Ed, you should see her now

Joe Fiorito
Friday, December 21, 2007

Her travel began four years ago, when she was in her teens. Her parents died in Somalia during the war. In order to avoid an arranged marriage to an elder – the man already had several wives – she was spirited out of the country and into the United States by an uncle. From there she was given a bus ticket that pointed north.

Salma walked across the Peace Bridge late one night, alone in the cold, wearing sandals and a cotton dress against the wintery weather. We sent her back that night, but we took her in the next day.

Since then, she has graduated from Emery Adult Learning Centre, where she improved her English and earned enough credits to get into college. She will graduate next year as a registered nurse.

I went to see her the other day at a federal government building on Dundas at Kipling. She was there to get her citizenship. That's what I meant when I said her travels were over.

Home is here, now.

I hadn't seen her for a couple of years. I wasn't sure I'd recognize her. Then I noticed a young woman in front of a citizenship and immigration plaque; she had just asked a passerby to snap her photo. And I saw that smile; Salma, no doubt about it.

How has she been?

She said, "Oh, I've moved house several times, going from place to place, but I've managed. I've been doing nursing jobs in hospitals and homes, anything I can do."

How's school?

She began to talk, non-stop, breathless, optimistic.

"I was on the dean's list last month. I'm really very happy. Today's my day. It's been tough but good things always come if you work hard every day.

"I think back; there were a lot of things in my way. You know, that day on the bridge I wished I didn't come. I wished my uncle hadn't asked me to leave. I wished I was still in Somalia. Did I know all the things in store for me? No. But keeping the faith will keep you moving."

Has she spoken to her uncle?

"My uncle doesn't have a phone. The town has a walkie-talkie. To talk to him, I have to make an appointment, and then he has to come." An unspoken loneliness in her eyes; will she go back for a visit?

"When I graduate I will go back. It's still not safe. Perhaps one day I can sponsor my uncle."

I hope so.

How is she managing her tuition?

"I have a Millennium Bursary. The first year I had a scholarship from the Maytree Foundation. For the second, third and fourth years I have been getting scholarships. I'm doing really well."

She also got a little lump of money one year from Honest Ed, who was in the habit of giving grants to newcomers. Ed, you should see her now.

The room where the citizenship ceremony took place was full to overflowing. Salma sat up straight, looked around the room and said, "I've made friends with all kinds of people; Filipinos, Pakistanis, I have friends from every group."

There were 98 people from 36 countries getting their citizenship that morning; after the ceremony, Salma stood among them, posed for a few photos, ate a red-and-white government cupcake, drank a cup of coffee courtesy of Tim's and said, "Now I have to go to work. I have a job in the Health Sciences lab at Humber. It helps me survive. I have exams to prepare for. And I have a job interview coming up." Journey over?

Just beginning.

Joe Fiorito usually appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Email: [email protected]

Source: Toronto Star, Dec 21, 2007