I’ve been riding my bike to work since the spring. These days though, with fall more closely resembling winter, I’m a little surprised with myself that I’m still going. (I can do it, I can do it!!) However, for some reason or another, in the past 3 weeks I have chosen to take the bus twice. The lovely happenings that transpired on the two separate occasions are the inspiration for today’s blog posting:)
On bus ride #1, I was the lucky recipient of the world’s warmest and brightest smile. Dazzling, sincere, and awesome - it was love at first sight for this little ray of sunshine!
At the bus stop, 2-3 weeks later, prior to ride #2, there stood this lovely ray of sunshine shimmery and smily again! Lit up and blissed out, I obey my heart’s command and strike up conversation with her. Through chat while waiting for the bus and then while on the bus, here’s what I learn: Naydele is a grade 11 student who moved to Calgary 7 years ago. She moved here with her parents from a refugee camp in Sudan where her older brother still resides. Calgary is very cold compared to dry, dusty, dessert-like Sudan. Naydele enjoys school and is thankful for the Canadian government for paying for it for her. She wants to be a surgeon someday and then hopes to return to her country to help her people. I shared with Naydele the reason I felt so compelled to speak with her, and thankfully so, as in return she blessed me with the world’s warmest hug! My new friend is a very special individual. She could light up a city with that mega-watt smile. I told her to keep on smiling. I hope she does.
At work that day, I just couldn’t take my mind off of Naydele. What was life like for her and her family in a refugee camp in Sudan? What sorts of struggles had they been through or paid witness to? What was the immigration process like for them? Is it right for me to assume they are of the lucky few that get to become residents of this country? And, how did they get selected? What is her brother’s life like? What is Naydele’s life like? Do her parents have a sustainable income? As immigrants, what are some of the challenges they face in a country that is not native to them?
The culture of the Sudanese and the answers to these questions, are topics I hope to educate myself on - thanks to Naydele.
Prior to meeting Naydele, an African country that has been occupying a piece of my mind for some time now is Somalia, not far from Sudan. Reason behind this is Amanda Lindhout. Amanda, I’ve just learned, is my hero.
Amanda Lindhout, an Alberta native and freelance journalist, spent 15 months hostage in Somalia. Shackled with chains around her ankles, all alone in a pitch black room, forbidden to move and forced to lie down, and having endured every type of abuse imaginable, Amanda survived. One year ago this month, her supporters paid a ransom and she was set free. Does she look back in anger? The answer is no, not at all. In Amanda’s darkest moment she came to understand something of her captors’ lives – they were victims themselves, their suffering was greater than her own. They had known nothing but conflict and war from the time they were born. They had never been given opportunities – like an education. In that moment, Amanda vowed if she ever got out alive, she would do her part to make Somalia a better place. Since her return to Canada, she’s proved her commitment. Please visit her site: http://globalenrichmentfoundation.com/
At the bus stop, 2-3 weeks later, prior to ride #2, there stood this lovely ray of sunshine shimmery and smily again! Lit up and blissed out, I obey my heart’s command and strike up conversation with her. Through chat while waiting for the bus and then while on the bus, here’s what I learn: Naydele is a grade 11 student who moved to Calgary 7 years ago. She moved here with her parents from a refugee camp in Sudan where her older brother still resides. Calgary is very cold compared to dry, dusty, dessert-like Sudan. Naydele enjoys school and is thankful for the Canadian government for paying for it for her. She wants to be a surgeon someday and then hopes to return to her country to help her people. I shared with Naydele the reason I felt so compelled to speak with her, and thankfully so, as in return she blessed me with the world’s warmest hug! My new friend is a very special individual. She could light up a city with that mega-watt smile. I told her to keep on smiling. I hope she does.
At work that day, I just couldn’t take my mind off of Naydele. What was life like for her and her family in a refugee camp in Sudan? What sorts of struggles had they been through or paid witness to? What was the immigration process like for them? Is it right for me to assume they are of the lucky few that get to become residents of this country? And, how did they get selected? What is her brother’s life like? What is Naydele’s life like? Do her parents have a sustainable income? As immigrants, what are some of the challenges they face in a country that is not native to them?
The culture of the Sudanese and the answers to these questions, are topics I hope to educate myself on - thanks to Naydele.
Prior to meeting Naydele, an African country that has been occupying a piece of my mind for some time now is Somalia, not far from Sudan. Reason behind this is Amanda Lindhout. Amanda, I’ve just learned, is my hero.
Amanda Lindhout, an Alberta native and freelance journalist, spent 15 months hostage in Somalia. Shackled with chains around her ankles, all alone in a pitch black room, forbidden to move and forced to lie down, and having endured every type of abuse imaginable, Amanda survived. One year ago this month, her supporters paid a ransom and she was set free. Does she look back in anger? The answer is no, not at all. In Amanda’s darkest moment she came to understand something of her captors’ lives – they were victims themselves, their suffering was greater than her own. They had known nothing but conflict and war from the time they were born. They had never been given opportunities – like an education. In that moment, Amanda vowed if she ever got out alive, she would do her part to make Somalia a better place. Since her return to Canada, she’s proved her commitment. Please visit her site: http://globalenrichmentfoundation.com/
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