Refugees in Ottawa offer advice to newcomers

Sadness. Confusion. Helplessness. 

The refugees destined to settle in Ottawa will face a torrent of emotions as they try to make a new life in Canada. Here's some advice from refugees and immigrants who have already made the journey to Canada.

Be realistic

Ahmed Mohamed came as a refugee from Iraq in 2013.

Mohamed was working as a journalist in Iraq when he says someone tried to kill him. His family first sought refuge in Turkey, but Mohamed couldn't find work.

"Maybe it was difficult because it was just the beginning. I met people and they said, 'No, no, don't worry. It will be easier and easier and easier than Turkey. You are allowed to work here. You are allowed to do anything here. It's a good country. But it will be difficult.' The best parts of it are being here safe, putting my children in school. I don't have to worry about them when we go out on the streets," he said.

"If I have advice for refugees coming to Canada, the first tip is don't over-dream. You'll be safe, you won't be hungry. You'll find a a good country, good people. The worst thing is my mother and my single mom sister are there, in Iraq. I can't do anything for them."

Accept help, but find work

Thair Hafez immigrated to Canada from Syria in 1985.

Hafez, a mechanic, now owns a car dealership and service centre.

"We need to help them out at the beginning," he said.

"We had some Middle Eastern, Lebanese [people] that helped us out at the beginning. It didn't take long. I would say Syrians are very smart people. They're not going to sit on their butts and collect welfare. They will find their own way to make money and work."

Find a place you feel safe

Rasha came to Canada from Syria in 2015.

She said she lost two brothers to ISIS. She's asked that her last name not be used because she fears for her mother and sister still at home in Damascus. 

The 27-year-old initially left Syria and lived in Beirut, but her situation didn't improve.

"I cannot say what I saw there, especially for a woman," she said.

Rasha then flew to Edmonton, but didn't feel at home yet.

"No English, no one to help me. I felt very scared," she said, adding that she eventually re-settled in Ottawa.

"I love Ottawa. I love everything here. Lots of nice people here. You can feel safe here."

She now has aspirations of becoming a police officer.

"I want to make the people feel safe," she said. "I love Ottawa like I love Syria. But when I became a refugee, I lost my mother country."

Learn English

Arturo came to Canada as a refugee from Mexico in 2006.

He said he was working as a bodyguard when his enemies tried to kill him and his brother. He heard Ottawa was safe so he moved with his family.

When he landed he couldn't speak English and French. Not knowing where to go, he slept on the floor at the airport.

One of the airport workers overheard him speaking Spanish with his brother and told them to go the refugee receiving house. That's where he met Rasha, and they eventually fell in love.

Arturo said one of the hardest parts of being a refugee is learning a new language.

"If you want to do it, you will do it," he said. "To be a refugee is to get a better life."

Connect with a community 

Mayoori Malankov came to Canada as a refugee from Sri Lanka.

When a civil war broke out in Sri Lanka during the early 1980s, Mayoori Malankov's family found themselves surrounded by bombings and fighting.

"It was very unsafe for Tamils," she said.

Malankov, just two years old at the time, left with her mother. Her father, who stayed behind, was to join them later.

"[My mother] described it as very scary. She had no belongings with her. It was just me and her," said Malankov. "She had some comfort in knowing that people had left before her."

While both her parents were educated, they had to take "quick and easy jobs" to live, said Malankov.

Without childcare, Malankov's mom would bring her daughter to the gas station during her overnight shift, letting the young girl sleep in the back.

"She would cry," said Malankov.

The University of Ottawa law student said her parents depended on people telling them how to access resources, where the ethnic grocery stores were and when cultural events were happening.

Her mother eventually opened her own accounting office and later helped other newcomers settle.

"Being connected to those pockets will help refugees feel at home," said Malankov.

Have a goal

Kim Poirrier came to Canada from Vietnam.

Poirrier was eight when she had her first apple. Her family escaped Vietnam under the cover of night and end up in Malaysia with other refugees. All the children in the camps were given a UNICEF box with an apple.

"I had an apple core necklace. That was my treasure for the duration of my stay there. It almost sounds silly but I remember watching the Tom Hanks movie when he got really connected to the volleyball he called Wilson, because I got really attached to that apple core necklace," she said

Poirrer remembers her time in Malaysia as "fun," and that she ran around with other children on the beaches.

But when the family eventually landed in St. Walburg, Sask., she was teased for looking different.

"For the longest time I was very much ashamed that I was a refugee. Why couldn't our family be more well off like the other kids?" she said.

That's what drove her to succeed in life, she said.

"This is my background this is who I am," she said. "Keep on having a goal in life and when you can,  become a contributing member of society. And don't be afraid to ask for help.

"Live life to the fullest."