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.  Ayesha Khanom
Ayesha name  means ‘alive’ and she was called this because it was a traumatic delivery for her mother.  She was born in 1982 in Aylesbury. Ayesha’s father arrived in London in 1964 and started work as a chef. After seven years he decided to move to Milton Keynes because close family and friends were finding work in Bletchley at the time. Ayesha’s father got a job in a factory and still works there today.
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Ayesha loves Milton Keynes, she is thankful for the opportunities for education and work and how it is constantly growing. She likes the fact it is clean and tidy and that people are friendly. She likes that it is so diverse, with different religions and cultures. Ayesha’s favourite place is the Peace Pagoda because of how beautiful and tranquil it is. Ayesha started her career in Milton Keynes Council and had the opportunity of seeing how different departments operate. Ayesha is a part of the Islamic Culture for Arts and Heritage. Its aim is to build bridges in different communities with different religions and promote diversity. Ayesha wishes the public transport was better and thinks a tram system would be a good idea. Ayesha thinks Milton Keynes has a bright future and thinks she will settle here with her children. That being said, she also considers Bangladesh her home.   Her family has land out there, as she is aware she might have to move there if she is no longer welcomed here. She is happy to visit Bangladesh for a couple of months, but does not want to live there permanently as the way of life is very different. Ayesha feels as though she is from both the UK and Bangladesh because she has been brought up with values from both cultures. The food, language, culture and celebrations from both countries are all important to her.

This project is  an MKIAC project,  in partnership with Living Archive MK