I came over to Bangor when I was 22. My father was already established over here as a market trader and decided he didn't want to go back, but wanted his family to come over.

I was a teacher for a year in Pakistan. When I came over I tried to do a few O'levels but found them quite difficult and then I had my two boys, who are now teenagers.

I worked in Pringles in Llanfairpwll for 11 years, but I began to feel I was in the wrong job. I'd been a teacher before and wanted to do that again. So I decided to restart my education. I did an access course and now I'm on the final year of my Bachelor of Education degree at Bangor University.

College is quite challenging, but the teachers are very supportive. I sometimes feel a bit old with all the young students on my course, but I'm really enjoying it. As a mother I have to juggle my time, but when I get a reward like good marks I'm encouraged to go on.

Through university, I became involved with the Umeed project and I'm now treasurer. I had the opportunity to go out to Pakistan in August 2006 to do a story sack project. It's a method of introducing pre-school children to reading, with help from their parents, grandparents and siblings.

Forty girls came to Lahore from different provinces of Pakistan. Most of them hadn't ever left their communities, which were in quite traditional areas. They were embroidery teachers, thanks to another part of the Umeed project, and they treated it as a great social event, meeting other women from different areas.

The model book we used was the Rainbow Fish, which introduced the girls to large print books with pictures for young children. We made flash cards with pictures on them, and then some cards with adjectives to describe those pictures and played the game of matching them up. I explained that this is a great way of checking children's memory and helping them learn.

This approach to education is very new to them and I think they really enjoyed it. The idea is that in the future, they will do these activities using their own traditional stories.

I also help Umeed with selling the embroidered goods the women in Pakistan have begun to make. As an Asian woman, I know what sorts of designs they like to create and what people might like here. We've had a few fashion shows and fund-raising events and they've been really successful. There's also a Fair Trade shop in Conwy selling their creations - tunics (which you can wear over trousers), scarves, shawls, toiletry bags, all embroidered with beautiful stitching, sequins, beads and little mirrors.

I love living in Wales. It's very peaceful compared to big cities like Manchester, and the facilities here are far better than in Pakistan.

But I did very much enjoy going back to Pakistan with Umeed -except for the very hot weather - and I'd like to go back again, perhaps during the summer or Christmas holidays to do a week's teaching over there. The girls on this trip were so welcoming, it was very touching really.

Find out more about the Umeed project.