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The Soapbox: Reflections of a teenage Syrian refugee in Sudbury

Nour Kasir and her family fled Syria for Canada (and Greater Sudbury) four years ago. She looks back on the journey that brought her here and how grateful she is for the opportunity
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Nour Kasir and her family fled Syria four years ago. In this column, she reflects on the road that brought her to Canada, and what this country, and her family, mean to her. Photo by Matt Durnan

By Nour Kasir

My name is Nour. An odd name, I know. It’s Arabic and it means “sunshine.” Of course, I always like to think it means much more, or that it has a much grander meaning such as “sunlight unbroken by clouds.”

Maybe that’s just my brain trying to convince itself that I am more, much more, than a 20-year-old girl. 

I was born in Damascus, Syria, on the 28th of June 1996. My brothers and I went to a French Catholic school. We were taught Arabic as a first language, and both French and English as a second. 

My parents were both university graduates with degrees in economics, and had an abundance of love for each other and for us (mind you, their excellent parenting skills couldn’t have been taught at any school).

We lived a worriless life. We enjoyed everything to the fullest, and had a great amount of love surrounding us, whether from family or friends. Life was easy, simple, and we were happy. It was peaceful, beautiful and untroubled. 

Syria was the country where friends and family were. It was the country where help was offered, not requested. A country of culture, education, and fine arts, where I went to school, where I spent the first 16 years of my life. 

Five years ago things changed. Why did it start? Who started it? For what purpose, you might ask? 

Well, I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t think anybody knows. We were happy. I was happy. In August 2014, mama, my brothers, and I moved to Canada. Syria simply wasn’t safe anymore. 

Not safe to go to school, not safe to go to work, not safe at all, which is sad. I liked it there. 
It was never this way. Syria was a country of peace. It was my country, which I loved – and still love, truly and deeply.

We came to Canada and had to start again from zero. Neither a driver’s licence nor university degrees were still valid. Now, when you’re 40 and have to re-start an entire life for both yourself and your children, believe me, it’s no easy process. 

Not easy to have lived in your own house for your entire life, only to move into an apartment. Not easy to have lived your entire life financially secure, then to have to manage your expenses day-to-day. Not easy to move to an entirely different country, with an entirely foreign language, people and societal norms.

But you could say I had no ordinary mother.

And for me? Four years have passed, and you might think I miss Syria or my old life, but to be completely honest I kind of don’t. I love it here. I feel safe, and accomplished. Moving to Canada has completely changed my life and created so many opportunities for me. 

I now live by myself in Sudbury, which is such a blessed experience. I go to Laurentian University, and I am in my third year of legal studies. I was lucky enough to get a job with the Ministry of Labour. I will be applying to law school this year.  I hope I’ll get accepted to Ottawa; I absolutely love the city. 

I have family here, and friends I now consider family. So yes, you could say I’m happy.

It gets hard sometimes, for both my family and I, but we pull through. We always pull through. Moving here has changed our lives for the better, and made us stronger for the most part.  We are fighters, if I may so. 

And now I am certain that no matter what we go through and no matter what comes our way, we’ll make it. It will be hard for sure, now and in the years to come, but that’s okay. As long as I have my family, that’s all the love and support I need. And if not, it’s okay. In time I’ll learn how to be happy. Hard work always pays off.

After four years, Canada has been to me the country I never had. It has provided me and my family with a better life, health care, education and, most importantly, safety. I have never felt safer than I have while I’ve been here. 

Safe because I have a job, an education and a government willing to provide for every single individual no matter what background or ethnicity you are. 

And for that, I am forever grateful to be here, and proud to call myself a Canadian.

Nour Kasir is a 20-year-old Laurentian University student. And a proud new (ish) Canadian.


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