TORONTO — There were tears, tight embraces and beaming smiles as newly arrived Syrian refugees united Friday with the Canadians who helped bring them to the country.
Some of the refugees who arrived in Toronto on the first government flight late Thursday were picked up from a hotel where they spent the night by family members and other Canadians who privately sponsored them.
Others loaded suitcases into buses bound for a community centre where they were expected to meet up with their private sponsors.
READ MORE: First planeload of Syrian refugees land on Canadian soil
“Welcome, welcome to Canada,” said Hannah Bytion, as she repeatedly embraced her sister, who she last saw five years ago.
“We’re going to party, dance, eat and talk too much,” she said of the family’s plan for their first day in Canada. “I don’t let her go, that’s it, she’s stuck.”
Bytion’s sister, speaking through a translator, called Canada “the best country in the world.”
A similar scene played out as Jessica Farhat reunited with her uncle and aunt, who she last saw in 2013.
READ MORE: Ontario sponsors cheer arrival of Syrian refugee families at Toronto airport
“They’ve been having a very hard time there so we wanted them to have a good start here in Canada since all dreams come true here,” she said. “We’re so happy to see them.”
Farhat said her aunt and uncle had been living in Damascus but were forced to leave after life in the city got too dangerous.
“It’s like a Christmas gift to us,” she said of their arrival.
Farhat’s uncle, Sahak Nakazian, held a bouquet of red and white flowers as he and his wife prepared to leave for their niece’s home in Mississauga, Ont.
“I feel great,” he said. “The most important thing is that Canada is a very safe country and we are very happy that we are here.”
Some refugees had to wait a little longer before heading to their new homes.
Sarkis Jenanian got on a bus bearing a “Welcome to Canada” sign that was headed for an Armenian community centre that sponsored more than 90 of the 163 Syrian refugees that arrived Thursday.
READ MORE: As Canada welcomes Syrians, other refugees still lack health care
There he hoped to be able to meet his uncle, who was his sponsor, before heading to St. Catharines, Ont., where he looked forward to beginning a new chapter.
“It’s like a miracle,” the 29-year-old said. “It’s my dream and the dream has come true.”
Jenanian, who fled the war-torn Syrian city of Aleppo with his mother, said he had to leave the country because life had simply become far too dangerous.
READ MORE: 5 challenges faced by Syrian refugees arriving in Canada
“You want to go to job but you can’t because you’re afraid, because bomb comes,” he said. “Your friends pass away. You always afraid, you always nervous.”
Now that he’s in Canada, Jenanian said he hopes to improve his English and get a steady job.
“I will work hard,” he said. “There’s many things you can do, there’s many chances. You build your future better.”
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