There were a lot of reasons that led my mother to move to Canada. The first  and not the least is due to a primordial need to feel safe. Indeed, in 1973 despite her very young age, she lived the war of Yom Kippur*. This war, despite the fact that it lasts 18 days, remains a trauma when you have lived it. Arriving here, she immediately felt safe.

Her arrival in Canada also demonstrates an important value that she has, that is, the family. Her father wanted more than anything for his family to move to Canada to have better living conditions. It was his dream. As a father of three children, he didn't have the money to achieve his dream. That's why my mother decided to realize this dream for him. This required many sacrifices, including abandoning one of her own dreams. Coming out of university she had the choice of teaching in the field of fine arts, but preferred to make a loved one's dream come true. Even if she has no regrets, the move here was not very easy.

In addition to having given up her dream in Egypt, she had  to do it here too. Given the rent, food and other basic needs, she did not have the money to return to school to validate her Egyptian diplomas. So she decided to take care of herself through small jobs. As soon as she arrived here, she noticed an incredible phenomenon. The woman has far more rights here than in Egypt*. That was one of the reasons her father wanted her to come here. Indeed, the place of women in Egypt was not a terrific subject, but quite different to notice the difference.

After counting a lot of sacrifices, my mother decided a few years ago, once having attained a rather stable family life, to return to school. With her academic talents, in less than a year she was able to acquire a diploma as an early childhood educator. This job she chose it because she had spent several years taking care of me and my brother almost full time. She wanted to make sure that other young people like us had the chance to have a good education from a very young age.

That's what makes my mother my human. All these sacrifices have formed the person she is today, that is to say, a persevering person, open-minded, who always puts the needs of others before her own.

*About Yom Kippur War:

Opposed, from 6 October to 24 October 1973, Israel to a coalition led by Egypt and Syria.

*About women in Egypt:

It's not a really bad situation, but some of them rights came way longer after the men's one. For example, women in Egypt got the right to vote only in 1955.

Tétreault, Joëlle. Entrevue avec Mme Victorine Chakhtoura, éducatrice pour la petite enfance, 1er avril 2017, dans le cadre d'un travail en Monde/Anglais au Collège de l'Assomption.

Here’s the story of my grandfather which I always thought was amazing. Born in 1938, Raynald was the youngest of the family. He lived with his 2 brothers and 3 sisters. He had a tough childhood when his father left to join the Canadian military forces during World War II. His family was forced to live without him and tried to continue their lives by themselves. Raynald grew up as a shy little boy who never really had a male presence at home. His mom, Blanche, was really there for him and he’s really thankful that she was strong enough to raise her children alone. In 1945, nine months before the end of the war, his father died of tuberculosis, leaving his family alone for good. The next five years were really difficult for them, his mother went into a depression and one of his brothers killed himself because of the situation. He helped his mother the best he could and she finally recovered 2 years after. That’s when Raynald knew he needed a fresh start. He decided at the age of 18 to apply at Nicolet’s national police school inspired by the dedication of his father and that’s where he worked for next the next 40 years. During this period of time, he met his wife, Louise Deveault, and had two little boys, Martin and Maxim Sylvestre. They needed to move to different cities a lot of time, which has been difficult for the little boys at this time. Raynald promised to himself that he would never let down his family because he knew what it was like to raise alone a family and the consequence that came with it and that’s what I find so inspiring about him.

Sylvestre, Sandrine. Entrevue avec M. Raynald Sylvestre, retraité, le samedi 1er avril 2017, dans le cadre d’un travail en Monde/Anglais au Collège de l’Assomption.

 It's my dad, Stéphan Pichette from Legardeur, Québec. He was born in April 1976, he's now 40 years old. He works at "Couverture Montréal Nord" since 23 years. At sixteen years old, he decided to drop out school to went in the labor market. When he was a young adult, he met a woman named Cindy Mallette. A few years later, she was his wife and they had two beautiful girls. We had the portrait of the perfect family. On the other hand, after the death of his wife and his children's mother, he was completely lost. Still today, Stéphan have difficulty to live without her. He must take care of his children as best he can. He is extremely persistent and patient with us and I know that it's not easy to take care of two girls. Then, he can do his best to provide for us. He receives therefore an orphan's pension. Thanks to this pension if he can take care of us without difficulty. This orphan's pension was established in the 1960s by Jean Lesage's government. So, my father will receives an money's amount per month for each children until we have eighteen years old. This pension change my father's life because we would not be at the same place without this. 

