All of our Syrian refugees are doing well and have been adapting, slowly but surely, to life in Canada. They continue to live in modest, but comfortable apartments near us in the Main Street area of the city. Now that the nice weather is here, we often see them with their children in the park or taking walks up and down the street. Fatima and Khaled's garden is now accommodated with a lovely sandbox for 3-year-old daughter Lana (donated by a neighbour). Their landlords, Ashley and Owen, have bought chickens and keep them in a luxurious coop at the back of the garden! It is almost like home in the village in Syria to hear the cluck-clucking of the chickens throughout the day (and hopefully, not through the night as well; no roosters allowed, thankfully!).
Ftim, Abdul-Karim and baby Hanin (our most recent arrivals) also have a beautiful back garden in which they have planted all kinds of vegetables. Poor Abdul-Karim has been set back with ear troubles (he has been deaf in one ear since childhood and now the other ear is giving him grief), but he has got a good ear-doctor who is treating him at the moment. Both parents are in English classes, and I am amazed, especially at Ftim's improvement in English! She will advance to a higher level in September.
Zakarya, Mariam and Abd al-Karem are our ground-floor tenants, so we see them most frequently. They have planted a vegetable garden in our back yard and their potatoes, lettuce, and beans are doing particularly well. Every week Zakarya mows the lawn and cleans up our garden both in the front and back, which has been amazingly helpful for Richard! Zakarya, our first arrival from back in October, is also doing splendidly with his English and often finds himself having to translate for his other family members.
Abd al-Karem now has a full-time job in a wood-working plant in Richmond. We are in the midst of setting up work opportunities for the other men and Mariam at the moment, and are hopeful that each family will be earning an income by August.
Everyone is celebrating Ramadan at the moment, which has meant long daylight hours of abstaining from food and water. But in the evenings, the lovely smell of Syrian cooking comes up from the basement and we know that with sunset all will be partaking in a delicious, nourishing feast. We often get to share in this food, and love it!
As always, Richard and I are grateful for the support we have received from St. Helen’s, as the keeper of the dedicated Syrian Refugee Fund, along with the parishioners, friends and colleagues who have donated to this fund, or have lent their support to our refugee group in other ways! As Canada Day draws near, we find ourselves reflecting on the compassion and generosity of the people of our wonderful country who have filled our new Canadians with a sense of security and hope.
Lisa Cooper