To illustrate the subject of migration, we interviewed a Philippine person who, emigrated, several times from her country. This person is called Donna and we met her in her home, in Nantes.

Donna was born in 1974 in Quezon City, the second most important city of the archipelago of Philippines .When she was six years old, her mother became acquainted with an English engineer and a few months after she departed for England with him; Donna and her young brother didn't take part in this travel. Over there, her mother and her stepfather got married and obtained passports for all the family. Then, one year later her mother came back to Philippines to bring back the two children who had stayed with their grand parents.

So, at the age of eight, Donna arrived in England, which was for her, an unknown country totally. They lived in a small town, Gainsborough. "At the beginning, said Donna, I felt very different and alone". By the way, the first difficulties that she met were to learn the language and also the fact that she hadn't any friends except her own family. Furthermore, they were the first foreigners in this town and their colour of skin wasn't ordinary. Although in a big city, nobody paid attention to the others, in this village, everybody knew each other and Donna couldn't escape observation.

Quickly, instead of being a disadvantage, this difference was just a way to distinguish her. After one year and half, she spoke English perfectly and started her studies. Then, she went to London to study and it was at that moment that she met Olivier, a French student. He became her boyfriend and they both decided to come and live in France, more precisely in Nantes.

Donna has been living in Nantes, with Olivier since 1999. She didn't have any problems to integrate herself in the French society. She found French people welcoming, more than the English. Today she works in a nursery for bilingual children and for the moment she wants to stay in France to live and work. According to her, life is quieter and people friendly. She noticed, when she was doing some shopping, shopkeepers were very nice; they said "hello", "thank you" etc … Whereas in London there is more liveliness .To the question: "do you feel an English, a French or a Philippine citizen ?".She answers she is English although she also has the Philippine nationality.

Today, her mother lives in England. She has never came back in Philippines and one of her projects is to return over there to see all her family .She will discover at last, his native country and its traditions that she has forgotten (she isn't able anymore to speak Philippic). Besides, if she returns there, she will be able to compare the two ways of life, which, we think of, are quite different. She will also imagine her life if, at the age of eight, she had not left her country…Was it a luck or a bad luck? Nobody will ever know…

Thanks to Donna and Olivier.

Brian, Fabien, Manon

 

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