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Refugee has big dreams of giving back

Mar 4, 2017 | 5:01 PM

 

MEDICINE HAT, AB — It may not be their home country, but they are calling it home now.  

Saturday, Syrian Refugees celebrated their one year anniversary of moving to Medicine Hat along with members of the community at the Fifth Avenue Memorial Church.

December 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcomed 25 000 refugees into the country, of that number, 134 individuals moved to Medicine Hat.

One of the refugees living in Medicine Hat is Yasmeen Kanbar, she is a grade nine student who said moving to Canada was not easy, but the community has been a great support.

“They’re so kind and like they try to show the people in their homes,” she said. “They help a lot, they helped us a lot.”

Yasmeen is the only one who speaks fluent English in her family.  She said she loves learning languages and it would not have been possible to learn if she did not come to Canada.

“I have Arabic and English and I’m studying Italian, French, and Turkish. I love to learn languages,” she said. “I don’t think that if I stayed there, I would ever learn them.”

When Yasmeen was still living in Syria, she said she witnessed the death of one of her closest friends. Although it’s a tragedy and she continues to cope with the loss, it has also inspired her dream of becoming a doctor.

“I would like to become a doctor and I wish that the war ends and I can go back and maybe help the people who need help,” she said.

Yasmeen now volunteers with Saamis Immigration Serivces Association where she teaches children how to speak English.

Executive Director of Saamis Immigration, Antonio Samayoa, said the biggest improvement he has seen the past year is how far most of them have come with learning the language.

“It’s not easy for them, but they’re good,” he said. “After a year I can tell you that it has been a success.”