of Top Hat.  Listen to her describe the unusual lifestyle and daily realities of life as a musical performer,  what the 'swing section' is and what that entails within a major muscial ensemble.  These days she's a new mum and teaches Choreography to the next batch of starlets, in various schools across the Capital.

8. 

   31 Jan 2024

   Dublin

   Meet Bridie.  She came to London in 1952 to join her husband, whom she'd met on holiday here a year earlier.  From her beginnings on Golden Lane in Dublin she flew into Northolt on her wedding day and the newly-weds quickly settled themselves in Brixton.   With her husband being one of so many men who came to London to build post-war Britain,  they experienced occasions when existence here could be hand to mouth.  Listen to her talk about growing up in 1930's Ireland and how poverty levelled everybody she knew.  You can also hear about the tragedy she experienced when her husband died, leaving her to raise their 7 year old son alone.  But at 96, Bridie is now preparing to be a Great Grandmother and is eager to meet the new arrival.

9. 

   24 Jan 2024

   Croydon

   Meet Kevin (or Caoimhín).  He came (back) to London in 2009 from Cork in Ireland.  Having been born in Croydon he spent the early part of his childhood in Surrey but his formative years were in Ireland, surrounded on all sides by huge numbers of family.  Taking to the road, he hit well worn backpacking trails around the world before deciding to see if L. A. would suit.  When he had an opportunity to return to London as a screenwriter in 2009 he took it up with no strings or expectations.  Listen to him talk about being part of a huge diaspora, the chasm of cultural difference between the UK and Eire, what he misses about home and why London suits him so well.

10. 

    17 Jan 2024

    Verdun

    Meet Nathalie.  She came to London in 1992 from South West France,  for merely a change of scenery.  Nathalie was born in Northern France but grew up in the village of Cruet La Chapelle,  600km away, on the Swiss border.  She liked London but after a short while homesickness got the better of her and she packed her bags and bought her ticket,  ready to head home. But fate intervened; a night in a disco in Clapham changed everything and 30 years later she is still here.  Listen to her describe an idyllic Alpine childhood, the moment she knew she was comfortable using English, how she has learned to love certain British food cupboard staples and why she feels it's important to keep crafts and crafting alive in the very youngest school children.

11. 

    10 Jan 2024

    Georgetown

    Meet Olga.  She came to London in 1958 from Georgetown, in what was then, British Guyana.  The scholarly 20 year old chose London to obtain the science qualifications her parents knew she needed for a career in medicine but Olga had other ideas.  Hopping off the SS Antilles, '50's London captivated her.  But she has endured racial harassment both on the street and from the establishment during her time in London.  Listen to her describe how she has spent the best part of a century teaching all age groups and continues to do so, long into her 'retirement'.  If your passion also happens to be your hobby and your job, you have a kindred spirit in Olga.

12. 

    3 Jan 2024

    Kinshasa

    Meet Michaelle.  She came to London in 2022 from Singapore, where she was living with her husband and daughters.  A Rwandese citizen born in the Democratic Republic of Congo,  from the 60's onwards, war continually displaced her family and she spent time moving around the African continent in search of peace and education. Rocking up in the middle of Carnival, it was her daughters who decided after much globe-trotting, London was going to be the place to settle.  Listen to her talk about her business in the coffee industry, how Rwanda has emerged since the war and how multicultural London is offering her girls the best chance to be like every other kid in school.

13. 

    27 Dec 2023

    Nankana Sahib

    Meet Tayaab.  He came to London in 2014.  Born and brought up in Nankana Sahib in Pakistan, he left his home country after University to study in South Korea. A research scientist, he concentrated his Doctorate on the potential anti-cancer properties of marine fauna and subsequently worked on several projects researching innovations in this field.  Growing up an Ahmadiyya in Pakistan, he faced daily intolerance and wanted something different for his children.  Listen to Tayaab explain why violence and persecution forced him from his home country, why there is comfort in charity and why London offers him his biggest consolation; a safe haven for his family.

14. 

    20 Dec 2023

    Christchurch

    Meet Turahui.  He came to London from Christchurch, New Zealand in the summer of 2022.  He upped sticks without sweating the small stuff and has managed to quell his wanderlust by immersing himself in London's art and culture.  Turahui might have been here more than a year but he's retained his newcomer enthusiasm for the city, jumping on a bus or a tube with no particular concern about where it might take him.  Hear him talk about the continued fallout of the 2011 earthquake that devastated parts of his hometown, why New Zealand has the edge on pies and why everyone's wrong about the origins of the Flat White coffee.

15. 

    13 Dec 2023

    Prestbury

    Meet Petra.  She came to London in 1964, from the Hundred Acre Wood, straight into a city shaking off its post war incumbrance and embracing a cultural regeneration.  Still a teenager, she began acting.  Listen to the tales of her varied career which saw her perform in some of the BBC's longest running flagship shows, including Dr Who and Eastenders and what it was like working with Michael Caine on Get Carter.  But in respect of the future of the city, she wants to overhaul the green revolution.  This includes some pretty big plans for your back garden.

16. 

    6 Dec 2023

    Mahalapye

    Meet Baby.  She came to London in 1986 from Mahalapye, a town in Botswana after her mother decided her little girl ought to be in receipt of a British education. She has since carved out a successful career for herself in make-up artistry and raised a family in the capital.  Listen to her describe the contrasting landscape between the town of her birth and the big city,  why London feels so small (yes, you read that right),  her views on community and how Batswana cultural ethics continue to influence her everyday existence in London.  You'll also hear about her surprise encounter on a London street with Maya Angelou.

17. 

    1 Dec 2023

    Cheung Chau

    Meet Rachel.  She came to London in 2022 from Cheung Chau, an island in Hong Kong.  Since then, she has spent her time helping fellow Hong Kongers re-settle in the UK.  Growing up in the sunny, stable sub-tropics, life took a different turn post 2019.  Hear her describe the effects of moving from one metropolis to another, why Victoria Harbour is a very special memory and why for Hong Kong émigrés, exile in London offers the difference between freedom and incarceration.  Listen as she talks about the city she left behind, what she thinks about integration and why there isn't any such thing as an authentic Cantonese restaurant in London.

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