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birdsong in bostonthe Polish suPPlementary schoolthe collected Works

Working with migrant nationals aged between 7 and 13 years old from the Polish Supplementary School, words, poetry and stories were created to explore their feelings of identity and the concept of home

Using the freedom of imagination and the structure of writing templates, participants have written the words you are about to read and we hope they reflect how it feels to be young, foreign and in Boston...

We hope you find the enclosed words interesting, touching, meaningful and enlightening.

Communication between different nationalities has been highlighted as a missing link in forging long-lasting relationships and working towards the common, positive goal of striving to make local change regarding the tensions that exist between different migrant groups and those indigenous to Boston.

We hope we have managed to communicate to you some of the feelings, thoughts and issues that affect our participants on a day-to-day basis...

Chris KonrathCreative writing faCilitator

introduCtion

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© Copyright remains with the authors.Kamila Blotnicka (9) | Justyna Barucha (9) | Wiktoria Maciejska (9) Anastazja Kapica (9) Marta Baluczynska (9) | Natan Malecha (9) | Kacper Majewski (9) | Magdalena Mazikowska (9) Katarzyna Midgley (9) | Daria Paterek (10) | Wiktoria Malecha (12) | Karina Kabelyte (12) Kaya Pakula (12)

Contents4 Birdsong in Boston

6 I Am Me, This Is Who I Am (1) 6 Kaja & Karina 7 Wiktoria & Wiktoria 8 Natan & Kamila 9 Daria & Anastazja 10 Kasia & Kacper 11 Magdalena & Marta

12 Boston, My Boston

14 I Am Me, This Is Who I Am (2) 14 Anastazja & Kacper 15 Natan & Kaja 16 Kasia & Magda 17 Marta & Wiktoria 18 Daria & Justyna 19 Karina & Wiktoria

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Birdsong like an operaBabies cryingIce cream vanPersuading peopleAncient, large churchStatues like soldiers on paradeOld bridges sighing from the weightOf their own history

Birds play with children in the parkCars and lorries heard from afarMy sister sleepsMy hamster sleepsSometimes BostonGives me the creeps

Birds tweet like madLouder than the snoring of my dadA fat lady crosses the streetWith a bag of butcher’s meatThis is my BostonThis is my homeIf this is my BostonAnd this is my homeWhy do I feelSo Alone?

Birdsong in Boston Group Composition

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Singing birdsBells from the churchChildren, animalsIn the parkPeople from other countriesPlaying in the park

Lazy chatterBirdsong lullabyLorries like aeroplanesTaking off down the streetA Land of green paper tissueThin and ready to tear

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KajaBubbly, funny, shyJumpy, comical, self-consciousIt is the number 19It is like freshly cut grass on a Monday morningIt is like having a night in with my familyIt is the memory of my sisterWho taught me to stick up for myselfAnd to be honest to yourself, whatever happensMy name is KajaIt brings good luck to my parents

KarinaLovely, happy, shyPleasant, crazy, timidIt is the number 24It is like a deep bruiseIt is like watching a black and white filmIt is the memory of my cousinWho taught me to be kind and happyMy name is KarinaIt means that life is real

i aM Me, this is who i aM (1)

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wiKtoriaFunny, happy, crazyPlayful, good-humoured, deliriousIt is the number 9It is like a freshly picked plumIt is like watching funny filmsIt is the memory of my mumWho taught me to be happy and funnyMy name is WiktoriaIt means whatever you want it to mean

wiKtoriaKind, crazy, funnyHelpful, silly, happyIt is the number 18It is the grass on a sunny dayIt is my first Holy CommunionIt is the memory of my mumWho taught me to be good and honestAnd to always find the truthMy name is WikoriaIt means winner

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natanFunny, happy, kindHappy, smiley, believerIt is the number 1It is like grass in a fieldIt is like the first word I sayIt is the memory of my dadWho taught me to be happy and funnyAnd helped me learn to write in EnglishMy name is NatanIt means dog

KaMilaPretty, kind, helpfulBeautiful, generous, caringIt is the number 13It is like the sky and shimmering seaIt is my first ever day on the beachIt is the memory of my familyWho taught me to be good at mathsMy name is KamilaIt means family

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dariaKind, helpful, cleverSympathetic, considerate, intelligentIt is the number 10It is like the colour of trees and branchesIt is the birth of my baby brotherIt is the memory of my grandmotherWho taught me that I have to enjoy my timeWhilst I’m still a childMy name is DariaIt means family

anastazjaNice, crazy, kindPleasant, absurd, friendlyIt is the number 3It is like the clear sky on a summer’s dayIt is like my first wordIt is the memory of my familyWho taught me how to walk on my own two feetMy name is AnastazjaIt means God

