It was a bit frightening - Mrs Barr had some very interesting experiences when migrating between Canada, England, Germany and Spain.
Tell us about the countries that have been important in your life.
Well I was born in Canada, and then when I was a baby my dad joined the Royal Air Force, because he was in the Canadian Air Force. So he went home, and said to my mum, 'I'm going to move to England, you can come if you want!' So I moved as a baby, and then after about four years I moved back to Canada for a year, because my dad was in the war in the Middle East for a year. Then when my dad came back, we moved to Germany and lived there for three years as that was where he needed to be next for the RAF. After that we moved back to England.
Then as an adult, we moved to Spain and lived there for three and a half years. And then I moved back to England and here I am!
What was it like adapting to new cultures?
Living in Germany was strange because it was during the Cold War, so we had to carry identity cards and things because there was a big threat from the Russians, because the Americans and the Russians were getting a bit bolshy with each other. So we had to have ID cards and because we were on the RAF base, everywhere we went we had to show our picture to say we were who we said we were.
Because I lived on the RAF base, everyone around me spoke English, but when we went shopping we had to speak German, so that could be quite difficult especially as a child.
in Canada it was really strange, because in England everyone lives quite close to one another. Whereas in Canada, your neighbour can be six miles away! So it's a really big country. It was really, really hot in the summer, and really, really cold in the winter - but it never really rained! So when it did, I would always ask to go for a walk because I missed the rain in England.
Do you have any stories about how other people have reacted towards you as a migrant, either in your home countries or adopted countries?
In Canada they laughed at my accent, because I sounded English, so they all thought I sounded really posh!
When I came back from Spain there was a problem, and I knew there would be a problem, because even thought my dad was invited to come and live in England, they used to ask you at the border and say 'you can't come in if you've been out of the country for more than two years.' So I actually had to lie and say I was only coming back for a holiday. And then I had to write a long letter to get permission to stay in England, even though I had been in England since I was a baby, so that felt really horrible and a bit frightening because, my sister, when she came back she had a newborn baby, and the government said 'well the baby can stay but you must go back.' Even though they had been on an RAF base and she was married to a doctor in the RAF, they were not prepared to let her into the country but they would take her baby away. So I was frightened and that's why I didn't tell the truth. But I wrote my letter and they let me stay once I had explained.
How far does your experience of migration affect your identity?
In Spain, because I was an adult, and it was hard to be able to get to speak Spanish, it was very very difficult feeling like people thought you were stupid just because you couldn't communicate. I found that really difficult. It was nice to be able to come back to England and go shopping without having to plan conversations. It was really tough, feeling like you were missing a lot because you didn't have the language skills.
What were the educational priorities in the countries that you lived in?
I'd say the same as you'd expect and the same as here, really. I did have a difficulty because I started school in England when I was four, and then moved to Canada, and they don't start school until children are six. So I had two years of reception. Then when I moved to Germany and I was seven, everyone around me could read and write, but all I'd done was sort of make things with paints and cut things out. So I had to do a very fast catch up! It made me feel that I wasn't clever for many years, just from that one small period in my life when I wasn't where everyone else my age was. So that was a tricky time.
In your experience, how would you describe the English attitude towards people from other countries?
It's really interesting, because when I was 18 we went to Canada on holiday, and when we came back we had to show our passports and we couldn't stand in the queue that you would go through. And although it didn't affect me personally, there was a family from Pakistan who had all their passports in an elastic band, and the immigration officer called me and my sister through ahead of them, even though they were at the front of the queue. It felt that I was given positive discrimination and we jumped the queue. their immigration rights were exactly the same as mine. It made me feel guilty. And then, of course, when I came back in the moment I described earlier, and they didn't want to let me in, that felt like discrimination, too. It wasn't nice at all.
Are there any moments that are nostalgic for you?
Yes - in Canada I have amazing memories of the snow and falling into drifts of snow on beautiful sunny crisp days. And the warm sun in Spain - the weather makes me nostalgic. When it gets snowy here it reminds me of Canada and Germany. I love a snow day.
What do you think we could do in our community to help those seeking refuge or those settling here from another country?
I suppose for the reasons that I said, because I speak English, I have never had any difficulty or language barriers, so I think culturally I just slotted in. I do think, therefore, having seen what happened to the Pakistani family, I think we could do things a bit differently, so that people didn't feel that they were being treated differently because of their appearance. Just a personal view, but I would hate to think that someone would look at me and make judgements. I think we should always treat people with kindness.
