It has been nine months since the Halabi family first arrived from Syria to their snowy new home in Montreal’s Saint-Laurent borough.
Like any typical family, dinner time can be a little chaotic.
“No, no touch!” yells Hiba Halabi as her son dips his little fingers into the dessert.
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Seconds later, Abigail Jacob, the head of the family’s sponsoring company can be heard: “careful,” she gently suggests as the boy stretches to reach for a plate while on the edge of his chair.
Crazy, yes; loud, absolutely – but the Halabis wouldn’t have it any other way.
As chaotic as it can be in their Montreal apartment, it is nothing compared to the life they escaped in Syria.
“They are very happy, they are appreciating everything,” said Nabil Derhali, a friend who is acting as a translator for the family.
Jamal Halabi and his wife, Hiba, are studying French, and say they know it’s the gateway to their dreams.
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Jamal dreams of opening up his own barber shop; for now, his five-year-old son, Ahmed, is his biggest client.
Hiba aspires to open up a restaurant where she can share her Syrian delicacies.
Prior to Global News’ arrival, she had baked muffins, steamed cabbage rolls and whipped up rice pudding.
“We’ve always thought we need to do something to get more people to know that she’s such a great cook,” Jacob said.
“So, we decided to do this pop up restaurant in our house.”
The money raised will help finance the Halabi family’s sponsorship as they only have four months to go until they’re on their own.
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“They know that they need to work for what they want to become,” Derhali translates.
He continues: they want to become a family with a future, one without fear or bombings.
With the toughest of times behind them, the family said they finally believe they are in a place where truly anything is possibly.
“Inshallah,” Hiba says as she smiles, which means God willing.
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