When the war started in 2011, Mohammed and his family were trapped at home, forcing him to drop out of the first year of university. In January of 2012, they had to leave Syria. While travelling to Jordan, the Syrian army denied anyone the ability to leave the country; if someone was caught, they would be shot. The only solution was to pay someone to help them escape.
Once they passed the Syrian border, the Jordanian army welcomed them. During his stay in Jordan, Mohammed could only work one day per week because it was difficult to find a full-time job. “It was very challenging for us to live in Jordan,” says Mohammed. Finally, he received a call from UNICEF at the end of 2015 inviting him to attend an interview for the purpose of immigrating to Canada. “It was the best call ever,” says Mohammed. Mohammed and his family were interviewed four times and finally were accepted. The whole process took 20 days and then they were flown from the Jordanian army airport by Air Canada to Toronto and then to Vancouver.
Mohammed’s first impression was that he felt he was in heaven. He found that the people were so kind and generous. Mohammed and his family first arrived downtown and stayed at a hotel where he was welcomed by everyone. “My family and I felt that we were reborn in Canada,” he says.
One of Mohammed's fears was that he wouldn’t be able to learn English. However, once he started at the
Canadian College of English Language and was so welcomed by the school management, teachers, staff as well as the students, he became confident that he can succeed and learn the the English language. “I would like thank CCEL for giving me this opportunity.
Story courtesy of Canadian College of English Language
Learn more about the Languages Canada Syrian Refugee Integration Initiative today: http://www.languagescanada.ca/en/the-languages-canada-syrian-refugee-integration-initiative
