Moving yourself right across the world from one country that you have known all your life to a new country, is never going to be straight forward and easy.
We usually have the thought of moving to the UK and then we start to realise it can become a reality.
There are often feelings of excitement and then to the fear of the unknown.
Then you may reach the decision and decide that you want to move to the UK.
The first thing to find out is if you qualify either by one of the visas or if you qualify by British citizenship.
Once you have done your research on that, you can then set the ball rolling.
If you try and do too much at once, it can become daunting and stressful.
Take it step by step, and maybe write down your plans on paper, prioritising on what needs to be done first.
Feel free to post in our Facebook group with any questions you have, no matter how big or small. People will be able to support you by sharing their own experiences, which will help you to start to build up more and more knowledge based on others experiences.
During the time of preparing everything for the move, you may feel like you are on cloud nine, running on the adrenalin of the excitement and the stress of trying to get everything in place.
You will see many many posts on our Facebook group of many people praising the UK, how safe they feel, and mainly the opportunities and how everything works so well.
This is all great, but you need to be prepared for the emotional strain that you may feel once you arrive and may possibly last a good few months.
You have maybe been focusing on all the wonderful things people have mentioned about the UK, but many are not always prepared for possibly being on their own and feeling lonely, or maybe even struggling with the new culture which may be something totally new to understand.
A lot depends on the person, some are able to fit straight in and adapt to the many cultural changes, where some may take a bit longer to adapt and settle in.
Here are a few things that may help you on your journey, from when you decide to make the move until when you are starting to try and make the UK your new home.
- You have made the decision, and your mind may be be racing all over the place with excitement and feelings of anxiety as you just don’t know where to start.
- First find out if you qualify to move to the UK.
- Once you have found out you can move to the UK to live, then maybe start writing your plan of action down on paper. If you are a couple, sit down and talk between yourselves about the best possible ways to plan everything.
- At first everything will feel daunting, but if you stay calm and take things step by step, it eventually starts to come together.
- Don’t stress about small irrelevant things as this will only add more stress, just focus on the important things that you need to do.
- There are many jobs in the UK and be prepared to do anything when you arrive just to earn an income. Then later on you can focus on looking for something more suited to you.
- No one can really prepare you for the emotions you may feel when you leave, this may effect some more than others, but it something that happens to most of us. We have had all the excitement of preparing the move, and focused on all the good things we have heard about the UK, and on the day we leave the emotional aspect may hit us harder than we thought it would. (That is one of the worst parts)
- When you arrive there is still excitement and at the same time you may be tired from the flight, plus you will be trying to take it all in as you walk through the airport.
- You may have jet lag and just feel drained, so its really important to make sure you get a couple of nights good rest, and just chill for a couple of days, in order to get both your emotional and physical strength back. If you can take a week to do this, even better. Then you will be stronger both mentally and physically to start to tackle the things.
The feeling of being homesick
Many people will get that feeling, some will talk about it and some may suffer the homesick feeling in silence.
Of course there are many that are going to feel homesick, which could be compared to, when a child sleeps over at a friends house, misses home and becomes homesick.
SA is all you have ever known, the culture, the food, the people and everything else you have grown up with, and yes you gave that up to move to a new country. Which makes you ask yourselves, that even though you feel homesick for those things, you have to remember that there was a very good reason why you left and decided to make the UK your new home.
Everyone will have their own reasons, but THOSE are the reasons that made you make that decision, those are the reasons why you should focus on making your best attempt to make the UK your home.
For many the pull of SA will stay strong, and sometimes we may become negative towards the UK and look for flaws, to justify our reasons to go back.
There are people who have felt this way and returned, only to realise that actually the UK is pretty cool and have then returned. Often then embracing the UK and accepting it as home.
There will be many who feel homesick, but the trick is to try and focus on the positives of the UK, focus on the opportunities and remind yourself why you decided to move to the UK.
It could almost be compared to loving someone but not being compatible to live with them. You will always love South Africa, even if you feel its not the place for you anymore.
