When the first Syrian refugees arrived in North Bay last January, they experienced bitter cold like they had never felt before. Northern Ontarians often view the frigid winter months as the trade-off for a relaxing holiday season, and this year North Bay's refugee families will experience their first white Christmas.
At a luncheon held Friday at the Laurentian Learning Centre, students from South Korea, China and Syria, all eager to learn English as a second language, brought traditional dishes to school in a melting pot Christmas celebration.
Melanie McVeety leads the program and along with several volunteers, navigates the tricky task of teaching a new language to students of varying ages, backgrounds and exposure to English.
Friday was a day to learn about Canadian holiday culture, putting religious affiliation aside while enjoying a lavish spread of homemade delectables prepared by classmates.
Santa Claus paid a visit, a rousing rendition of the Twelve Days of Christmas was sung (complete with instructional gestures), and a Secret Santa gift exchange took place.
Ibrahim Jabr, though a practicing Muslim, indicated that while living in Syria, his family observed their faith's traditional holidays, as well as Christmas with their neighbours and friends.
Jabr said, in what McVeety termed as rapidly improving English, that most holidays have the same principles, no matter the religion: family, friends, a spirit of giving, and togetherness.
Jabr also expressed his family's gratitude, as he has done before, to Canadians for opening their hearts to the Syrian refugees. He continued, saying that with their homeland torn by war, and all of their earthly possessions destroyed, the transition to life in Canada has been made more smooth by the warmth and acceptance the family has experienced in North Bay.
The Jabr family, as well as the other refugee families, are excited to celebrate a traditional Canadian white Christmas as members of their new community.