New citizens take the oath

BY WENDY SMITH

It hasn’t been an easy road for Maged Wahba and his wife Isis Abdou.

In some ways, their struggles are familiar to a lot of parents. Living in a cramped apartment for three years, trying to find a daycare for the kids, Abdou clocking in 70-hour work weeks at two jobs to help support the family.

On top of all of that, the Egyptian couple also had to adjust to a different country, with its own set of customs, languages — and weather.

But the Dollard des Ormeaux residents, who became full-fledged Canadian citizens at a swearing-in ceremony July 1, have no regrets.

“We came to Canada to have the best future for our kids,” said Wahba, while waiting to be sworn in by Judge George Springate at Pointe Claire’s Stewart Hall.

Challenged by rapid population growth and limited land and water resources, Egypt has recently been criticized by several international human rights organizations for its personal status laws, which Human Rights Watch alleges disadvantage women. According to UNICEF, between 200,000 and 1 million homeless children live in the country.

Abdou says she loves her country and always will, but chose Canada, where two of her sisters were already living, because it was the best possible place to raise her three children, aged 8 to 15.

“The rules are very good here and people have respect for everything; we missed these things in our country.”

One sister, a Dollard des Ormeaux resident, helped them to get settled.

Still, there were challenges.

“When you’re 40 years old and you’ve lived in another country all your life, you don’t know the rules. You don’t know anything about anything,” said Abdou.

“Now we’re finally here.”

Wahba and Abdou weren’t the only ones celebrating their newly acquired citizenship.

“I am proud,” said South Korean-born Chulhwan Oh, beaming widely.

Six years ago, Oh, his wife and his two children left the bustling metropolis of Seoul, population 12 million, to settle in Pointe Claire, a comparatively quieter city with a population hovering around 30,000.

For Oh, the change of pace has been a welcome one. “South Korea is very speedy place. It’s a big city, very complex. I think this is a safer, slower nation.”

The public-transportation system here might be a little too slow for Oh’s teenage son Eric, who remarked, “The bus is never on time,” he does enjoy the emphasis on sports in the West Island, particularly soccer.

By enrolling their daughter in activities like soccer, Sonia Adshead-Farey and her husband Robert Farey were able to meet people and smooth the transition to a new country where they had no family and knew no one when they first moved here in 2002.

“The hardest part was the not knowing,” said Adshead-Farey, who came to Canada from Britain because of a job transfer. “Not knowing about the health system, not knowing the surrounding areas, not having a network.”

Now settled in St. Lazare after renting accommodation in Pointe Claire for several years, Adshead-Farey loves where she lives. “It’s very safe for children, very family-focused.”

Ray Shanks, a train-control engineer from Scotland now living in Dollard des Ormeaux, agrees.

“The West Island is a great place to raise a family,” he said, adding that having “a Tim Hortons on every corner” is also a bonus.

After the swearing-in ceremony was over, the 38 new Canadians trickled into the reception area and spilled onto the front lawn, mingling with local politicians and toasting to their new status.

Wahba paused briefly before leaving with his family to weigh in on the best part about becoming a Canadian citizen.

“Being able to vote in the elections,” he said without hesitation.