I was born in Belgium but grew up in Zurich/Switzerland. My parents only ever spoke French to me and my (younger) sister, so we were both really lucky to grow up bilingual French/German. I’d say that I have very much a French culture as I grew up with French nursery rhymes, French music and virtually all my school holidays were spent in my mum’s family in Liege/Belgium.
In Limbo
Marianne’s Story
Next time I read ‘get rid of all EU foreigner scum’ on a Facebook page (not that I go on these very often but they do exist), I remember that my mother is still taking English lessons after my 30 years in the UK, just so she can speak to my husband whose French is sketchy at best.
A Dutch citizen’s tale about PR and naturalisation
Is it strange that I nearly burst into tears at the end of my passport interview?
After the unnerving first question “do you know why you’re here?”, I got through twenty minutes of fairly random questioning of my personal life, worried that I might be failing because I’m not very good at remembering my parents’ dates and places of birth (I know that’s odd, I just have a very bad memory). He wasn’t even listening to my answers because several times he asked me something which I had just told him as part of the previous answer.
A German and Irish couple’s story
I am text block. Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
London has been amazing for us, my Irish husband and me, German. We have lived here for almost 20 years and we came with nothing. My husband got into Advertising after working in different restaurants for several years, because he was told that he was good with numbers.
Laure Ollivier-Minns’ speech for the book launch of ‘In Limbo’ on 26th July 2017
I don’t feel at home anymore…
I’ve been settled in Britain for 31 years, but I don’t feel at home anymore.
I’ve been married to a Brit for 27 years and I have British children. But… as the rules stand, I don’t qualify for Permanent Residency and settled status because I don’t meet the Home Office criteria.
An Interview with Elena Remigi
beCause Associate Peter Cook comments on and interviews Elena Remigi, author of In Limbo – Brexit testimonies from EU citizens in the UK, with 144 unique stories.
The stories have been compiled into a wonderful book by Elena Remigi, with the help of Véronique Martin and Tim Sykes, In Limbo – Brexit testimonies from EU citizens in the UK. This is the world we inhabit in our so-called Great Britain at the moment. I was touched personally by the stories of EU citizens who face continued uncertainty over their future if we decide to leave the European Union. It tells the human tales of the ground floor impact of our heartless strategies to use our EU citizens as human shields.
A foot in both the UK and in Germany
Since 1977 I have been a commuter. Travelling backwards and forwards between Düsseldorf and Manchester. I’ve done the route about a thousand times…
A Briton’s Reflections
I was born in Africa to a Welsh Mum and an English Dad. Dad’s work took us around the world. I have attended school in 4 continents: Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America. Being an immigrant in several countries, learning cultures and languages of other people taught me to appreciate the importance of respect, understanding, empathy, tolerance, and compassion. Travel opened my mind.
Am I A Stranger In My Own Home? Reflections Of A European Student In Post-Brexit Britain
Like many other Europeans here, Britain has been my home for a long time. After moving from Milan to Cork, Ireland, aged three, I finally came to settle in England’s pleasant pastures in 2005…
Meike’s Story
I remember the day we first met. I arrived eight hours late for our date at Liverpool Street station. My ferry from Bremerhaven to Harwich had been delayed, bad weather dragging out a cold and sea-sickening passage. It was love at first sight when I finally got off the train and we took in the sights along the Thames, passing Tower Bridge and many others on our way to the other end of town.