“It was a Monday afternoon, the sun was shining and the weather was breezy, and before my eyes was a small but exquisite house. I was immediately greeted by Frishta. Frishta was a new immigrant from Afghanistan that worked as an Immigration Officer at United Nations. However, Frishta was not just a regular Immigration Officer, her job was to assist refugees that are seeking asylum in Afghanistan. Lulu also came into the conversation to greet us. Lulu was a new immigrant from Mexico and she had an office job back in Sonora, Mexico. Although both Frishta and Lulu had already successfully immigrated to Canada, both of their families were still back in their countries, including Frishta’s two sons.
As an immigrant myself, I came from Taiwan just four years ago, I was blessed enough to have my whole family here to support each other through the toughest times of our lives. So it is hard to imagine what Frishta and Lulu must be going through without their families here. However, they were not alone as God was still beside them throughout the entire process. He guided Mrs. Lund to organize this amazing community outreach opportunity for me and others to deliver some sacs of soup, made by our Foods and Nutrition 10 class. Then, to meet Frishta and Lulu and to help make their “fresh off the boat” life a small bit easier, and to learn more about their incredible stories.
After the visit, it reminded me of my family’s struggle when we first came to Canada, including the search for jobs and the stress we were constantly under as we were unfamiliar with everything in our new life. As hard as those days were, it also reminded me of God’s blessings as He guided us through the grind and helped us to become the successful immigrants we are today.”
De Ren J, 10A
