Debra Maruziva

Born in London to Zimbabean parents, Debra moved to MK in 2004 to join her parents, to escape the high costs of living and working in London.  She knew that MK was different, with lovely lakes and parks, and she had good memories from visiting family there. She describes her ‘idyllic childhood’ in Zimbabwe, from the age of 3 to 21. She sees herself as Zimbabwean but recalls a sense of isolation from the native community and language there, and opportunities for education were lacking. So she moved to the UK, for education in art in London. However, she was only able to find basic jobs after qualification. In MK Debra has had more opportunity to meet with other Zimbabweans and there have been plenty of parties and family gatherings. Working now as a Mental Health Nurse in the community, she comments that her colleagues come from a wide range of different nationalities; Debra really appreciates being able to work and live in a mixed culture together. She also talks about Zimbabwean foods and the language Shona, which she was not allowed to speak as a child.

Nowadays for entertainment in the summer, Debra likes to spend time in the parks and wants to begin to paint again. Otherwise, she goes out to dinner and to the cinema, but her job leaves her needing time to chill out: ‘I love my job and I enjoy helping people but some of the cases that I do tend to deal with are quite intense’. She lives in Medbourse, which she enjoys very much, because it is peaceful with open space nearby. The main changes she has seen in MK are the many new housing developments; also increasing numbers of restaurants in District Centres like Kingston. She sees expansion as good, but notes the need for the facilities to be developed to support the new residents. She enjoys the fact that people in MK are ‘new’ and friendly, and it feels like a safe place to be. For the future, she hopes there will be more new things introduced for the better.