This week at Pulling Together we had a five minutes with Masuda, who spoke at her experiences when she first
came to England.
Hiba: When did you come to England?
Masuda: I arrived in July 1964 with my daughter who was nearly 4 years old at the time.
Hiba: What was your first impression?
Masuda I remember getting off the plane and wondering why it was so cold.But I was happy to see my husband again after a few years apart
Hiba: Did you come to Manchester straight away?
Masuda: I stayed one night in London at my sister-in-law’s house, then we all came to Manchester and lived in a
rented room at my cousin’s house.
Hiba: What is your saddest memory?
Masuda: Memories are strange because all the happy memories are also a little sad because I couldn’t share themwith my mother or brothers and sister. I remember when my first son was born I was so happy but also sad that my mum wasn’t near to help me like she did the first time round.
Hiba: How did you stay in touch with family back home?
Masuda: At first we wrote letters especially a blue aerogramme letter but if it was urgent news we would either send
or receive a telegram. Telegrams always meant someone had died. Good news always came in regular letters. In the 1980’s family or friends in Pakistan began to get phones so contacting them was easier but very expensive. Now I have learnt to make video calls on Whatsapp and I can see and speak to my family all over the world without any problems
Hiba: Where is home?
Masuda: Home is where my children are. I have lived here for nearly sixty years so this is my home. I will always be from Pakistan and will love that fact. But now I love to live here and visit Pakistan regularly but the last year and a half has been difficult because of the restrictions. I can’t wait to go to Pakistan again because everyone makes such a fuss of me when I get there.
Pulling Together Asian Women's Group 