I am a refugee: How 3 Hamilton women made new lives here
Their advice? Be brave. Go outside and learn.
It's not easy to come to Canada as a refugee. You have to find a job. You need a place to live. Sometimes, you don't speak the language.
Here are three Hamilton women who arrived as refugees and went on to make important contributions to their community. Their advice? Be brave. Go outside and learn.
Vahn Kalong
Vahn Kalong came to Canada in 1985, but when she talks about it, she still gets tears in her eyes.
Kalong fled Laos when she was 11 years old, roused at 3 a.m. by her mother and rushed to the river. There, a boat submerged in water was pulled to the surface. Her family climbed into it with others and set across the dangerous waters for Thailand.
Like Canadians open their arms for you, you do exactly the same.- Vahn Kalong's advice for new Canadians
She lived in a cramped refugee camp there before eventually coming to Canada with her family at age 17. And from there, she worked.
She worked at high school, where she started in Grade 9, she said. She'd never even been in a classroom before.
She worked at Harvey's so hard that she never did attend a high school dance. She just lived in a crowded apartment with her large family, and made minimum wage, and worked.
- Read More: Smiles, toys and tuques as Hamilton welcomes first refugees
- Read More: 'Healing is possible' for refugees with emotional wounds from ordeal
She worked to learn about money – stocks, interest rates, mutual funds — and saved part of her scant salary. At age 27, she had enough to purchase a burger joint called O'Neill's, where she worked even harder to grow it.
It paid off. Today, Kalong owns a chain of restaurants called My Thai. There are six, and they span from Hamilton to Waterloo. She gives back now. Many of her staff are refugees learning to speak English or drive. She donates food and money to worthwhile causes. This year, she won an Alumni of Distinction Award from Mohawk College.
Her message to refugees? Embrace Canada. "Don't go against it and say, 'I drive my car on this side of the road back home.'"
"Embrace the change. Everything is new to you. Like Canadians open their arms for you, you do exactly the same."
Uzma Arif
If all goes well for Uzma Arif, she will have a future like Vahn Kalong. And like Kalong, she's willing to work for it.
Arif arrived in Canada in October 2014 with her two children, aged 13 and 10. She came from Karachi, Pakistan, where she practiced homeopathy. She and her family are Ahmadi Muslims, who are often persecuted and murdered in Pakistan. That includes her husband, who was a mechanical engineer before he was killed in 2005.
Don't sit at home. The sky is unlimited.- Uzma Arif
Coming to Canada, Arif said, meant peace. "I don't want any more war," she said. "I don't want any type of destruction."
Arif was fortunate to be educated and already know English when she arrived in Canada. But living here has brought learning curves. One of them was learning to trust the police.
"Everyone told me if I was in danger to call 911," she said. Back home, "we would not do that."
Arif hopes to open her own spa and salon. In the meantime, she's working part time at a nail salon on the Mountain, learning the business and saving when she can. She also volunteers in Riverdale with the Community Action Program for Children, and at her local mosque.
Her advice to newcomers? "Don't sit at home. The sky is unlimited. Find some work and make the opportunity to meet new people."
As for her, "I love to help people like I feel everyone helped me," she said. "If you know of someone who needs a volunteer, tell me."
Sherry Mousavi
Sherry Mousavi moved to Canada from her native Iran when she was 10. Her family was of the Baha'i faith, a religious group that was persecuted there. So the family fled.
Assimilate and integrate into your community because everyone you meet has something to teach you.- Sherry Mousavi
Mousavi lived in a Turkish refugee camp for a while, then moved to Ontario with her parents, brother, aunt and uncle and two cousins. A chief reason was so she could have an education — which wasn't permitted in Iran, she said.
From the time of her arrival, she soaked up knowledge. On the first highway drive to Hamilton, she read the road signs out loud, trying to sound out the English words.
It worked: Mousavi holds an honours bachelor of commerce from McMaster University with a minor in economics. She hopes to pursue a masters.
Mousavi does business development and consulting work. Previously, she was a former financial analyst at the Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation and a reporter at yourhamiltonbiz.com. She also co-founded and chairs the Hamilton Media Guild and volunteers with Cable 14 and the Art Gallery of Hamilton.
Her advice:
"You have landed in the best country in the world. The past is behind you. You must now be grateful for the little things that will happen around you and within you everyday. Use your past struggles as opportunities to learn and appreciate the beauty of this earth. Welcome all of life as a gift. Assimilate and integrate into your community because everyone you meet has something to teach you. Above all, use your life story as an inspiration to spread unity, love and diversity."