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KasiaPretty, sporty, funnyBeautiful, energetic, hilariousIt is the number 9It is like clear crystalIt is the happiness of lifeIt is the memory of my mumWho taught me tolerance and honestyWhen she had the timeMy name is KasiaIt means being in the water, swimming, free

KaCperCrazy, funny, happySilly, comical, joyfulIt is the number 39It is like the colour of the skyIt is my first time seeing a film at the cinemaIt is the memory of my GranddadWho taught me about honesty and truthMy name is KacperIt means goodness

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MagdalenaPretty, kind, crazyBeautiful, helpful, weirdIt is the number 11It is like the sun shining in the morningIt is the happiness of being a child on the beachIt is the memory of my sisterWho taught me the miracle of lifeWhen she kicked at my hand through my mummy’s bellyMy name is MagdaIt means to be pure

MartaPretty, crazy, stupidBeautiful, weird, sillyIt is the number 1It is like a fluffy candy floss stickIt is my first day at schoolIt is the memory of my sisterWho taught me about spaceMy name is MaraIt means love

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A new beginningDifferent placesDifferent racesRussian, Polish, LithuanianA lonely street musicianAngry facesDifferent racesTalking badAbout different placesAnd racesAnd angry facesA new beginning? Culture and languageA town blighted by tensionAnd isolation

Trapped in workLike a prisonDirtyNo energyDead An empty flat over a shopAn overflowing riverFriendships dropMy strength quiversThe busy marketThe traffic roarsBird wings, delicateI wish I could fly away, soar The beautiful sun on my terraceReflects shadows on the tiny streets of this townBoston StumpFists thumpDirty waterGetting poorerThe voices of my friends and familyBounce echoes across the tiny streets of me

Boston, My BostonGroup Composition

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People chatting as a policeman gets hurtThe river flows as a policeman gets hurtA boy licks his ice cream as a policeman gets hurtBoston ignoresA policeman getting hurt Drinking blotting out the landscapeAn inner rage, a hateGreenery and litter side by sideAggression and tension you cannot hideHustle and bustleSaturday night scuffleConfusion of languageTo stay requires courage

A Dirty riverRat workHeavy trafficDangerousHomeStumpA Dead river

This is Boston TownDifferentSmallA lot of crimeMy point of view

Boston is my homeMany foreigners live hereI wish I didn’t

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anastazjaI am crazy and funnyI wonder what I would do on a talent showI hear millipedes walkingI see a cow flyingI want trees to grow chocolate sweetsI am crazy and funnyI pretend I am a rock starI feel the soft feathers of my carpetI touch everything I see with my eyesI worry about what to wear in school photosI cry when spider’s eat fly’sI am crazy and funnyI understand that the tooth fairy isn’t realI say that like it’s trueI dream about winning the OlympicsI try to win as many trophies as I canI hope I’ll get millions of presents for my birthdayI am crazy and funny

KaCperI am crazy and happyI wonder if there is a GodI hear angels singingI see orange wingsI want to be a babyI am crazy and happyI pretend to be a dogI feel weirdI touch my dadI worry about my brotherI cry about dead peopleI am crazy and happyI understand PolishI say that grass is greenI dream that I was a millionaireI try my hardestI hope the shops aren’t closedI am crazy and happy

i aM Me, this is who i aM (2)

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natanI am happy and smileyI wonder if I will ever have a dogI hear my home danceI see a flying foxI want to be a carI am happy and smileyI pretend to be a catI feel happy when I go to PolandI touch a dogI worry about money and people that steal itI cry like a babyI am happy and smileyI understand EnglishI say that the grass is greenerI dream about enormous monstersI try to flyI hope to be a businessmanI am happy and smiley

KajaI am weird and funnyI wonder why people have cancerI hear cow’s singingI see a lime green horseI want to cure cancer, stop wars and give the world peaceI am weird and funnyI pretend to pretend that I am myselfI feel nothingI touch some of my friendsI worry about nothingI cry about nothingI am weird and funnyI understand that I need to get a good educationI say that God is realI dream that I will meet Justin Bieber one dayI try hard at my school subjectsI hope that we can cure cancerI am weird and funny

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KasiaI am sporty and kindI wonder why humans existI hear the clouds yawningI see a picture dancingI want it to rain sweetsI am sporty and kindI pretend to be an OlympianI feel the pressure pushing down on meI touch everything I have ever dreamt ofI worry about my mum and dad arguingI cry when my brother wrestles meI am sporty and kindI understand that Henry VIII once livedI say Jesus is the Son of GodI dream that I will become an OlympianI try hard at competitionsI hope that I get lots of presents for ChristmasI am sporty and kind