Yes you can think about the positives of South Africa, but if you have made the decision to leave and live in the UK then by constantly over powering your mind with thoughts of South Africa, it may only end up making you feel more homesick, and then tormenting your mind by making you feel you are being pulled in two different directions.
The sooner you can embrace that the UK is your new home, the sooner you should be able to settle.
Helpful suggestions
- Of course you are used to being around only South Africans in South Africa, but you are now in the UK, so besides trying to just mix with South Africans, try and make the effort to make friends with British people.
- Instead of being negative towards some UK foods (of course they may be new to you) focus on the positives of a whole new range of foods that you have never tried before. You may be pleasantly surprised.
- Try and focus on all the positives and push negative thoughts aside. Thinking of all the things you can do in the UK and not things you cant do.
- Join a social club, church etc to meet new friends.
- If you have spare time, or feel lonely, offer to work in a charity shop which has many benefits. You will be making new friends, learning more about the culture, gaining experience and also helping a charity at the same time.
- Go for long walks, the UK has some amazing scenery
- Yes its cold in the winter, but as we can’t change that, we may as well look for the things we can enjoy, such as being cost indoors with central heating, great tv, going for walks in the snow and looking forward to the festive season in the UK.
- No country in the world is perfect, but we can choose to make an effort to live our best lives and start to embrace and love the our country which is now our home.
Sandi
Thanks to Tracy and all the contibutors on this website which I’ve always found to be extremely helpful. Often I search for things on this site and find the answers.
I’ve been in the UK now 4 weeks and thought I’d share my experience so far. Hopefully it will help others:
1. People are so friendly here and willing to help.
2. The bus transport system works very well. Apps like Arriva and Carousel are extremely useful and save one a lot of money… your cell phone battery just mustn’t die!
3. The bank staff are generally friendly and helpful. However, to order a new card takes 5 working days and the pin arrives separately on another day. (SA you would do biometrics and get your new card/change your pin straight away.)
4. I ordered a refurbished cell phone off Backmarket and it’s working perfectly. It came within 3 days. They definitely believe in under promising and over delivering here! My Sim came from GiffGaff. Also a pleasure to arrange. Royal Mail is super efficient unlike the unreliable, snail mail SA Post Office.
5. I downloaded all the Tesco’s, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Asda, Lidl and Aldi apps. Scoring points now will help at the end of the year.
6. The weather is cold if outside but not too bad when indoors. In Cape Town I wore 5 layers in winter, here I am usually wearing 6 or 7 layers, plus gloves, beanie/hoodie and woollen/thermal socks. (It’s a bit of a pain trying not to lose my gloves.)
7. I registered my CV with all the top agencies Reed, Allen & Associate, etc, and on job platforms like Indeed, LinkedIn, Glass Door, etc, and secured a job within 2 weeks. It helps to be living here and available immediately. I also think to google the recruitment agencies in the area where you are living and make contact with them, upload your cv and check out their vacancies. Set job alerts. After registering my CV on CV-Library I even got calls for positions I hadn’t even thought about, and might have, if I had not come right in my line of work. There are plenty of opportunities here. You can also look at the transferable skills you have for other work opportunities.
8. Registering with a local doctor’s practice was easy. They arranged my NHS number which arrived within about 2 weeks.
9. Registering for my NI number was easy too and also arrived about 2 weeks later. I love the super efficiency of the government offices here!
10. I’ve started using Vinted, Ebay and Amazon. Everything arrives!
I’m sure there are some negatives, but so far I am loving it, even though it’s so cold. The good news is summer’s on its way and it’s staying lighter for longer now 
Michael
My story
I had been pondering a move to the UK for over 20 years. Life happened so everything was put on hold.
3 Years ago the thought returned. Fighting with decisions that had to be made, tinged with fear and anxiety most certainly did not help!
