We conducted some reminiscence activities, which also helped for our interviews. The seniors took part in the activities to share about their stories, which was great. We asked questions about their journey and how they came to England.
Some of their stories were very emotional as they told of the struggle of their work as seafarers, travelling to the Indian ocean and across the world. Sometimes their ships broke in the middle of the ocean!
-Abdirahman Aden
As it was my first session I could say I’ve learnt a lot with the seafarers. They are special people with a great history! I put a map in front of them and started asking them, 'What country is this?', and they knew every little detail! In fact, they started talking about how they went through these routes on the map, crossing the Indian Ocean to reach their destination. Very inspiring!
- Mustafa Mohammed
I have been involved in the project for a month. The seafarers are the most knowledgeable people I have worked with! I have learnt a lot with them throughout the sessions by asking them a lot questions like, 'How did they handle working with their fellow seamen?' The answer was that they were respectful towards each other because they were working together for 30 years. During their time as seafarers, sharks attacked the ship a lot of times because most of their career they spent traveling across the Indian ocean.
-Nasir Nur
Running the Reminiscence was fascinating and enjoyable. I enjoyed doing the activity and improved a lot. The elders were respectful and happy to have us around them. I talked to one of the Somali seafarers and it was really emotional because he was telling us about one of the worst journeys he's had while he was working as a seaman. However, our main purpose was to test their memories and see if they can remember anything about their journeys which most of them did.
- Zakaria Ahmed
It was an amazing experience and I personally learnt something new. The elders were incredibly friendly and easy to talk to, so I explained everything to them and, surprisingly, they quickly adapted and took part of the activity. - Abdallah Ahmed
Since I have being part of project I have learned a lot from the seafarers; their experience is outstanding! They shared a lot amazing stories that I found very interesting and beneficial. I asked questions, 'How do you feel about your family?' in the reminiscence session. Answer: "The whole purpose was to feed my family and make them proud." "It wasn't an easy option staying away from your family and children for months and years, but we kept in touch. When I go visit my family back home I feel good and happy." Personally I'm very lucky to be asking them questions and listening to what they have gone through during their time.
- Mahad Abdi