Every time my family brought up leaving Syria to come to Canada, I was the only one in my family who refused to even think about it. Every time I thought about leaving my university, friends, and the youth students I was teaching, I felt anxious about the new journey and starting from scratch.  I also felt very sad about leaving my neighbourhood and the house I had lived in for 21 years.  However, living in a place without hope for better living standards, good employment opportunities and freedom was quite hard and unrealistic.

The journey started when we decided to leave Syria behind and move to Lebanon.   I lived with my mom and brother in an ancient one-bedroom apartment until we heard from the Canadian Embassy in Lebanon about the process and decision on our application.  The cost of living was very high just to survive and our rent was $600 US.  We were without jobs because it has always been too complicated for Syrian people to find jobs in Lebanon when the Lebanese people themselves suffer from unemployment and poverty.  Life in Lebanon felt scary.  We had already left home and we did not know if we would be accepted to come to Canada.  In August 2018, we were interviewed by the Canadian Consulate in Lebanon, and that was the day we knew that our application was accepted after almost 2 years of waiting and dreaming of going to Canada.

I arrived in Canada in November 2018 to meet my older brother, who had already been in the country for 3 years.  Everything started to look and feel different but exciting at the same time. 

The first shock was the weather and then the language. I thought I had good English, but I was shocked that I could only understand, but not speak!   English was not a spoken language in Syria. My sponsors have always been supportive.  Once I arrived, they helped me get all the documents I needed and provided much support for the entire year after I arrived in Canada.

In February 2019, I got a full-time job at McDonald’s. I started as a crew member in the back kitchen because I was not confident about my English to speak to customers. This job helped me improve my speaking and I gained a little bit of confidence in my English. Meanwhile, I attended ESL classes in the morning, went to work right after school, and finished at 10 PM every night.  I decided to move forward and take an advanced English course at Algonquin College.  This allowed me to decide on my next steps in terms of getting an education. Working full-time in my studies and also working a full-time job was exhausting but also rewarding. I completed the English course for Academic Purposes and graduated with honours. 

Working full-time and going to school was not an easy journey. Still, I decided to continue what I started and go back to school for the Social Services Work program. I chose this program because I had a dream to professionally help underserved communities. The most challenging years were when I enrolled in the college program, as I did not know what services were available to newcomer immigrants and refugees. If I had some financial and social support, I would have survived this time much easier. 

When I had to start practicing working in the field, I chose the Catholic Centre for Immigrants to complete my student placement, and that was because I wanted to help newcomer people settling in Canada and make a positive difference in their lives, using my personal experience and education. 

I graduated this June and started my first official job in the field of social work at Immigrant Women Services Ottawa as a Settlement Counsellor.

I am really enjoying the amazing diversity in this country and learning about different cultures.

Overall, my experience as a newcomer refugee was positive despite all the obstacles from the financial strains to the stress but it was all worth it.

Although I was busy with school and work, I took every opportunity to see the beauty of this country and its nature. I enjoy this country’s unique diversity, multiculturalism, and learning about different cultures. I also enjoy every moment of the summer and fall seasons and the incredible water views and activities, especially hiking.

If you are a newcomer to Canada, this advice is for you, “Don’t be afraid of changing careers, leave the past behind and start over. You can do what you want, it’s never too late.”

Showing gratitude to the country that allowed me to dream again does not mean I dislike home. I still love and miss every minute I lived in my home country and always will.