Eventually, in March of this year I took the plunge. After having spoken to a friend in Kent he offered me the chance to move in with him until I was on my feet. I booked my airfare, handed in my months notice still not sure where I would be led.
Faith! Hope! Courage! With all of these 2 weeks before I had arrived I had secured a job in Scotland offering live in accommodation. Blessed beyond measure! Wonderful people to work with and for. Opened my bank account on arrival, applied for my NI number at Heathrow while waiting for my bus.
Have now 3 weeks in joined a pipeband and found a church.
To those who are moving over or still in the process..byt vas! Breathe, let go and step out in faith. Be filled with courage and let go of your old life and welcome that which is new! It can be done. Be humble, work your way up and you will go far. You have this
Pam
My daughter landed just before the Brexit month and same night we applied for her settled status and fortunately for her it was easy as she holds a EU passport (late husband was Portuguese) and unfortunately for me I couldn’t as my marriage wasn’t registered in Portugal. She was given settlement within few weeks of the application.
We then started doing assignments research for me to join her. I stumbled upon this group and it gave me courage to read other people’s stories as I was about to give up. Not an easy road and lots of disappointments but this group helped so much. Lots of phone calls to the home office and emails. Everyday you find out something new but we didn’t give up.
I just want to thank everyone who shared their knowledge and experience, I’m now in the UK with my daughter. We are in Bolton farnworth. And my heart felt gratitude to Tracy and her admin
Thank You so very much
Edward and Isla
Firstly I have to say that the Facebook group South Africans in the UK and SA helping one another was a huge help in terms of getting advice and answering any questions we had and being just friendly and welcoming.
Our Journey started in 2020, we had always been thinking about coming to the UK and one day I got a call from a friend, she said its time to get our butt’s into gear, we both have access to get passports, so we should just choose a date to be here.. We decided then and there on the spot that the 3rd of October would be our arrival date and we didn’t even have our passports yet, but we made a plan, my fiancé managed to get her Italian passport within 2 weeks of applying, I was amazed, yet I had to wait about 6 months and jump through loopholes to get my British passport, baring in mind that this was all during the thick of the first covid lockdown.
Skip forward a few months after constantly looking at when we can get a flight and hoping we would arrive before Brexit kicked in, thankfully we did lol! We received a call from flight center telling us that there were flights open and she didn’t know how long they would be open for, it was a real gamble, the first available flight was in 7 days! We literally had to sell our entire lives, which I can proudly say we managed to do. We bought suitcases and vacume bags and packed and got ready.
IT WAS FINALLY OUR TURN ! we left on the 3rd of October and arrived on the 4th, just one day after our decision. We landed at Heathrow and waited patiently to get through the border and then they didn’t want to let us through because we booked 2 quarantine hotels one at Heathrow and one in Bristol, we didn’t know that was an issue, needless to say we made a plan and our quarantine started.
We were at the nicest Air bnb right on harbourside in Bristol City centre overlooking the water, seeing buskers in the square, it was amazing! Once we were able to step foot out of the door it was an absolute culture shock to us, buses with Wi-Fi and charging station’s?! People walking around with their cellphones in hand with not a worry in the world, self checkout shops… Hahaha we were absolutely clueless, no idea how it worked, it also felt so weird to be in a place where we had gone a full week without load shedding also, we didn’t come over here with job’s we decided we’d come over and wing it, and we did and its absolutely amazing how quickly it all came together, another crazy thing was experiencing having to pump my own petrol for the first time after parking at the pump and waiting for someone to fill me up, I was told over the intercom to get out my car and put petrol in or leave, I was so embarrassed.
We we also really amazed by experiencing how decent people can be, my fiancé dropped a coat of hers on the way to work and was so worried about it, after she had jumped off the bus on her way back home, there it was hanging on a wall waiting for her to take back. This was not normal for us to experience.