Tell us about the countries that have been important in your life.
Well I was born in Canada, and then when I was a baby my dad joined the Royal Air Force, because he was in the Canadian Air Force. So he went home, and said to my mum, 'I'm going to move to England, you can come if you want!' So I moved as a baby, and then after about four years I moved back to Canada for a year, because my dad was in the war in the Middle East for a year. Then when my dad came back, we moved to Germany and lived there for three years as that was where he needed to be next for the RAF. After that we moved back to England.
Then as an adult, we moved to Spain and lived there for three and a half years. And then I moved back to England and here I am!
What was it like adapting to new cultures?
Living in Germany was strange because it was during the Cold War, so we had to carry identity cards and things because there was a big threat from the Russians, because the Americans and the Russians were getting a bit bolshy with each other. So we had to have ID cards and because we were on the RAF base, everywhere we went we had to show our picture to say we were who we said we were.
Because I lived on the RAF base, everyone around me spoke English, but when we went shopping we had to speak German, so that could be quite difficult especially as a child.
in Canada it was really strange, because in England everyone lives quite close to one another. Whereas in Canada, your neighbour can be six miles away! So it's a really big country. It was really, really hot in the summer, and really, really cold in the winter - but it never really rained! So when it did, I would always ask to go for a walk because I missed the rain in England.
Do you have any stories about how other people have reacted towards you as a migrant, either in your home countries or adopted countries?
In Canada they laughed at my accent, because I sounded English, so they all thought I sounded really posh!
When I came back from Spain there was a problem, and I knew there would be a problem, because even thought my dad was invited to come and live in England, they used to ask you at the border and say 'you can't come in if you've been out of the country for more than two years.' So I actually had to lie and say I was only coming back for a holiday. And then I had to write a long letter to get permission to stay in England, even though I had been in England since I was a baby, so that felt really horrible and a bit frightening because, my sister, when she came back she had a newborn baby, and the government said 'well the baby can stay but you must go back.' Even though they had been on an RAF base and she was married to a doctor in the RAF, they were not prepared to let her into the country but they would take her baby away. So I was frightened and that's why I didn't tell the truth. But I wrote my letter and they let me stay once I had explained.
How far does your experience of migration affect your identity?
In Spain, because I was an adult, and it was hard to be able to get to speak Spanish, it was very very difficult feeling like people thought you were stupid just because you couldn't communicate. I found that really difficult. It was nice to be able to come back to England and go shopping without having to plan conversations. It was really tough, feeling like you were missing a lot because you didn't have the language skills.
What were the educational priorities in the countries that you lived in?
I'd say the same as you'd expect and the same as here, really. I did have a difficulty because I started school in England when I was four, and then moved to Canada, and they don't start school until children are six. So I had two years of reception. Then when I moved to Germany and I was seven, everyone around me could read and write, but all I'd done was sort of make things with paints and cut things out. So I had to do a very fast catch up! It made me feel that I wasn't clever for many years, just from that one small period in my life when I wasn't where everyone else my age was. So that was a tricky time.
In your experience, how would you describe the English attitude towards people from other countries?
It's really interesting, because when I was 18 we went to Canada on holiday, and when we came back we had to show our passports and we couldn't stand in the queue that you would go through. And although it didn't affect me personally, there was a family from Pakistan who had all their passports in an elastic band, and the immigration officer called me and my sister through ahead of them, even though they were at the front of the queue. It felt that I was given positive discrimination and we jumped the queue. their immigration rights were exactly the same as mine. It made me feel guilty. And then, of course, when I came back in the moment I described earlier, and they didn't want to let me in, that felt like discrimination, too. It wasn't nice at all.
Are there any moments that are nostalgic for you?
Yes - in Canada I have amazing memories of the snow and falling into drifts of snow on beautiful sunny crisp days. And the warm sun in Spain - the weather makes me nostalgic. When it gets snowy here it reminds me of Canada and Germany. I love a snow day.
What do you think we could do in our community to help those seeking refuge or those settling here from another country?
I suppose for the reasons that I said, because I speak English, I have never had any difficulty or language barriers, so I think culturally I just slotted in. I do think, therefore, having seen what happened to the Pakistani family, I think we could do things a bit differently, so that people didn't feel that they were being treated differently because of their appearance. Just a personal view, but I would hate to think that someone would look at me and make judgements. I think we should always treat people with kindness.