My family immigrated to the UK from Poland when I was six. I’m 20 now, speak much better English than Polish and feel like this is my land/culture. However I have a Polish first and last name, Polish passport and “unique” accent everyone picks up on, so despite this I’m usually perceived as an outsider. It makes me really sad because I don’t “belong” in Poland anymore either. Everything seems so complicated especially as I’ve gotten older with having to get the right documentation for work and opening a bank account and etc also… Not even sure if I can vote in the next general election even though I feel like I should be able to?
I’ve had a few nasty instances of being told to go back to my own country, even had a conker thrown at my head while a boy yelled Polski at me in year 11, and tbh even just been seen as a novelty and being asked to say something in Polish has gotten really old. I guess I’m just wondering if I’ll ever truly fit in. For some context, I grew up in North England and now live in Wales
British people are few and far between in London? Ok then.
Compared to the rest of the country in the ethnic-cultural sense? Yeah absolutely.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_London
London is 36.8% White British
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester
For comparison a major metropolitan area like the city of Manchester is 59.3% White British
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brighton_and_Hove#
Brighton is 80.5% White British
Furthermore in London, 40.7% of people are born in another country, and 56.8% of people are born to a foreign-born mother. This is of course including those who identify as White British on the census.
That’s what makes London so different from the rest of the country imo, and a way better place to be as a young person who doesn’t feel like they belong elsewhere.
Bloody expensive though
Yee, 's why I left.