At first we stayed in a house share which was fully furnished but eventually had to move into a place of our own and we then had nothing, we managed to furnish our entire house and only spent about £100… I mean who knew people just gave stuff away here for free as long as you collect? It was awesome! We went treasure hunting lol, we got couches and a TV and tables and all sorts for a house within a few days. Every day we are still learning new things, still getting used to how the roads work, and the odd things people say. but being here in the UK is an experience unlike any other, and moving here is the best decision we had ever made and I feel blessed to be in a place where we don’t have to worry about safety, where there is safety, job security and things like health care are a decent standard.
I could go on and on about all the experiences we’ve had but we’d be here forever, thanks for reading and good luck on your journey to the UK, don’t give up and just keep pushing.
Nancy
I decided to start my NMC registration after my husband got a job in Ireland 2018.
The NMC exams like IELTS, CBT were the biggest challenges I’ve ever faced ( repeated IELTS 3 times) as I was not getting the NMC required score which is 7 in all the categories. I believe I’m the popular customer at the British council due to the repeats I’ve done on my IELTS.
When I finally changed the English exam and wrote OET I was successful, but guess what?… Covid 19 happened, SA got red listed and had to wait another year. My CBT expired and had to redo it again!
Fortunately this one was purely a nursing exam and I conquered it before and again the second time.
The recruiting company told me they don’t recruit anymore from SA
I had to look for another employer.
NMC finally sent me a decision letter inviting me to cross over to the UK for the practical exam OSCE… the best part of my story
My daughter landed just before the Brexit month and same night we applied for her settled status and fortunately for her it was easy as she holds a EU passport (late husband was Portuguese) and unfortunately for me I couldn’t as my marriage wasn’t registered in Portugal. She was given settlement within few weeks of the application.
We then started doing assignments research for me to join her. I stumbled upon this group and it gave me courage to read other people’s stories as I was about to give up. Not an easy road and lots of disappointments but this group helped so much. Lots of phone calls to the home office and emails.
Everyday you find out something new but we didn’t give up.
I just want to thank everyone who shared their knowledge and experience, I’m now in the UK with my daughter. We are in Bolton farnworth. And my heart felt gratitude to Tracy and her admin
Thank You so very much
The Peter Family
Our Turn!
so today we landed in the UK. The place we get to call home going forward. I just wanted to share our experience with you.
2.5months ago we decided to look into leaving SA.
A week later we both had job offers and the rest is all a blur. It has been a whirlwind of a crazy time trying to pack up our lives and start afresh. But man are we grateful that we have had endless confirmation that we are making the correct decision.
Our flight on Qatar Airways was amazing and would highly recommend the airline. And from the moment we landed it took 1.5hours to clear passport control, collect our luggage and get on the bus for our hotel quarantine. We feel like we won the lottery with that one too.
We get to quarantine in a luxurious room with a river view. We can do ten nights here quite easily. So far our experience has been very pleasant and everyone has been super friendly and welcoming. I look forward to our new start.
Thank you to all on the group for all your guidance and help to make this journey a bit smoother.
More Experiences
Trish
Ok kind of a long post .. sorry but if you looking for an honest story ..here it is!
So we made our decision to emigrate in November 2019. My hubby was shot in a drive by shooting on the highway coming home from work one night a few months before this. His car was hit 22 times and he was shot 3 times. How he survived is a complete miracle. It was till not an easy decision to leave, a no brainer logically right? but your heart doesn’t quite feel the same way.
Faced with all the questions you ask yourself at that stage … How do I give up my maid (yes this was priority lol)? leave my family and friends? How do I give up our home? Our kids schools our beautiful country all this to walk around in the grey miserable rainy weather on the mud island??! well this for us was definitely the hardest part of the whole process.
The gut wrenching grieving you go through as you decide to embark on this journey and effectively massacre our entire current life and everything we have built!! It’s so messy and heart breaking. I still have flashbacks to the day my little 5 year old found out he couldn’t put his hammies in the move cube, I had to explain they would be biltong if we actually did.. well the two of us curled up on the bed in the fetal position crying big BIG ugly tears.. I do think the key thing that got us through this part was to change our perception .. think of it as a complete adventure, not as an end but as a beginning. Who wants to stay in one place forever?? Let’s go on an adventure, show our kids a new world, new culture and with Europe a hop away what incredible adventures we will have!! Just get on a short (affordable) flight and you are in Spain for the weekend – yes please!