MagdaI am kind and helpfulI wonder who will come to my birthdayI hear birds rappingI see purple hamstersI want it to rain chocolateI pretend to be a pop starI feel happyI touched my neighbour’s dogI worry about nothingI cry when my mum shouts at meI am kind and helpfulI understand that I can’t get everything I wantI say that I’m beautifulI dream of being a pop starI try my best at schoolI hope that I get lots of presents for my birthday and ChristmasI am kind and helpful

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MartaI am crazy and stupidI wonder if my mum is going to work at Pizza HutI hear cow’sI see orange cow’s with black teethI want a new phone I am crazy and stupidI pretend to be a marshmallowI feel sad because my dad is not beautifulI touch myself in my heartI worry about Santa, who has a big bellyI cry when I see my sister so happyI am crazy and stupidI understand that Santa is like a SaintI say “I am beautiful”I dream that there are more shopsI try to do my homework at schoolI hope that shops don’t closeI am crazy and stupid

wiKtoriaI am crazy and kindI wonder how I am going to pass my examsI hear exclamation marks laughingI see a flying busI want a dog with sweets coming out of his headI am crazy and kindI pretend to be a singerI feel sad because I have to go to schoolI touch my friend’s dogI worry about my parentsI cry when my mum doesn’t buy me toysI am crazy and kindI understand I go to Polish schoolI say I believe in GodI dream about having a boyfriendI try hard with my handwriting at schoolI hope that there are more shopsI am crazy and kind

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dariaI am gentle and sensibleI wonder what will happen in secondary schoolI hear chairs crying (because of the people sitting on them)I see green cats flying with wheelsI want it to snow ice creamI am gentle and sensibleI pretend to clean my roomI feels sad to leave BostonI touch objects and people all around meI worry about my family in PolandI cry when my family have dangerous accidentsI am gently and sensibleI understand that I can’t have everything that I wantI say that God is truthI dream I will be a teacher and have a fantastical futureI try my best at everything I doI hope that for Christmas I get the present I really wantI am gentle and sensible

justynaI am crazy and wickedI wonder what is for dinnerI hear cows shouting loudlyI see a red dogI want adults to go to school and children to stay at homeI am crazy and wickedI pretend to be the policeI feel a dog waking me up on my bedI touch the skyI worry what present’s I’ll get for my birthdayI cry when my sister kicks meI am crazy and wickedI understand that I have to go to schoolI say that I can be beautifulI dream that things in shops are freeI try to be goodI hope that I get good presents for ChristmasI am crazy and wicked

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KarinaI am happy and smileyI wonder why I’m so happyI hear sheep singingI see dogs dancingI want to be GodI am happy and smileyI pretend to be nobodyI feel God’s touch on meI touch the sunI worry about losing myselfI cry about nothingI am happy and smileyI understand Lithuanian, Polish, Russian and EnglishI say that God is realI dream about youI try to singI hope to liveI am happy and smiley

wiKtoriaI am happy and funnyI wonder why I’m always so happyI hear cat’s singing on fencesI see dog’s waiting at the bottom of those fencesI want world peaceI am happy and funnyI pretend to be nothingI feel nothingI touch the sun, but it burnsI worry about everythingI cry about nothingI am happy and funnyI understand other languagesI say that God is realI dream about being myselfI try hard at schoolI hope that cancer can be curedI am happy and funny

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20 www.alchemyproject.eu

the alCheMy projeCtCoMMunities free froM hateThe Alchemy Project is an innovative pilot project based in Boston, Lincolnshire, and the surrounding area that is fostering a better understanding of the town’s culturally diverse community.

The Alchemy Project is about breaking down barriers and from February 2012 to March 2013 The Alchemy Project engaged with a wide cross-section of Boston’s culturally diverse communities in an attempt to unravel the myths, misunderstandings and prejudices associated with the arrival of migrants into the area.

Through a programme of creative interventions including creative writing, film making, drama, dance and music, The Alchemy Project has been encouraging confidence so people are not afraid to report crimes against them.

Devised and delivered by cultural solutions UK, The Alchemy Project has been blending an innovative programme of arts and cultural activity with a specially-devised training programme for volunteers, local authorities and community organisations, helping to encourage understanding.

The Alchemy Project is an initiative run by JUST Lincolnshire, the county’s equality and human rights organisation, with funding from the Community Development Foundation.

www.alchemyproject.eu | www.justlincolnshire.org.uk | www.culturalsolutions.co.uk