My name is Nesren, I am from Syria, I would like to share with you my story.
I was living in peace in our country with my family, my husband and four children, near my family and relatives. Also, our affairs were good. My husband worked in a trade, in building materials and we owned our own house and cars. We were very happy until the war began one day.
The army began to take to the streets with tanks and heavily armed soldiers because the people began to demand the dismissal of the dictatorial ruler who had ruled the country with his father for more than fifty years. After that they started killing people in the streets, people began to take to the streets in large numbers so they began bombing cities with planes carrying missiles and destroying them over the heads of their inhabitants. Families dispersed and some of them were killed. We had to leave the country after they destroyed everything we owned.
Most of the people left their homes, some of them went to neighboring houses and I called my family and relatives. After two years my family left too but my only sister stayed there because her husband refused to leave because he didn’t have the funds to leave and we couldn’t help them. She remained there alone with her children under bombardment and destruction for seven consecutive years, in fear and panic until now. At this moment I hope to see her someday and as soon as possible. This is my only wish in life. She suffered a lot of hunger, humiliation, she and the people. There is no water, not a lot of electricity or food either. Some people were eating tree leaves and cabbage.
So we left the country, fearing for our children and ourselves being killed and we arrived in Turkey after a risky and almost impossible journey. When we arrived in Turkey we didn’t even have the money for house rent and the owner of the house helped us because he was waiting for us for a whole month. My husband started working as soon as we arrived in Turkey and he had to work about 14 hours a day to secure a living for us. My husband’s family managed to follow us to Turkey after three months.
After two years passed my husband’s family immigrated to Canada with the help of the United Nations. After more than two and a half years we were able to come to Canada with the help of my in-laws and the good Canadians. We were very happy to come here. And we started a completely new life that we did not know before and began to learn English 4 days after arriving in Canada.
In a short period of time, we learned enough English so that we can go about our daily life. I heard about the Newcomer Kitchen as my mother-in-law sometimes worked there. She asked them to include me because I can cook a lot and I love cooking too so I started working there. Sometimes we do workshops and sometimes some Canadian people ask us to cook Syrian food for them because they love Syrian food so much. I also did two programs in which I learned about cooking and how to start a business. I currently work only two or three days a month but consider it is the first step to building my own business.
Finally, of my tragic story which I told you very briefly, I say THANK YOU CANADA, thank the CANADIAN PEOPLE. Thank you, Canada which provided us with a decent life, protection and a future for me, my family and my children. I LOVE CANADA.
~Nesren
