A Birthday at the Aquarium

Last July, she took her son to the aquarium for his first birthday.

It was meant to be a special day. After the aquarium, she tried the zoo too. Hoping to create a memory, something joyful to mark the occasion. But her son slept through most of it. “He was sleeping all the way,” she says, with a small smile. “I was the one enjoying the animals.”

There were no relatives, no celebration, no gathering of family. Just the two of them moving quietly through spaces designed for children.

“It was just me and my son.”

That moment, simple as it was, reflects much of her life now: love, responsibility, and a kind of quiet loneliness that often comes with starting over in a new country.

Growing Up Without Much, But With Dreams

She grew up in Uganda as the eldest of six children, raised by a single mother. Life at home was not easy. Her mother worked hard to provide, sometimes earning money through small-scale work selling chickens. There was little space for anything beyond survival. “That’s Life. That was my life.”

“There were many responsibilities,” she explains.“ and as a result there was no time for closeness either with herself or with her mother.” As a child, she had dreams. She wanted to become a writer. For a while, she also imagined becoming a model. But those dreams slowly slipped away.

“I didn’t finish my studies,” she says. “And I didn’t have anyone to help me.”

Without support or guidance, it became difficult to imagine a path forward. Still, one thing remained constant: her openness. She describes herself as someone who is naturally warm and welcoming.

“I’m a happy person,” she says. “I’m very open.”

Leaving Home

Her journey out of Uganda began with uncertainty. After working in her uncle’s clothing shop, the business closed. Suddenly she was at home without work, unsure of what would come next. Then an opportunity appeared: a job in Poland, in a meat production factory. It wasn’t something she had ever imagined doing. But it was something.

“I was just home doing nothing,” she says. “So I went for it.” Within two months, she was on a plane leaving Uganda for the first time. She remembers that journey clearly. But not in the way one might expect. “I wasn’t thinking about where I was going,” she says. “I was thinking about where I was coming from.” She thought about her family. About when she might see them again.

Learning a New World

Arriving in Poland brought experiences she had never imagined. The work itself was demanding with long shifts, physical labor and unfamiliar routines. As she recount her life in Poland she smiles and tells me that she “approached it with curiosity and energy.” this is because “I like to be active” and “So it was interesting for me.”

Outside of work, however, things felt different in a deeper way. Some people she encountered had never seen someone with her skin colour before. “They would come and touch my skin,” she says. “Some were excited. Others were afraid.” It was disorienting, unexpected. But there were also moments of kindness.

One day, during a long shift, she hadn’t eaten. The food was unfamiliar, and she didn’t know what to choose and so she went back to work hungry. However a supervisor had noticed. “She took me to the cafeteria and bought me a snack,” she says. They didn’t share a common language, but the gesture was clear.

“That was the sweetest thing.”

Starting Again

After about a year and a half in Poland, she moved again this time with a partner to start a new life. Eventually, they arrived in the Netherlands. But things didn’t go as planned. The relationship ended, leaving her to navigate life on her own. Not long after, she became a mother and that changed everything.

“Before, I was just me,” she says. “Now I think I’m a better person.” Motherhood has brought responsibility, but also clarity as her new life is centered around her son.

She spends her days caring for him, taking him outside when the weather allows, and creating small routines that build structure to their lives. “Anything to make this life as normal as normal” that’s despite living in secured share temporary accommodation.

At times, it can feel isolating.

Celebrations are quiet. Support systems are limited. Friendships are harder to build. But she continues. She has also found a sense of connection through a small church community, where she feels a kind of belonging. A belonging which has been missing for a long time.

When she speaks about the future, her focus is clear. She wants her son to have opportunities she never had. “If you don’t have the opportunity of trying things,” she says, “you may not be able to find who you truly are.” She imagines him trying sports, music, different activities and like the majority of. dutch children, allowing him to discover his talents freely.

Her own dreams are still there, too, though quieter. She talks about modelling, something strangers often encourage her to pursue. She enjoys photography and hopes to own a camera someday. And there is one more thing she hopes for. “I’ve never had a birthday party in my entire life,” she says. When she turns 30, she wants to change that. Not something big. Just a moment to celebrate, surrounded by people, with music and food and joy.

A small celebration, perhaps.

But for her, it would mean everything.