Tweet
CBC Canada
Jan 9 2015
Choosing peace of mind
By Shari Okeke, CBC News
Noushig Avakian Mouradian and her family celebrated Armenian Christmas
this week -- their first in Montreal.
Mouradian left Syria in 2012 to seek medical treatment in Turkey for
one of her two sons. At the time, she and her husband had intended to
return to Syria.
But as the situation in their home country deteriorated, that plan changed.
"Everyone wants to feel safe and everyone wants to live in peace...I
thought there is no peace, no safety in Syria. So I decided to
[leave]."
Every day this week, CBC's Daybreak introduced a new Montrealer who
packed up and moved across borders.
Choosing Montreal made sense for Mouradian because she had relatives
and friends already living in Quebec.
They told her about Hay Doun, a non-profit organization that offered a
collective sponsorship program.
The Mouradian family arrived in Montreal last September as privately
sponsored refugees, supported by the Armenian community.
The family's first priority was to get the children -- Daron, 12, and
Gorun, 10 --settled into school.
They're now living in an apartment in Saint-Laurent, a location they
chose so they would be close to AGBU Alex Manoogian, a private
Armenian school.
The Armenian General Benevolent Union is raising funds to cover the
cost of tuition for Armenian Syrian refugees.
Mouradian said she's grateful for the school's support and the
personal attention the teachers give each student.
Her sons, who already speak four languages, are now learning French.
AGBU Alex Manoogian school is trying to make the integration process
as smooth as possible for more than a dozen Syrian families new to
Montreal. It hosted a holiday party to mark the New Year and Armenian
Christmas.
The school's principal said he reassures students arriving as refugees
by telling them his own story.
Chahe Tanachian was nine years old when his family fled the war in
Lebanon and came to Montreal.
"I was in the same situation, in the same building, in the same school
when I came in 1990 and life is great here -- there are so many
opportunities," he said.
Tanachian tells his students to, "be hopeful because there's one way
to go forward and [the] days to come are going to be better for sure."
Mouradian's sons are working hard in school and discovering what they
love most about their new hometown.
"I kind of love the hockey. It's really really fun," said Daron.
Mouradian, a medical doctor with 20 years experience, now hopes she
and her husband will find full-time work. She said they don't want to
depend on social assistance and they are eager to pay taxes.
They are both studying French five days a week and Mouradian intends
to be speaking French within six months.
"I'm a dreamer, you know, but I want to have realistic dreams. Yes, we
can work hard and have a good life in Canada, in Quebec."
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/new2mtl-choosing-peace-of-mind-1.2894413
Jan 9 2015
Choosing peace of mind
By Shari Okeke, CBC News
Noushig Avakian Mouradian and her family celebrated Armenian Christmas
this week -- their first in Montreal.
Mouradian left Syria in 2012 to seek medical treatment in Turkey for
one of her two sons. At the time, she and her husband had intended to
return to Syria.
But as the situation in their home country deteriorated, that plan changed.
"Everyone wants to feel safe and everyone wants to live in peace...I
thought there is no peace, no safety in Syria. So I decided to
[leave]."
Every day this week, CBC's Daybreak introduced a new Montrealer who
packed up and moved across borders.
Choosing Montreal made sense for Mouradian because she had relatives
and friends already living in Quebec.
They told her about Hay Doun, a non-profit organization that offered a
collective sponsorship program.
The Mouradian family arrived in Montreal last September as privately
sponsored refugees, supported by the Armenian community.
The family's first priority was to get the children -- Daron, 12, and
Gorun, 10 --settled into school.
They're now living in an apartment in Saint-Laurent, a location they
chose so they would be close to AGBU Alex Manoogian, a private
Armenian school.
The Armenian General Benevolent Union is raising funds to cover the
cost of tuition for Armenian Syrian refugees.
Mouradian said she's grateful for the school's support and the
personal attention the teachers give each student.
Her sons, who already speak four languages, are now learning French.
AGBU Alex Manoogian school is trying to make the integration process
as smooth as possible for more than a dozen Syrian families new to
Montreal. It hosted a holiday party to mark the New Year and Armenian
Christmas.
The school's principal said he reassures students arriving as refugees
by telling them his own story.
Chahe Tanachian was nine years old when his family fled the war in
Lebanon and came to Montreal.
"I was in the same situation, in the same building, in the same school
when I came in 1990 and life is great here -- there are so many
opportunities," he said.
Tanachian tells his students to, "be hopeful because there's one way
to go forward and [the] days to come are going to be better for sure."
Mouradian's sons are working hard in school and discovering what they
love most about their new hometown.
"I kind of love the hockey. It's really really fun," said Daron.
Mouradian, a medical doctor with 20 years experience, now hopes she
and her husband will find full-time work. She said they don't want to
depend on social assistance and they are eager to pay taxes.
They are both studying French five days a week and Mouradian intends
to be speaking French within six months.
"I'm a dreamer, you know, but I want to have realistic dreams. Yes, we
can work hard and have a good life in Canada, in Quebec."
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/new2mtl-choosing-peace-of-mind-1.2894413