IMG/GIF A Positive Refugee Story For Once: Heartwarming (imo)

[member 1013]

‘Welcome to Canada’: Syrian refugees arrive in Calgary to tearful family, smiling, sign-toting strangers

Annalise Klingbeil, Postmedia News | November 24, 2015 2:21 PM ET
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Sixteen Syrian refugees were welcomed to Calgary on Monday by tearful family members they hadn’t seen in years, and a throng of smiling strangers who brought signs, warm winter clothing, teddy bears, toys, and candy to the airport.

After fleeing war-torn Syria, living in Lebanon for a year and three days, and spending countless hours on an airplane, Antoine Yousef, his wife, his wife’s sister, his 80-year-old mom, and his three-year-old twin daughters couldn’t stop smiling as they walked through the arrival gate at the Calgary International Airport on Monday afternoon.

Stuffies and a brown paper bag full of snacks were thrust in little Elena and Maysa’s hands by strangers as their emotional parents hugged relatives including cousin Ashour Esho.

Leah Hennel / Calgary Herald Supporters and family members await the first group of Syrian refugees to arrive at the Calgary International Airport on November 23, 2015.
“I’m so proud for my daughters to be raised here in Canada, in this great country. You have democracy, freedom, friendly people, everything,” Yousef, who worked as a pharmacists in Syria, said in Arabic through his cousin Esho, who acted as a translator.

Syrian family arrives in #yyc, includes twin girls. "I'm so proud for my daughters to be raised here," dad says pic.twitter.com/eQbxfSED1J

— Annalise Klingbeil (@AnnaliseAK) November 23, 2015

Esho came to Canada from Syria three years ago and has since worked to bring his siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins and parents here as refugees.

“Now I have the whole family here in Canada,” he said Monday.

“They are safe now in a beautiful country with friendly people…My words in this situation don’t help me. I’m so happy I can’t express my feelings…It was very dangerous conditions there. Now they are here in Canada so I am so relaxed now, I’m not nervous.”

Darren Makowichuk / Calgary Sun / Postmedia NetworkGifts of Tonka trucks.
As Terez Khazaka waited for her parents, brother and his family to arrive on Monday after a long journey from Lebanon, she echoed Esho’s words.

“We used to go every couple of years to see (my family) but because of the war we couldn’t. It was very emotional not seeing them and know that they are in danger,” said Khazaka, who couldn’t wait to give her mom a hug after five years apart.

“Thank God finally they can be here safe and happy hopefully.”

The three Syrian families, who landed in Calgary on Monday after risking their lives to seek refuge, all have family here and came to Canada under the sponsorship of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary, in partnership with the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society.

"I'm in Canada!" says this little boy. pic.twitter.com/h6BekYmdpa

— Annalise Klingbeil (@AnnaliseAK) November 23, 2015

The diocese has an agreement with Citizenship and Immigration Canada to sponsor refugees from abroad and the people landing Monday brought the total number of Syrian refugees the Calgary Diocese has received since 2014 to 133, including 23 Syrian refugees who arrived in Calgary in late September.

Calgary Catholic Immigration Society first began applying to sponsor Syrian refugees in July 2013 and the group has continued to welcome Syrians who’ve escaped the civil war as refugees.

The Liberal government plans to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees in Canada by the end of the year and Antoinette Godbout, refugee sponsorship co-ordinator at Calgary Catholic Immigration Society, said the organization has recently been inundated with inquiries from people who want to help refugees.

Darren Makowichuk / Calgary Sun / Postmedia NetworkAn airport greeting.
The crowd of strangers who came to the airport on Monday is testament to that demand.

“You can’t run fast enough to keep up with everyone who wants to be involved (in helping Syrian refugees),” Godbout said.
Celina Thibault, who didn’t know any of the refugees arriving Monday, brought her five-year-old son to the airport to welcome the newcomers with a bouquet of flowers.

“They’ve been through so much,” Thibault said. “They deserve a warm welcome and to feel at home.”

This boy brought flowers for the strangers landing. Says his mom, "They deserve a warm welcome and to feel at home." pic.twitter.com/QXHvFcZkln

— Annalise Klingbeil (@AnnaliseAK) November 23, 2015

Other strangers brought signs and warm clothes, and some shared their own stories of arriving in Canada from foreign countries years ago.

“When it comes down to bare bones, we’re all human. These people are hurting and they need our help,” said Eliah Bailey.

Some of the scene that will greet 16 Syrian refugees when they land in Calgary. Strangers have come to welcome them pic.twitter.com/MCkfdlLBvf

— Annalise Klingbeil (@AnnaliseAK) November 23, 2015

Darren Makowichuk / Calgary Sun / Postmedia NetworkA warm welcome for Syrian refugees in Calgary.

Leah Hennel / Calgary HeraldAshour Esho greets his cousin's little girl Maysa.

Darren Makowichuk/Calgary Sun/Postmedia Network

Leah Hennel / Calgary Herald

‘Welcome to Canada’: Syrian refugees arrive in Calgary to tearful family, smiling, sign-toting strangers | National Post

 

[member 1013]

I decided to post this article as there has been a lot of talk about the refugee issue, a lot of it very negative. I am guilty of this myself. I thought this article served as a good juxtaposition to all of the negativity; to reports of angry and ungrateful refugees, to the thought that all refugees do not want to live or assimilate into a Western democracy, to our own fears and premonitions.*

*imo

 

[MadFatChickKilla]

Nice read, nice to have some balance on the situation.

