A SATURDAY UNLIKE ANY OTHER: the Streets of Kensington

A SATURDAY UNLIKE ANY OTHER: the Streets of Kensington

By Victoria Taittinger and Eloise Dethier Eaton

There she stands on the same spot every day of the week. While people come in and out of Waitrose quickly moving on to the next task on their busy schedule, Katia stands by the door, Big Issue in hand.

Originally from Durban, South Africa, you can only imagine how different life is for her. How did she get here? How did she end up being homeless until she picked herself up? Where does she want to be tomorrow? These are all questions we asked as we stopped by to chat with her, unlike most that just walk by.

Surprisingly friendly and willing to talk about her troubles, Katia is part of the community.  This is a key part of her life as it means she belongs somewhere: it is her home away from home. While she talked to us, she stopped when seeing one of her friends, threw a smile their way and wished them a good day.

It was absolutely fascinating to hear about how she arrived here. She left Durban after her family disowned her because she wouldn’t follow their rules. She refused to convert to their idea of Islam, an “interpretation of her Islam”, as she put it.

“My family is rich; they say I can have a mansion and a car if I wear a veil like them. But jeez, what good is that if it doesn’t make me happy?”

Katia converted to the Christian faith, and is a strong believer in God.

“Jesus is my saviour, he gave me everything.”

Hope keeps her fighting throughout the coming freezing months and onwards.

The violence that she came to know too well in South Africa, with members of her family being shot and raped, was also a reason behind her desire to depart. We asked about the end of the apartheid, Mandela and Victor de Klerk*’s roles, and the impact it had on her life. She thought it was necessary, but things didn’t seem to have gotten much better, in her opinion.

According to her, during the apartheid, “you knew where to stand and what your place was” which meant you also had security… racial threats and inequality are still a part of this booming BRICS country. However, there has been some improvement.

It’s been ten years and Katia still recalls her year and a half spent sleeping rough that she’ll never forget.

“It was so hard, and cold.” she explains. It was a time where she preferred to stay out of the public eye. It was very dangerous at night with drunks roaming the streets; she didn’t ever want to be harassed again.

None of us can understand what it’s like to be constantly afraid and hungry: we never need to worry about our tomorrows and whether we’ll make it through the night.

We asked if anyone helped or chatted with her during that time: “No not really, I didn’t mind explaining my situation, but people don’t want to hear.”

Isn’t that true? We aren’t all heartless, but I know I’ve walked by people many times because I chose to look away. It’s not that we don’t see them or that we don’t want to help. Personally it’s because, although I wish there was something I could do, I don’t know where to start. You question whether the money you give will benefit them, if it’ll get them off the streets or just deeper into the drink. Perhaps it’s simply because we can’t relate, feeling almost rude for trying to start a conversation. However, we are often mistaken: one syllable, a small acknowledgement, can go a long way.

At this point, Katia turned to drinking. She thought it might help to blur out her painful situation yet she quickly realized it was only making matters worse.

“I thought no, this would destroy me”, she said.

As a result, Katia picked herself up, and it is alone that she arrived at the happier place she is today.

Katia left for London in 2004 because she thought it would be better. Unfortunately, she didn’t know what was awaiting her since without a work permit or an EU residentship, she wasn’t entitled to any government housing or medical coverage.

Indeed, housing is a constant problem on the streets. How can you build anything when you don’t know if you’ll have a roof over your head the coming night?

Before meeting Katia, we talked to Peter while he hugged his dog Luke.

He told us how impossible it was to find housing; no one would let him in with his companion, for safety and sanitary reasons. You’d think it was his choice, but no one chooses that kind of life. Imagine how hard it must be for him to separate himself from the dog he rescued and feeds, his only constant support.

On the other hand, Peter has gotten to know people down on Exhibition road, who are quite kind, he told us. While we sat next to him, a young couple came by and left him some food.

Fortunately, Katia found help at Passage in Victoria where she was given food, housing for a time, and a recommendation to work for the Big Issue.

Now she gets her clothes, food and showers from the Methodist church on Kings Road, a great place with an open shelter on Monday nights. Tonight, Katia will sleep at a friend’s house down World Ends, who also works for the Big Issue. She’s grateful for it, but misses “her own four walls”, and her privacy. We caught her right before she set off on her bicycle to bring groceries to an old lady she helps every Saturday.

It was amazing to meet a woman who’s got so little but wants to give so much.

What are Katia’s wishes for the New Year? A job does figure on her list, but first she wants to learn how to use a computer; “I don’t even know how to turn on one of those,” she told me, pointing at my phone. She had heard of Centerpoint and their training programs, but unfortunately she isn’t able to take classes at the Chelsea town hall because of her situation.

“I want to help my community. I want to give back to the Big Issue all they gave me.”

Although she is already helping others who’ve suffered through the same hardship, she wants to go even further. What can we do? Some organizations already offer help, and we don’t have to save the world alone, but we can talk to people on the streets and see them as the human beings they are. It is too easy to look away and move on. Everyone dislikes being ignored and a smile can really make their day.

