Our baby is growing so fast, it’s incredible. People have given us clothing for him, but a lot doesn’t fit any more. We are trying to find clothes at the cheapest prices or sometimes in charity shops – although they don’t have so much for babies. He cries for milk every two hours, but formula is so expensive. Nappies are, too. Even though a jumbo pack of nappies is cheaper, it’s difficult to pay for on our budget. When we do invest in the bigger packets, we’ve got 76 nappies, each for two or three pence less than the regular-sized pack, but it means we can’t afford any meat that week. Still, by the next week, we have some nappies left at home and extra money for some chicken or ham.
The mind of the asylum seeker is like an engine, turning and turning, trying to solve different problems and always trying to survive. You start from zero and you have to build a new life in a totally different culture, with a different currency, different language, different products. You’re managing your legal case, your budget, your weekly shop. All the prices are rising and our allowance – £40 a week for my wife and I and £5 for our son – is like water in our hands.