Hope that family have the future they dreamed of.

 

[ThatOneDude]

Hopefully they assimilate well after the honeymoon period.

 

[HEATH VON DOOM]

Great, terrorists are invading Canada already.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk

 

[lookoutawhale]

that's nice to see.

 

[Ted Williams' head]

Personally I think it's great that we are helping refugees, people who were unfortunate enough to be born into a part of the world where war is a daily reality.

I think the majority of people are all for helping refugees. The big concern was about the potential of ISIS members/supporters getting through, and whether or not our leaders were going to do enough to screen them properly.

 

[MadFatChickKilla]

Personally I think it's great that we are helping refugees, people who were unfortunate enough to be born into a part of the world where war is a daily reality.

I think the majority of people are all for helping refugees. The big concern was about the potential of ISIS members/supporters getting through, and whether or not our leaders were going to do enough to screen them properly.

I agree although I don't think any amount of screening can see people true intentions deep within.

Hopefully they embrace their new life that Canada has given them and their family's.

 

[Splinty]

View: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34928547

 

[Lord Vutulaki]

Australia is taking 12,000. The fucking country is empty FFS bring more, whats Syrian food like?

 

[delightone]

Australia is taking 12,000. The fucking country is empty FFS bring more, whats Syrian food like?

That's weird about Australia, it's huge and the population is pretty small in comparison.
From what it's heard not easy to get in to the land down under, or is that BS?

 

[Splinty]

Syrian food like?

TabboulehTabboulehTabboulehTabboulehTabboulehTabbouleh

 

[Lord Vutulaki]

That's weird about Australia, it's huge and the population is pretty small in comparison.
From what it's heard not easy to get in to the land down under, or is that BS?

Well if youre planning to walk then yes but otherwise its just a long flight I suppose. We are a young country and everyone wants to live in 2 or 3 cities. The government will award you extra migration points if you agree to settle in a smaller city like Brisbane. We have really shit third world communications infrastructure, its getting better though I just worked from my laptop riding shotgun in one of my regional manager's cars and the wireless worked fine except in really isolated places.

Edit- Sorry bruv I misread your message. Yes its hard to migrate here, we had a "white Australia" policy until the 70's so yeah Albanians were fine but Japanese not so much. Thats changed BIGTIME now

 

[member 1013]

Australia is taking 12,000. The fucking country is empty FFS bring more, whats Syrian food like?

It's great, traditional Arabic/Mediterranean cuisine. Schawarma, falafel, kabobs, balclava, etc.

 

[Punch]

Warms the cockles of my heart.

 

[member 1013]

Hopefully they assimilate well after the honeymoon period.

Don't worry bro, the guy that has already been here a while is wearing the same Urban Star jeans from Costco I have. Assimilated AF.

 

[Ted Williams' head]

Australia is taking 12,000.

12,000 more than Muslim countries are taking haha.

Funny, everyone talks about old white men as the evil power that's ruining the world, but who always cleans up the world's mess? The middle east? South America? Africa? lol

 

[Lord Vutulaki]

12,000 more than Muslim countries are taking haha.

Funny, everyone talks about old white men as the evil power that's ruining the world, but who always cleans up the world's mess? The middle east? South America? Africa? lol

Incorrect on many fronts

Muslim countries have taken their share of refugees they just aren't counted as refugees by the UNHCR because they are given temp work visas.

Petrodollar

Unwanted military presence

Regime change

Purposely destabilizing entire regions for their own gain

I could go on.

Im not going to get into "whitey vs the world " bullshit with man the we are way past that niw Colin, Condoleezza and Barry have plenty of blood on their hands too

 

[Ted Williams' head]

Incorrect on many fronts

Muslim countries have taken their share of refugees they just aren't counted as refugees by the UNHCR because they are given temp work visas.

Petrodollar

Unwanted military presence

Regime change

Purposely destabilizing entire regions for their own gain

I could go on.

Im not going to get into "whitey vs the world " bullshit with man the we are way past that niw Colin, Condoleezza and Barry have plenty of blood on their hands too

I don't think it's incorrect. I never said white people are without fault and have left an immaculate reputation on the world, and I'm not saying every other race besides white people have been sitting on their hands for the last 6000 years.

But the trendy thing to do now (especially for ultra progressive WHITE liberals) is rag on about how white people have ruined the world, white people this, white people that. I think white people are doing more than their share, is all.

 

[Lord Vutulaki]

I don't think it's incorrect. I never said white people are without fault and have left an immaculate reputation on the world, and I'm not saying every other race besides white people have been sitting on their hands for the last 6000 years.

But the trendy thing to do now (especially for ultra progressive WHITE liberals) is rag on about how white people have ruined the world, white people this, white people that. I think white people are doing more than their share, is all.

You said "12,000 more than Muslim countries are taking "

Lebanon a country of 4m has taken in 1m Syrians. Saudi Arabia has 250,000 Syrians living there freely. All i was saying is that Australia can take more than 12,000 we clearly can and are a nation of migrants anyway.