Long Road to a New Beginning

By Erika Engel
From The Blue Mountains Courier-Herald
August 2011

In their first moments in Canada, Omar, Israa and their three children, all refugees from Iraq, went through a lengthy visit with immigration, lost a suitcase, and suffered flight delays.
Still, the family smiled brightly when they came through the double doors marked "Arrivals" at Pearson International Airport.
I was privileged to be part of the welcoming committee that travelled to Toronto to welcome the new refugee family to Thornbury.
Though the logistics and purpose were the same as the last time, we had no idea what to expect.
The refugee sponsorship process provides few details about the families on their way to Canada. We had a flight number, names and ages for the refugees and a country of origin.
About a dozen of us rode a school bus to the airport, all a-flutter with anticipation.
We didn't know if we'd be able to communicate. One of the Beaver Valley Open Door board members had a connection to an Arabic speaking man in Barrie. He and a friend met us at the airport, and that detail proved to be most important.
We all waited at the arrivals door watching families re-united and excited hugs all around us. It was a long time before our party came through the doors.
David Morgan, one of the Beaver Valley Open Door volunteers, had prepared a sign to read "Welcome to Canada" in Arabic. He also included the names of each of the family members.
The family smiled and hurried over to our group; shaking hands and nodding their heads to their welcoming party.
A wave of excitement had everybody talking at once. Soon it was clear that the family knew very little English.
Our translator, Khaled Seaydoun, happily stepped in to greet the family.
He arrived to Canada just three years before from Lebanon as an immigrant. He lives in the Barrie area.
He welcomed them, and told them we were here on behalf of the sponsors to bring them to their new home.
He broke the bad news about the two-hour bus ride ahead, and made sure they were comfortable. He passed along his contact information, and promised to be available to help us communicate.
He found out one of their suitcases was missing, and made sure Beaver Valley Open Door volunteers knew what to do to retrieve it later.
Eventually, we piled back into the yellow school bus.
It was dark while we drove home, still I and others found ourselves wondering what it would be like to see Canada for the first time - even if only by streetlights.
The travel had proven exhausting and most of the family slept while we drove home.
At the refugee's new home in Thornbury, there were still more Beaver Valley Open Door volunteers waiting to greet the new family.
The family received a tour of their new home, and volunteers promised to return the next afternoon to help them settle in.
There are many things to overcome, not the least of which will be a harsh language barrier.
But the family is safe. They have a home, and there is a caring community surrounding them and willing them to succeed.
From Iraq to Thornbury, the family of Omar, Israa, Abdullah, Jaafar and Balqees have finally arrived to begin a new life as part of our community, and as Canadians.