We applied for my hubby’s ancestral visas with myself and the 2 kids as dependents in February 2020 after we FINALLY managed to sell our house (took 3 month’s.. but felt like a lifetime!). We decided we would not put in our application until we had sold our house .. so calculating timings of everything was just a nightmare. My daughter is my husband’s step daughter and we had to prove sole responsibility, which was messy and so so stressful. Our application was 470 pages long and if you have to do a sole responsibility case I would definitely recommend Breytenbachs they were absolutely phenomenal! (We contacted Sable too and they said they would not even take our case how’s that to take the wind out your sails) If you do not have a complicated application I would definitely recommend save the moola and you do it on your own. This group is phenomenal with support and I know many who did a straightforward application without the additional cost of assistance! You got this!(if you need help with sole responsibility case inbox me)
We got our eagerly awaited ‘yes’ in Feb this year. It took just 7 working days for us to get our passports back from Durban TLS thank the pope, couldn’t believe how fast it was .. however even though it was quick the wait was super excruciating. Best to try to keep yourself very busy during his period. And guys please don’t book your flights and cancel your medical aid before you get this back haha for real though, I have seen people do this and end up in a jam! *Another tip don’t get your TB chest X-ray done until right before you submit your application as it’s only valid for 6 months. Also make sure you book your chest x-ray at least 3 weeks in advance as they are super busy yal! (Don’t say I didn’t warn you).
Finally! flights are booked for the 9th May and we have 6 weeks of farewells & a week away to the beach with friends, our ‘last splashy fen’, a best friends wedding and many, many other glorious fun things to look forward to before we fly…
Packing up the house and selling everything was not fun at all.. can’t even begin to fathom how much shit we accumulated I honestly am still scared from this experience (no really). My eyeball still twitches when I hear a Facebook messenger ping! No word of lie! The amount of wine consumed during this period will go unmentioned..
Packed up the few of our belongings we deemed important enough to make the move cube and sighed a huge sigh of relief as we finally sent it off (again lots of wine and incense). Guys I personally highly recommend taking a move cube. I can’t describe the happiness and joy brought to our whole family to get some of our familiar loved possessions on the other side. It was like Christmas receiving all the months of corenza c I had stocked up like a squirrel haha we now have enough for a lifetime supply
I was thrilled to have practical things like a tin opener and our good cutlery, good bedding and my le Creuset kitchen goodies. I don’t care how much money you have, buying all that shit from scratch when you have perfectly good quality stuff already is just a waste. And it only cost 29k for a large move cube we even brought our mattresses. Just remember that when you get here kitchens are smaller!! No really)
So all packed up and ready to go ..we hand our keys of our house over to the new owners and we head to my hubby’s folks for our 6 weeks of celebrations … And enter covid-19.
flights cancelled. All plans for farewells cancelled. Beach cancelled. Splashy fen cancelled. Commence being homeless, living out of suitcases with my amazing inlaws who so kindly let us do lock down with them, home schooling the kids, with no wine (I ask you with tears in my eyes) and no exercise lol .. skip forward to 6 months later (and a lot of wine -we know a guy ) and we are FINALLY able to get on a repat flight.
We arrive on the other side and have to quarantine for 2 weeks. So much to do on this side that the two weeks actually gives you a bit of time to get through some of it.
This is not for sissies! Wow this incredible, testing and exciting journey which we are still on just… No one can even comprehend what it’s like and will test you in way you can’t imagine.
From extreme excitement to big ugly crying a few times in one day and that was just while we were trying to decide “this is the time”. To the feeling of alienation when talking about your decision to friends. They love you and tell you it’s for the best, you are making the right move but the sad feeling of not being around everyone who is carrying on with life as usual.
