Living a Hyphenated Life
Sayruk Farah
When I first met Sayruk Farah, she was wearing the traditional Somali outfit as a way of preserving her sense of identity and keeping in close touch with her cultural background.
Sayruk was born in Somalia in 1951 and spent her childhood in Hurguso, a time filled with happiness and good memories. Unfortunately, the civil war in Somalia erupted and the good, relatively peaceful days came to an abrupt end. In 1989, she made the very difficult decision of coming to Canada. It was difficult for many reasons. The first one being that her husband had passed away and she had to face life in a totally new culture and country on her own. The second reason was that Sayruk had grown up in Somalia, had family and friends, and at the mature age of 38, it was not easy for Sayruk to uproot herself from familiar surroundings and people who were dear to her in order to face the unknown. However, her decision was final and there was no looking back, since the Somalia she grew up and loved no longer existed.
Sayruk says that at first she did not like Canada – the cold weather, the great distances one had to travel to get anywhere, the extreme sense of privacy that Canadians value so much and the fact that for a great part of the year people were not seen walking on the streets, whereas in Somalia because of the warm weather, life was lived on the streets and personal privacy was not a concept that Somalis highly valued. As time passed Saryuk became used to living here and her impressions about Canada changed to the better.
She socializes with Somali Canadian families who have similar cultural values and does not really mingle with other ethnic groups. Sayruk feels that her strong will and perseverance have been essential for her to make it in Canada and establish herself despite all odds. She also believes that self-confidence, strong will, and determination to overcome all possible obstacles, have been the main reason behind her ability to overcome the sometimes insurmountable challenges which face newcomers. In addition to her unwavering determination, persistence and her knowledge of the English language, was the fact that the Canadian system has a great deal of agencies and organizations which help facilitate the transition process for new immigrants.
Sayruk was fortunate to come to Canada at a time when this country had firmly established itself as multicultural society and there already was in place ample institutions which were created for the sole purpose of helping newcomers. Furthermore, the existence of a Somali community helped Sayruk feel that she had a support system and that she was not alone in her struggle.
Eventually Sayruk learned the rules of the game and was able to find a good job and support herself and her family. She was able to integrate into Canadian society and adapted herself to the new culture in many ways. However, if something was in total contradiction to her Somali culture, she would keep away from it. She was able to strike a harmonious balance between being a Somali and living in Canada.
At the moment Sayruk considers Canada home but she misses the hot Somali weather, with its clear evening skies and scintillating stars. She also misses her extended family and friends with the active social life that these lead to. Sayruk says that before the war in Somalia, life there was much less stressful than it is in Canada. Here, we are always worrying about so many little details and life in an affluent country can be very complicated because people’s expectations are much higher and a person always wants more than they have. She feels that in Canada materialism has won over spirituality and this is why some social events and holidays sadden her because she cannot seem to be able to find many people who share her simple and down-to-earth enjoyment of those days.
Sayruk still believes that Canada has taught her a lot, for instance, she now has more respect for others regardless of their ethnic or religious background and she has learned to give to those in need. She feels that in many ways her life is better because of the peace and stability that this country has to offer to newcomers. As far as her goals are concerned, she is satisfied that all have been achieved and this has positively affected her family. Her advice to the young is to engage in community work and to help those who are less fortunate. Sayruk’s advice to newcomers is to seek help since there are numerous agencies which were primarily created for this purpose.
At the present, Sayruk feels fulfilled. She is one of thousands of hyphenated Canadians who make this nation so unique and so vibrant. She rarely thinks of visiting Somalia now because it is so far and terribly unstable, but memories of her native homeland will forever be engraved in Sayruk’s mind.