Bulletin interview:

Three refugees pleased with Aylmer

“It’s like a fairy tale here,” said Nemer who, with his brother Zakariyya, arrived in Canada a month ago. The two brothers are now living with fellow Syrian, Mohammad, on Bagot Street near Broad Street.

“Aylmer is safe and peaceful. It’s a nice place with lots of trees. Everything is orderly; I think I will stay here for the rest of my life!” he continued.

Before landing in Montréal, Nemer and his brother were in Lebanon while Mohammad, whom they did not know, was in Jordan.

They arrived January 12, just as a snowstorm hit. “We are used to the cold. In Lebanon we lived in the mountains at thousands of metres of altitude -- it was cold,” said Zakariyya.

All three are government-sponsored refugees and part of the Liberal government’s promise to bring 25,000 refugees to Canada. The three had been waiting for over two years to leave, when everything started to move rapidly, permitting them to leave Jordan and Lebanon.

Nemer and his brother had fled their home city of Homs in 2012. Before reaching Lebanon, they crossed Syria looking for a safe place. “We had no more options in Syria. Lebanon was our last resort.”

Mohammad came from the northern Syrian city of Daraa, south of the Jordanian border. Both Homs and Daraa have been devastated by the civil war which erupted about five years ago. Nemer said the conflict is also creating difficulties outside Syria, with refugees flooding Lebanon and Jordan.

Tiny Lebanon is currently housing over one million refugees. The influx has created tensions inside the country of fewer than five million souls. “Lebanon was very difficult,” said Nemer, who went from Tripoli to Beirut to Sidon to the mountains.

“Here, everyone has been very nice and offered us what we needed,” said Nemer. Once here, they were assisted by Accueil Parrainage Outaouais (APO). The association helped them open a bank account, obtain government identity, and a place to stay. They initially stayed in Hull, but are now living in Aylmer where Astrid (Asiya) Le Jeune serves as their guide and coordinator.

French language training

“They are looking for part-time work because they will start their French language courses soon,” she noted. “It is very important for us to learn French,” added Nemer.

All three are also considering going back to school. Mohammad is looking at the architecture program at Carleton University, Nemer is considering nursing, while Zakariyya is thinking about studying French literature. Apart from studies, Zakariyya wants to learn how to ride a bicycle, and all three want to learn how to swim.

With no end in sight in the Syrian Civil War, none of the three are planning to return home soon. “Yes, it’s important to return to Syria, but for now I want to build a new life here in Canada,” said Mohammad, who speaks a little English.