Hours of reading Facebook posts going down the rabbit hole late at night getting sucked into all the research in the world, hemorrhaging money and all while trying to maintain your normal day to day lives. It’s exhausting!! some days even excruciating but man oh man … Is it so worth it!
I do NOT miss that feeling when everyone is posting it’s my turn pic’s on the Facebook group and you have all the fomo in the world.. when will it be our turn? Take a deep breath, focus on the time you have left with loved ones. It will happen before you know it!
A few things from our experience;
Traffic lights warn you orange before you stop and before you go which is so cool
Turning off a main road from the fast lane – this just feels super weird
Skinny roads, lordit I have nearly died from heart failure in a few hair raising sections!! It takes some getting used to. I’m also getting used to all the traffic circles, heavens above there are circles for days …
People are so polite and so friendly, I have felt a very genuine interest in our lives and our story.
My 15 year old was asked for ID buying a monster at Tesco’s ? I was asked for ID buying wine at Waitrose because my daughter was with me
Things happen slowly here for some reason getting our internet took over a week and we payed a priority fee to cut the cue as we needed it asap for work
We still don’t have our BRP cards even though we have been here nearly 8weeks! Yet another thing delayed by Covid 19!
THE SHOPPING! oh my word the amount of shopping and affordable things! It is a whole world of the most exciting treats!
Getting the kids into schools has also been a little bit of a story, there was no rush to get my daughter started even though she has to jam 2 years into 1 (gcse’s year 11). The kids schools however are just immaculate. And I just can’t believe they are free!! We haven’t even needed to buy stationary how amazing! Pinch me
My kids have settled really really well like REALLY well. Within 2 days at her new school my daughter had made friends that she walks to and from school with already!! 20 minute walk. It’s hard to let go of the initial fear.. the inner voice that screams “God no! Are you crazy? You can’t WALK to school!!”
But how amazing that they have the freedom here.. we all do! So freeing to not live in terror of something happening and looking over your shoulder all the time. Living in the constant fear you actually do not realise how bad it was until you get here and you are not in that state anymore.
The postman coming right up to your door .. crazy
The cost of groceries – too cool! Loving it
The weather has actually been rather pleasant and so far definitely way better than I imagined it would be .. I am scared of winter though
The cost of rental and houses over here – not cool at all, not loving that haha especially not earning proper pounds yet don’t know about the rest of England.. but finding a rental in Bristol was so sooooo stressful. My advice is sign up to instant notifications and message or call them the moment a new place comes up. Take a deep breath- you got this!!
The cost of cars – oh my soul this is such a treat! Honestly getting a purebred dog over here costs more than our first car did – no word of lie!
It is super expensive actually getting here .. I did our budget the other day and worked out that the cost was R370,000 for our family of 4 just to get here. Bear in mind this included buying flights twice, having to ship a few extra boxes and 2 months storage (in £) for our move cube which was all due to lock down and covid-19. Anyone keen for the breakdown inbox me
Guys it is all so worth it from our experience!! It has been a huge test on our marriage, our friendships, our kids and we have learnt so much about ourselves and each other and we have learnt that we are so much more resilient that we ever thought humanly possible. But the hard part is behind us now .. besides the home sickness which has not for us set in properly yet – not looking forward to that punch in the gut! But the rest of it is just all amazing!! And I would do it all again in a heartbeat.
Be kind to yourself, you are doing the best you can and EVERYONE’S journey is completely different. Please don’t be discouraged by the couple that lived in London and hated life and went back to SA or by the family that makes it look so easy (Facebook is a lie -just saying) it’s hard it’s messy but you got this!! And I wish we had done it sooner.
