Dr. Barbara Harsanyi’s distinguished dental career in Halifax began when she came here in 1970 as an assistant professor in oral pathology, the study of the nature and causes of oral disease. She retired from Dalhousie’s Faculty of Dentistry 25 years later as a full professor, having taught students in … Read more
“Maybe a little bit brave and a little bit stupid,” says Sreejata Chatterjee, laughingly describing her move from her home of Calcutta, India, to Halifax in 2002. She was 18 and traveled with an old friend, but no family. It turned out to be a wise decision as Sreejata is … Read more
Refuge in Canada has worked out well for Jomeh Khan Fazeli, his wife Mah Gol, and their family. “This is a good country,” says Jomeh. “We are happy here.” Life before Canada was difficult. Because of war in his native Afghanistan, Jomeh fled to Pakistan on foot. “I was 16 … Read more
In one of Samson Zeremariam’s first phone calls home to Eritrea, his father declared Canada must be colder than his own freezer. Samson laughs now, but he didn’t find it funny then. While language is the major barrier for most refugees, for him it has always been the weather. Samson … Read more
In 1999 Bedrije Rexhepi left war-torn Kosovo, with her husband and six children aged 8 to 18, to come to Canada for just a few months. She’s still here, operating a hair salon and doting over her grandchildren. A brutal civil war pushed them from their homes to a refugee … Read more
Mohamed Yaffa couldn’t have predicted he would be Coordinator of Diversity and Social Inclusion at Capital Health in Halifax. Having studied linguistics in Malta, he hoped to work at the Foreign Office of Sierra Leone. But instead, Mohamed, his pregnant wife Fatima, and three-year-old son, fled his country’s brutal civil … Read more
After three years in Canada Floralba Mosquera was looking forward to a trip to her native Colombia. But tragedy struck when her husband Olmedo, a cabdriver, died in a car accident. “It’s been four years, but I’m still grieving,” she says, adding that in time she will go back to … Read more
Soulafa Al-Abbasi is the kind of young person Nova Scotia needs – passionate, educated and ambitious. She is committed to staying here but must explain this frequently to former classmates who left to work elsewhere. Why has she chosen to stay? “It’s the passion, resilience, determination, and creativity that young … Read more
When Alex Atiol was a student in Sudan, he learned that Canada was the “world fishing ground.” In 1993 he arrived here on a World University Services Canada (WUSC) sponsorship. “Other than that I didn’t know much,” he says, chuckling. Today the affable and committed Alex is well informed, as … Read more
Carmen Celina Moncayo was a community psychologist in her native Colombia before coming to Canada, where she uses those skills as Community Wellness Program Coordinator at ISANS. A highlight of her work was the recent community mental health assessment. “I was so touched by the stories – in terms of … Read more
A search for adventure brought Huiling Zhuang, along with her husband and baby Shuya, to Canada from her home in Qingdao, China, in 2003. “We were young. We just wanted to try new things and new opportunities.” She and her husband, then both 28, studied English for two months in … Read more
Nimfa Bautista has over 16 years experience in the field of hospitality. Originally from the Philippines, she immigrated to Nova Scotia with her husband, a graphic designer, and their son in August of 2010. They learned about Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia while still in Manila through the Canadian … Read more