Like A Dream Come True
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I came to Canada in 2001. After finishing university in Lebanon, we stayed on as refugees because of the war back home in south Sudan. Then in 2001, we applied to come to Canada as refugees, and landed in Vancouver.
I had my third child there, but my baby had major health problems, which is how we ended up in Edmonton. The Stollery Children's Hospital is the only one in Western Canada that does pediatric liver transplants. When Juwa was 7 months old, we came here for her operation. I thought we would return to Vancouver, but she needed continuing medical care only offered in Edmonton, so we moved here permanently in 2003. It was a very difficult time for me. I went through a lot of stress. Fortunately, everything worked out okay. She’s seven years old already.
Even though I never imagined life in Edmonton, I like it here. The city offers many meaningful work and educational opportunities. My husband is a land survey engineer, and I took Norquest's LINC (Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada) and ESL (English as a second language) programs. Now I can express myself in English, so I'm no longer shy. It has led me to my job with KARA, a family resource centre. It's kind of like a dream come true. And Edmonton has the largest community of Sudanese expatriates in Canada. We even have a registered society.
Of course the most important thing is that my kids are going to school. That we can have a safe neighbourhood, and access to so many resources.
Where Next?
Rose Yoki
Rose Yoki and her family came to Canada as refugees in 2001. After a 2-year stay in Vancouver, they moved to Edmonton where she learned to speak English. She works as a Family Wellness Educator at the KARA Family Resource Centre, and enjoys taking her kids to the YMCA for basketball games.