Dean
My wife and I resided in KZN ” Hillcrest “, after our third house break-in, we decide it was time to make the move, we had all the security measures in place, alarm system and armed response and still felt unsafe and sleepless nights, so we started our immigration process, fortunately, my mom is in London and she was amazing and funded our new adventure. I said to my wife, we not going to go until I get a job secured and I wanted us to be in Scotland, as it’s God’s promised land. So after months of searching on indeed and Linkedin, I finally secured an interview and after a few more of them, I won the CEO over and he then offered me a job.
Then the hunt was on to get the correct paperwork and once we got that, we searched for an immigration lawyer, as I wasn’t going to take a risk and get declined as my wife has no British ties. We did the lengthy process and then our visas got accepted, we paid all the visa and NHS requirements that were needed.
We were due to fly in April but then the unexpected covid19 came and everything got cancelled, our tickets and our future. Both I and my wife resigned from our jobs at the start of March to fly on April 5th. We were living on the edge but thankfully we have had a lot of support. My employment was thankfully still secured and our new home still in place – we have finally been in Scotland now since August and what a journey it has been, but loving every moment of it
Just a word of encouragement- if you feel immigration is overwhelming, it is, but get the support around you and get it done and start your new lifes.
Best of luck
Dean
Linda
After 19 years in the UK, I can only offer a few tips to those contemplating coming here. For me this was most important, although we all speak English, there are cultural differences. Please come with an open mind and accept the differences.
There are so many charity shops where you will get incredible bargains, especially coats, with winter on its way. Look for websites that are giving furniture, etc, away for free! Lots of them. Good second-hand cars too. In the UK, cars have to be roadworthy every year, called MoT, so you can pick up a good reliable car that is cheap compared to SA. I believe you have to live in the UK for at least six months before you can purchase a house (I stand corrected here but that was the situation when we arrived in 2001) so you may have to rent first. Everything works here too! The greatest discovery for me was NO bank charges for depositing money, withdrawing money (although a few ATMs do charge), free checkbooks and no charge for using them, and no charge for direct debits or stop orders and no monthly charge for having a bank account. As for the NHS, well that is just absolutely the best. I hope this helps a little. Please don’t wait, make the move as soon as possible. We absolutely love it here, NO regrets whatsoever.
Kagiso
I came to the UK, 11years ago…. I arrived in Feb 2010 and first thing that hit me, fresh off the plane was the COLDD, I arrived in Gatwick Airport and had no clue where to go as a friend of mine was waiting for me in Victoria Station, so I had to navigate myself around the airport and it was a Major disaster!!!!!
First I left my bags unattended because I had to find map or some sort of direction, well that triggered a major security alert!!!! Men in police uniform and bomb squad gathered around my bags, I was oblivious to it all until someone alerted me…. well I nearly fainted!!!! There I was obvithinking im still at home where I can just casually leave my things unattended and it be OK…. well clearly not in the uk(lol)
After being cautioned, I now had to find my way with heavy luggage in tow, clearly struggling and at this point nearly in tears as I didn’t know what I was doing, and my efforts not bearing any fruits for the mere fact that Gatwick Airport is not as clear cut as other airport. A very kind gentleman came to my rescue, he took his time helping me asking for direction, and helping push my heavy trolley. He was an American missionary, and told me that his flight was cancelled, and he himself was looking for somewhere to crash for the night, the kind gentleman said he was travelling to Ghana 🇬🇭 on a Christian missionary trip.
We finally found the train to Victoria and like the father he was, he helped me into in the train and waved me off and that was the last time I ever saw him, he gave me his business card, I’ve tried over the years to find this man, and thank him all over again for what he did for me but to no avail. To this day I remember with kindness and generosity towards assisting me with a profound heart , I knew of guardian angels but on that day, I truly believe he was my guardian angel. Had I not met him, I don’t know if I could ever have made out of Gatwick with the smile I had on my face and that a FACT.
To Paul, wherever you are Sir, and if you happen to read this, THANK YOU…I am now, because of you – 11years later May God bless you and keep you. The world we live in is a better place with people like you in it. Thank you
Kagiso
If you would like to add your unique story to this page, please email us at info@sa2uk.co.uk.
