Warm welcome for Syrians
Yellowknife comes out to greet the Alhajy family, who say they are adapting to life in the North and loving the snow
Robin Grant
Northern News Services
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The auditorium at Northern United Place was packed with well-wishers on Saturday who had come out to officially welcome the Alhajy family to the city.
Rami Kassem, left, introduces Mustafa, Fida, Zeina, Khaled, Diya and Muhammad Alhajy at Northern United Place on
Saturday during a welcome dinner. The Alhajy family are Syrian refugees who have recently relocated to the city. - Robin Grant/NNSL photo |
Javaroma co-owner Rami Kassem translated for Mustafa, who said the family of six is settling in nicely since they arrived in October, enjoying the community - even the weather.
"He said the weather is very nice and he likes the snow," Kassem said. "There is not much snow in Syria - but they love it. They love the white colour."
Mustafa is currently working at Javaroma Cafe and the children are attending school.
Diya, left, and Serene Kassem, 2, play during a welcome dinner on Saturday at Northern United Place. - Robin Grant/NNSL photo |
"When he came to Yellowknife, he was looking for two things: to learn English and to work because he likes to work ... he is practising his English and getting used to Canada and he wants to integrate into the system and start paying taxes," he said.
The family said they are grateful for the all the community support.
"It was emotional for them to receive so much help," Kassem said. "It created such a warm feeling."
Member of the sponsor group Lindsay Armer said the four children are especially enjoying school.
"Every time we see the kids and ask them how things are going, they say, 'Love school!'" she said. "You can just see that they light up when they talk about their teachers or even when they pull out a book that they brought home from school - they're super excited to show it to you."
As expected, there have been some funny misinterpretations.
"One of the first weeks, we had a big meeting with several interpreters and we were trying to explain long underwear," she said. "In Middle Eastern countries you don't really talk about underwear - period. So there was lots of blushing and giggling and Rami actually pulled up his pant leg and showed his long underwear - so it was pretty funny."
Mayor Mark Heyck, a key speaker at the event, said Yellowknife is carrying on tradition by welcoming the family.
"This community has been defined by successive waves of immigration over many, many decades now with a strong foundation of First Nations who have been here for thousands of years," he said. "So it's wonderful to see the community opening its arms to families like (theirs)."
The dinner was organized in part by volunteers from church groups across the city. One such volunteer was Cathy Sawer who said Canadians can relate to the family, as many have immigrated to Canada themselves at some point.
"We all had families who came from somewhere else and some of them, like mine, were kicked out of Scotland 200 years ago and dumped on the shores of Nova Scotia," she said. "So there's something in our hearts that just wants to help and welcome and it's just been great. There is a lot of love in the room tonight."
Another Syrian refugee family is expected to arrive in the city, although it remains unclear approximately when.
"They've passed a number of the milestones," said Kristen Cameron, who is part of the group sponsoring the family with the Calvary Community Church.
"We're waiting on the final milestone, which is, I think, the security check. They could call us and be here in any number of weeks or any number of months."
The second family is currently in Lebanon, Beirut, staying with extended family, she added. Among the members of this family is one of Mustafa's sisters.
