Jingle

Sirazul: We are Stand and Be Counted Theatre, the UK’s first Theatre Company of Sanctuary. Listen out for our Soap Box Collective who have created a warm welcome for you on board.  Soap Box Collective are new friends from all over the world who now call Bradford home. The Railway Children is a story of finding your feet in a new place and how we welcome people. Welcome! (and Welcome in Rohingya).

Blessing: Welcome! (in different languages)

Renzhu: Settle in

Addoul: Make yourselves comfortable.

KU: We are excited to accompany you to the Railway Children!

Renzhu: Are you excited?

KU: Consider us your travel buddies.

Renzhu: Your new best friends.

KU: We come from all over the world,

Renzhu: And now Bradford is our home.

KU: A city of peace and sanctuary.

Renzhu: We can’t wait to go

KU: on this journey together with you.

Fawzi: Hello!

Welcome on the train!

Bala: Vanakam! Welcome on the train! (in Tamil)

Fawzi: How are you?

How is your health?

Is your family well?

Blessing: We welcome you with a wave and a warm smile.

Khidir: I give you a fist bump, wave, high five, hug when you are a close friend.

Blessing: I gaze into your eyes and shake your hands.

Fawzi: I am now holding your hand.

Sophie: I am shaking your hands.

Fawizi: I am now hugging you.
I am kissing you—one cheek, then the other.

Sophie: We kiss three times, one cheek, the other and then the other again.

Bala: In Tamil, we don’t touch. But to greet you, I put my hands together, palm to palm, in front of my chest, bow my head and say—

Varavēṟkiṟēṉ (Welcome in Tamil)

Fawzi: I am doing all of this to show you that I respect you.

All: Welcome! (in different languages)

Sophie: Look out of the window, take a deep breath.

Mohammed: If I see you in the morning, I say—
I think this is the first moment I have seen the moon during the day!

KU: I always greet people with a big smile,
to make them feel comfortable—
and part of the family too.

Mohammed: I think this is the first moment I have seen two suns,
one in the sky and one on the earth, right in front of me.

Chime

How would you welcome us? (in English and in different languages)

How would you welcome me in your home, in your life? (in English and in different languages)

Jingle

Blessing: Hi, dearest friend! You are warmly welcome in my house. (in English and in different languages)

Blessing: Today I’m going to serve you these—freshly baked from the oven.
I used self-raising flour with sugar, salt, butter, milk which is dairy-free.
Hence it is cold outside and raining, I am making you also a Yorkshire tea, which I think you will enjoy. I boiled water in a small new pot, with new cups and teaspoons. The cloth you see on the table is also new from Leeds Kirkgate Market—guess where it was imported? From Morocco! Hope you enjoy!

Fawzi: One hour after food, we will drink tea, coffee, fruits, sweets and cake. They will be served on a tray, with a glass of water for everyone.

Bala: When you come to my home, I make you my favourite—Chicken Biriyani! (in Tamil and then English)

Mohammed: How would you welcome me? In your home? In your life? (in English and in different languages)

Chime

Don’t forget to look out of the window (in English and in different languages).

Jingle

KU: I welcome you to my table,
to taste the most pleasant and typical food—
a mixture of sweetness and salty—
to bring back good memories of a traditional family,
involving it with lots of love.

When we serve it to you,
we hope you can experience it with us as a family member—
and never forget it.

Blessing: When a visitor comes to visit us, my mum will take out new plates, cutlery, tea towels from the cupboards and we clean the whole house.
I wake up early and sweep the yard.
Days before, we wash our clothes and dye our hair if needed.
We do all of this to welcome you into our house.

Blessing: What makes you feel at home? (in English and in different languages)

Fawzi: We make Arabic coffee on the coals.
Light the coals.
Boil the water on the fire.
Then add the coffee to the pot—
sometimes milk and cardamom.
Let it boil.

Marouk: I make you a tea or a coffee.

In Farsi, we have a saying—
Let me get rid of your tiredness (in Farsi)

Fawzi: Coffee is ready!
Pour into a small cup.
Add sugar if you like.
Drink!
Sometimes, with a small chocolate.
Then sleep!

Mohammed: (at the night)
This is the first moment I have seen the sun in the night!

We use the stars, the sun and the moon to compare to our loved ones.
Because we cannot complete our lives without them,
so we cannot live without each other.

Can you see the sun? The moon? The stars?

Mussab:  Look out of the window! (in English and in Urdu)

Mahrokh: How would you welcome me?

Mohammed: I haven’t seen the stars in a long time.

Chime

What is your favourite moment of this journey? (in English and in different languages)

Jingle

KU: At this moment of time, I am listening to music on the train. I have a flashback of some good memories of meeting my friends, people that I met once or twice and close relatives and family.

Mussab: You are welcome! (in English and Urdu)

The thing I miss the most from my country is the way we welcome people, friends and family!

Noor: We say in Rohingya,
“See you again” rather than “Goodbye”—
because once you visit our home,
you are no longer a guest…
but part of the family.

Addoul: How would you welcome me in your home? In your life? (in English and different languages)

All: Welcome! (in different languages)