“I had no idea that I would end up in Hong Kong; I just had to leave my country. I don’t want to talk about what happened back then and why, but for my own security I cannot be pictured. When I arrived in Hong Kong 5 years ago, I didn’t know a single person here; I had no idea where to go or who to speak to. For 6 months I had nowhere to sleep, so sometimes I would go sleep at a McDonald’s or at a shelter. I don’t know what I did during that time, I don’t really want to remember. Months later, the Centre for Refugees and International Social Service helped me to find a room to stay in. And then they connected me with RunHK, which started off as a small running and hiking group for asylum seekers. These gatherings gave me the opportunity to experience nature and to meet people, and to finally be reminded to enjoy life. That was the first time I felt a sense of connection and belonging in Hong Kong.”

“Many of us don’t have proper kitchens, so we come into the centre to cook our home dishes. I miss my home food a lot. I even contributed my country’s recipe to the RunHK cookbook - chicken stew with plantain. It’s hard to find plantains in Hong Kong, but you can use small bananas instead. RunHK has now grown so much - each week we have sporting activities like yoga, swimming, running...we also have study days where we learn English, IT and other subjects. In my free time, I like to listen to black American music and music from Cameroon, like Grace Decca. As asylum seekers we are often made to feel like beggars - because we have nothing. We would regularly be subject to random police searches when we are out and about. Of course there is racism as well, even though mostly it is simply ignorance. We live constantly in worry and fear that we would be deported back to the country that we fled. But at RunHK, I feel safe. The team here treats us with full and complete respect and value us as human beings - RunHK is my haven and my home in Hong Kong.”

「我冇諗過最後我會嚟咗香港，我當時只係有需要離開我嘅國家。我唔想解釋背後發生咗咩事同埋點解，為安全起見我唔可以上鏡。當我五年前嚟到香港，我一個人都唔識，完全唔知要去邊度或者搵邊個。有六個月我係冇地方瞓，所以有時我會搵間麥當勞或者收容中心過夜。我唔知自己嗰陣時做緊咩，我都唔係好想記起。過咗好幾個月，難民服務中心同埋香港國際社會服務社幫我搵到間房去住。佢哋仲介紹咗 RunHK 俾我，一開始係一個為尋求庇護者而設嘅跑步行山群組。佢哋嘅活動令我有機會去接觸大自然同埋識多啲人，亦令我終於記得要享受生命。嗰時係我第一次對香港有感情同埋有歸屬感。」

「我哋好多人住嗰度都冇廚房，所以我哋會嚟中心呢度煮家鄉菜。我好掛住我國家啲食物。我仲將我家鄉嘅食譜俾咗RunHK出書，嗰道菜叫芭蕉煲雞。芭蕉喺香港好難搵，所以用細蕉都得。RunHK 而家個規模大咗好多，每個星期我哋都有運動聚會，譬如瑜珈、游水、跑步……我哋都會有得學嘢，學英文、電腦同埋其他科。冇嘢做嗰陣，我鍾意聽美國黑人音樂同埋西非嘅音樂，好似係 Grace Decca 咁。好多時，尋求庇護者呢個身份會令我哋覺得自己好似乞丐，因為我哋乜都冇。我哋出街周不時會俾警察搜身。當然呢度都會有種族歧視，雖然絕大部份係因為啲人嘅無知。我哋長期都好擔心, 好怕自己會被驅逐出境送返去我哋原本逃離嘅國家。但喺 RunHK，我覺得好有安全感。呢度嘅人會完全尊重我哋，當我哋係普通人咁欣賞我哋, RunHK 係我喺香港嘅避風港同埋屋企。」