I am very happy to have him in my life beaucause he showing me how to grow up with assurance. I'm so proud of him! He overcame so much hardship in his life and he know how to pass these with the smile. This is what makes him my HUMAN. 

Pichette, Marie-Ève. Entrevue avec M. Stéphan Pichette, employer chez Couverture Montréal Nord, le jeudi 30 mars 2017, dans le cadre d'un travail en Monde/Anglais au Collège de L'Assomption.

Pedneault, Sarah-Maude. Entrevue avec Mme Véronique Leblond, femme à la retraite, 7 avril 2017, dans le cadre d'un travail en Monde/Anglais au Collège de l'Assomption.

What intrigued me about him is that he is doing benevolat for kids who's playing baseball about 6 hours per week, even if he knows nobody. I asked him why he was doing this, and he said that he wanted the young to be better at baseball and make them appreciate this sport. He also said that baseball is a passion for him. He thinks baseball can teach a philosophy : « Baseball is like life: if you do not work enough, you will gain nothing».He says to always follow your dreams.  I'm proud that he his my human.

Lesage,Samuel. Interview with Miss Noémie Lesage, April 7th 2017, in the context of a Monde/Anglais project at Collège de L'Assomption.

My sister, Pascale Gélinas, is 22 years old. She is now a nurse and pursues her studying at Université de Laval in Quebec. Since I was born, she is the biggest role model I have. Not just because she is kind to everyone and that she shares her happiness and joy of life every time she goes somewhere, but also because she doesn’t just talk about the things that she could do to change unfair things in life. She actually takes the time and all the energy she has to help people. My sister is only 22 years old and helps people everyday through her job. She also has done two internships in only one year in disadvantaged countries as a nurse. She and her group took care of a lot of people who really needed help and who couldn’t afford seeing a doctor. When she talks about her journeys, she is always shaken and sad to say how much these people don’t live with the same reality as us and that we are so lucky to live in Quebec. This made me realise that there is a lot of injustice and inequality that shows a big disparity between a lot of countries. Her devotion in life inspires me so much and I am so proud to have the chance to be her sister. That and many other reasons encouraged me to choose her as my human! 

Gauthier, Ariane. Entrevue avec Pascale Gélinas, infirmière, 8 avril 2017, dans le cadre du projet anglais/monde au collège de L'Assomption. 

Coallier, Emmy. Entrevue avec M. Patrice Lapierre, retraité, 1er avril 2017, dans le cadre d’un travail en Monde/Anglais au Collège de l’Assomption. 

What surprised me most was the fact that she had to get married quickly and had to put aside her career dreams. My great grandfather and my great grandmother had met earlier and when  World War II in 1939 took place, they began to feel the pressure. The army began with the unmarried men and as my great grandfather did not want to go in this battle, they decided to marry earlier. Many couples turned to this alternative and this phenomenon appeared under the name of "Race to marriage". They got married quickly and began to have children. Their first child was born in 1941. Subsequently, five more children arrived. 

This event had radically change the life of my great grandmother. Her dream was to be a teacher, but because of this unexpected decision, she could never have become a teacher. In short, even if some obstacles have arisen, she has succeeded to transmit some important values ​​to these children and will become a housewife with tremendous patience and unconditional love.

Bouchard, Naomie. Interview with Mrs Rollande Jetté, April 2nd 2017, in the context of a Monde/Anglais project at Collège de L'Assomption.

Arsenault, Marianne, entrevue avec Vincent B. ,Le dimanche le 2 avril 2017, dans le cadre d'un projet en Monde Contemporain/Anglais au collège de l'Assomption

Angers, Loriann. Entrevue avec Mme Diane Tremblay, retraitée, le lundi 3 avril 2017, dans le cadre d'un travail en Monde contemporain/Anglais au Collège de l'Assomption