So come by Kings Road and talk to Katia, she’ll tell you her story, bless you with words of inspiration and show you that there really is something you can do.

If you want more information and ways to make a donation, here are some useful links:

http://www.passage.org.uk/homeless.aspx

http://www.centrepoint.org.uk/

http://www.bigissue.org.uk/

[*South Africa’s president from 1989-1994 and a co-recipient with Mandela of the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize.]

DEHLI

DELHI:

A CITY OF CONTRASTS

by Sophie Latham.

In light of recent unrest over the Delhi rape case, India has been all over the news. The rape and murder of a female student sparked worldwide protests: women’s rights groups are taking up arms and calling for the death penalty for rapists. India considers itself the birthplace of democracy, but its coalition government renders decision-making difficult.

India’s historical importance in relation to the British Empire is the reason why PAL and TAL (Première and Terminale A Level) students visited Delhi for a short week during the February holidays. We focused on how the Islamic kingdom of the Mughals gave way to the British Raj and modern India.

Delhi is a city of contrasts. Upon arriving, the musty, dusty smell hits you and you begin to notice all the differences between this city and yours. It is a culture shock, but visiting such a place lends you a little more humility, and gives you a different perspective. I find that it is the details that “make” Delhi. The children, no older than 6, selling balloons and flowers at red lights, or performing cartwheels and backflips in hope of a few rupees. The noise. The colours. The clothes. The buildings. The history. The people. Together, they make Delhi the vibrant, overcrowded and chaotic, yet beautiful city it is today.

The traffic was something I had never seen. Bustling, cacophonous and grinding. The road is the pavement, and you must meander through the rickshaws, carts, cattle, motorbikes and cars to get past. The number of people that can fit on these streets is unimaginable, and so are the noise levels. The dense crowds make you feel like you're constantly in something's way. One of the busiest streets is Chandni Chowk, which we braved on our third day. Not only were there people, animals and vehicles everywhere, but added to that were stalls selling spices or fruit, and beggars in the middle of the road. It was daunting but exciting, and one of the many highlights of the trip.

The poverty in Delhi is striking and often heartbreaking. It is difficult to ignore toddlers in rags begging for a few rupees and holding onto your arm, and it is no easier to walk past mothers holding infants who already have the eyes of an adult. The streets are also full of stray dogs, too exhausted and starved to stand. People with physical deformities beg near temples and mosques. The dirt and debris equal those in shanty towns- there are no bins; the streets are littered and people sift through the rubbish to find food or anything of value. In many instances, the toilets were no more than holes in the ground. The city is known as the capital of crime and corruption, in equal measures.

Amidst all the poverty and pollution it is difficult to imagine Delhi’s beauty, but if you look beyond the tarpaulin and corrugated iron, past the superficial aspects, you see traces of beautiful architecture, intricate carvings and the remains of Delhi’s colourful past. For example, from the steps of the Akshardham temple, you can notice how the complex carved walls in the foreground, surrounding the gardens, contrast with the crowded motorway and the derelict housing behind. There is a juxtaposition of old and contemporary Delhi everywhere. You may be standing in a temple with lavish ceilings, patterned tiles and gold statues and just a few metres away from you, behind the walls, are barefoot children in rags, stray dogs fighting over scraps of litter, and men asleep on the roadside.

It’s said that the only way to explore Delhi is to allow yourself to be engulfed. Although it is such an impressive city, it was also oppressive in some respects. Being treated like a celebrity and asked to pose for pictures was amusing at first, but it became unsettling when crowds of locals circled our group with cameras and mobile phones. Even though we were dressed conservatively, we were still considered “different” and treated like a spectacle. These attitudes weren’t malicious, and in most cases the tension could be dissipated by a head wobble, a cultural gesture which generally means ‘ok’, ‘yes’ or ‘I understand’ but can be used in any context, and is sometimes interpreted as ‘I don’t mean any harm’.

It seemed like the people had a completely different outlook on life. 

To our standards, most had no reason to hope – no money, no food, and no future – yet they didn't give up. We befriended a group of people living in an illegal slum by the side of a motorway, and had the opportunity of riding their elephant. Although the children laughed and chased each other, there was something very old about their eyes, some sort of wisdom, and a sense that they had grown up too soon. Most were left to fend for themselves, and to look after even younger children. We were encouraged to give out pens and small toys rather than money, and I was truly moved by one little boy, Debola, who immediately drew a bracelet in biro on his wrist, and handed it to me so that I could draw a smiley face. A man standing by the elephant was holding a radio and began to play Indian music; a circle formed and some of the students danced with children from the slum. These were really magical moments.

As a group, we unanimously agreed that our visit to Delhi was one of the most enriching and incredible trips we’d ever been on – it is a wonderful city, and although this was my first time there, it definitely won’t be my last.

Very special thanks from PAL and TAL students to Dr Carr for organising this amazing trip.

Sophie LATHAM.