From Khartoum to Cardiff: Siddig’s Story 

Before coming to Wales, I was living in Sudan, focused on my studies and thinking about the future, like many young people do. Around 2016 and 2017, life felt full of possibility, even though uncertainty was always there. By 2019, it became clear that the situation in Sudan was not going to improve. Stability felt out of reach, and staying no longer felt safe. 

In January 2020, I arrived in the UK, just before the COVID pandemic changed the world. I did not come entirely alone. My mother had arrived earlier, in 2018. She laid the groundwork, and eventually she was able to bring my sister and me to join her. It was more than a move. It was a reunion, and the beginning of something more secure. 

We settled in Wales, and from the very beginning, something felt right. I had never lived anywhere else in the UK, but Wales immediately felt kind. People were warm and welcoming in a quiet, genuine way. There was a sense of ease and humanity that I had not experienced before, and it stayed with me. 

My mother has been a huge inspiration. She started again from nothing, trained as a mental health nurse, and is now about to graduate from the University of South Wales. She did not just bring us to safety, she showed us how to rebuild. Watching her succeed gave me the confidence to build my own path. 

For my undergraduate studies, I moved to Hull. Adjusting there was harder, especially because of the accent. In Sudan, we did not practise English much, so the early days in the UK were challenging. Over time, though, I adapted, as we all did. 

One of the things that reminds me most of Sudan in Wales is not the food or the weather, but the language. Hearing Welsh spoken around me and seeing signs in Cymraeg takes me back to Sudan’s many dialects. Some Welsh words even remind me of Nubian, a language from northern Sudan. It is not the same, but it feels familiar enough to stir memories. 

Finding the Sudanese community here also helped. At first, we did not know many people, but gradually we connected. That sense of shared culture and understanding made a big difference. Even far from home, pieces of it were still close by. 

I miss Sudan deeply. I miss my friends, our old house, and my extended family. Many of them were displaced by the war, some to Egypt, others still in Sudan. I stay in touch when I can. It is hard watching from afar as the world moves on. 

Now, I am studying for a Master’s in Data Science. I live in Cardiff and travel to Bristol for my studies. My education has taken me across different places, from South Wales to Hull and now Bristol, and I have learned something from each stage. 

When people ask me about the future, my answer is simple. I want security and peace of mind for myself and my family. I would love to stay in Wales. Cardiff feels full of opportunity, and if my future is here, I am ready for it. 

I know how fortunate I am. Many people from Sudan faced far more difficult journeys than mine. That gratitude keeps me grounded. Wales has become my second home, and in many ways, it feels like home in every sense. 

It is the place that welcomed me.