The Importance of Hard Work

 

Salma Yassin

 

There were many reasons why Salma decided to leave her beloved country, Sudan, and come to Canada. Life in Sudan was difficult, at times even rough but as one of the few women in her generation in the Arab world, Salma was a college graduate and she held a good job. Love for her country, family and friends could not overshadow the obstacles that she encountered.

 

One morning, Salma went to her work as usual and when she entered the office she found an envelope on her desk. The letter inside told her that her services were no longer required and that she was fired from her work. Salma had been working and serving the Sudanese community for seventeen years in the same position. She felt that she had been treated unfairly, ungratefully by being dismissed from a job that she had dedicated her life to. Later she learned that the real reason behind her dismissal was because the government suspected her of political interference in their affairs.

 

Salma felt very exacerbated and decided to leave the office at once without discussing the incident with anyone or asking for her rights as an employee with seniority. She felt really angry for being treated with such disrespect but decided it was better to forget about it and move on with her life. It was difficult to leave a job that occupied a good part of her life, but being by nature a survivor and a woman with a positive mental attitude she kept busy with various activities, including textile work. However, the people around her started gossiping about rumors of her political interference and they treated Salma with suspicion, as if she were a traitor. Finally, with a college degree in her hand, a substantial work experience on her record, Salma who was now in her fifties, decided to leave Sudan, family and friends for good and come to Canada as a refugee.

 

The journey from Sudan to Canada was a hard and exhausting thirteen hours by plane; however, the excitement of sharing a new life in a new place, different culture and environment and new people was overwhelming and made the hardship bearable. When the plane landed in Toronto’s International Airport, she could barely contain herself to get off the plane and start discovering this new city which seemed so clean, so organized and so pleasant.

 

Salma arrived in Toronto in the summer time, so everything was green – the grass, the trees, the flowers were all so fascinating and the weather was warm, but not like the stifling desert heat of the Sudan. Since the Sudan is a very hot and dry country, the Sudanese landscape tends to be predominantly brown and beige, whereas nature in Toronto was filled with beautiful vibrant colors and walking the streets of the city by itself proved to be a wonderful new experience, filled with fascinating discoveries. A whole new world had been introduced to her, and Salma was filled with awe and curiosity.

 

As the days and weeks passed, Salma began getting used to the city and she learned how to use the public transportation system, go shopping and get her weekly grocery needs. The fact that she spoke English helped a great deal and she even made new friends. However, the first year proved to be a great challenge for Salma, since finding a job was very difficult and her initial excitement about this new land subsided. Things were not as easy as they appeared and a lot of effort was required to actually make it in this new place called Canada.

 

They say that time heals, and time also teaches. Salma gradually became familiar with her new environment and she realized that there are many opportunities if one knows the right people and where to look. She began helping women who could not communicate in English by going with them to various places including government agencies and serving as an interpreter. Eventually, she was able to derive her livelihood from this undertaking. It actually helps a great deal to speak the language of the host country as this makes getting around and finding a job much easier. Many immigrants who come to Canada without having knowledge of English, feel as if they are completely out of it and even experience a feeling of personal inadequacy. Salma was fortunate to have, in a manner of speaking, the keys to the city, that is, she spoke, read and wrote English.

 

Salma’s advice to newcomers and immigrants to Canada is to stay together and be united, to be strong and to struggle, act as a family and use the opportunity that has been given to them by working hard to achieve their goals and maximize their achievements in life. It is always difficult when a person has to start a new life, but at least in Canada, one can make it and live a comfortable life that is relatively peaceful and safe.