"THE cold is what I remember most. I came here at night time. The houses were very dark and narrow. I remember the long hallway, I had never seen anything like that in a house.
“In Pakistan our homes were open, and light. We spent a lot of time outside with neighbours. Here it was very cold and some days I didn’t see anybody outside.
“There was no heater, just a coal fire to heat the rooms and water. I had never lit a fire before and I set fire to the carpet. “Most husbands came over first to find work, the wives were on their own. There was only one Pakistani shop in my neighbourhood, but the English neighbours were very friendly. The milkman always asked: ‘How are you today?’ If you dropped your purse in the street someone would run after you and give it back.”
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