{"id":581,"date":"2015-12-01T16:30:06","date_gmt":"2015-12-01T21:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/thejunction\/?p=581"},"modified":"2015-12-01T16:52:57","modified_gmt":"2015-12-01T21:52:57","slug":"finding-refuge-in-ottawa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/thejunction\/2015\/12\/01\/finding-refuge-in-ottawa\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding refuge in Ottawa"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>From Damascus to Beirut, Edmonton to Ottawa, Rasha has spent the past three years running away from violence.<\/p>\n<p>But on this Sunday morning in late November she is home, safe in the warm apartment she shares with her fianc\u00e9 Arturo in Lincoln Heights.<\/p>\n<div class=\"flexslider ewic-slider-lite is_on_\" id=\"ewic-con-69269d5cbe173b0e\"><style>#ewic-con-69269d5cbe173b0e .flex-direction-nav .flex-next, #ewic-con-69269d5cbe173b0e .flex-direction-nav .flex-prev {opacity: 1;} #ewic-con-69269d5cbe173b0e .flex-direction-nav .flex-next {right: 10px !important; text-align: right !important;} #ewic-con-69269d5cbe173b0e .flex-direction-nav .flex-prev {left: 10px !important;}<\/style><div id=\"preloader-69269d5cbe173b0e\" class=\"sliderpreloader\"><\/div><ul style=\"display:none;\" class=\"slides flexslider-69269d5cbe173b0e\"><li class=\"ewic-slider\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/thejunction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/COSSETTE-Rasha-002.jpg\" title=\"Stopped at a red light, Rasha looks to her fianc\u00e9 Arturo from the passenger seat of his car. She says she loves to go for long drives, often without any destination in mind. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette\" rel=\"ewicprettyPhoto[69269d5cbe173b0e]\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Stopped at a red light, Rasha looks to her fianc\u00e9 Arturo from the passenger seat of his car. She says she loves to go for long drives, often without any destination in mind. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette\" class=\"ewic-wid-imgs\" src=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/thejunction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/COSSETTE-Rasha-002.jpg\" \/><p class=\"flex-caption\">Stopped at a red light, Rasha looks to her fianc\u00e9 Arturo from the passenger seat of his car. She says she loves to go for long drives, often without any destination in mind. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette<\/p><\/a><\/li><li class=\"ewic-slider\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/thejunction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/COSSETTE-Rasha-001.jpg\" title=\"A nametag bearing Rasha&#039;s name hangs from the rear-view mirror of her fianc\u00e9 Arturo&#039;s car. Rasha made the nametag at an event organized by the YMCA in Ottawa to celebrate World Refugee Day this past June 20. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette\" rel=\"ewicprettyPhoto[69269d5cbe173b0e]\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"A nametag bearing Rasha&#039;s name hangs from the rear-view mirror of her fianc\u00e9 Arturo&#039;s car. Rasha made the nametag at an event organized by the YMCA in Ottawa to celebrate World Refugee Day this past June 20. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette\" class=\"ewic-wid-imgs\" src=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/thejunction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/COSSETTE-Rasha-001.jpg\" \/><p class=\"flex-caption\">A nametag bearing Rasha&#039;s name hangs from the rear-view mirror of her fianc\u00e9 Arturo&#039;s car. Rasha made the nametag at an event organized by the YMCA in Ottawa to celebrate World Refugee Day this past June 20. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette<\/p><\/a><\/li><li class=\"ewic-slider\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/thejunction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/COSSETTE-Rasha-003.jpg\" title=\"Rasha holds Arturo&#039;s hand while out for a drive. Recently engaged, Rasha says they plan to get married next April, after the winter. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette\" rel=\"ewicprettyPhoto[69269d5cbe173b0e]\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Rasha holds Arturo&#039;s hand while out for a drive. Recently engaged, Rasha says they plan to get married next April, after the winter. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette\" class=\"ewic-wid-imgs\" src=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/thejunction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/COSSETTE-Rasha-003.jpg\" \/><p class=\"flex-caption\">Rasha holds Arturo&#039;s hand while out for a drive. Recently engaged, Rasha says they plan to get married next April, after the winter. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette<\/p><\/a><\/li><li class=\"ewic-slider\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/thejunction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/COSSETTE-Rasha-004.jpg\" title=\"Careful to hide her last name, Rasha points to the sign announcing that she and Arturo are the building&#039;s new superintendents. Rasha had been working at Subway for four months, but says she is much happier in her new job. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette\" rel=\"ewicprettyPhoto[69269d5cbe173b0e]\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Careful to hide her last name, Rasha points to the sign announcing that she and Arturo are the building&#039;s new superintendents. Rasha had been working at Subway for four months, but says she is much happier in her new job. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette\" class=\"ewic-wid-imgs\" src=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/thejunction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/COSSETTE-Rasha-004.jpg\" \/><p class=\"flex-caption\">Careful to hide her last name, Rasha points to the sign announcing that she and Arturo are the building&#039;s new superintendents. Rasha had been working at Subway for four months, but says she is much happier in her new job. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette<\/p><\/a><\/li><li class=\"ewic-slider\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/thejunction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/COSSETTE-Rasha-005.jpg\" title=\"Rasha opens the door to her apartment. Despite having moved in only last week, she and Arturo have already decorated for Christmas. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette\" rel=\"ewicprettyPhoto[69269d5cbe173b0e]\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Rasha opens the door to her apartment. Despite having moved in only last week, she and Arturo have already decorated for Christmas. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette\" class=\"ewic-wid-imgs\" src=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/thejunction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/COSSETTE-Rasha-005.jpg\" \/><p class=\"flex-caption\">Rasha opens the door to her apartment. Despite having moved in only last week, she and Arturo have already decorated for Christmas. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette<\/p><\/a><\/li><li class=\"ewic-slider\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/thejunction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/COSSETTE-Rasha-006.jpg\" title=\"Rasha invites her friends lounging in the living room to help themselves to the meal she and Arturo have prepared. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette\" rel=\"ewicprettyPhoto[69269d5cbe173b0e]\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Rasha invites her friends lounging in the living room to help themselves to the meal she and Arturo have prepared. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette\" class=\"ewic-wid-imgs\" src=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/thejunction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/COSSETTE-Rasha-006.jpg\" \/><p class=\"flex-caption\">Rasha invites her friends lounging in the living room to help themselves to the meal she and Arturo have prepared. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette<\/p><\/a><\/li><li class=\"ewic-slider\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/thejunction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/COSSETTE-Rasha-007.jpg\" title=\"Rasha jokes with Arturo while watching Sunday afternoon football with family friends. Initially friends of Arturo, Rasha met them while staying at Ottawa&#039;s reception centre for refugees earlier this year. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette\" rel=\"ewicprettyPhoto[69269d5cbe173b0e]\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Rasha jokes with Arturo while watching Sunday afternoon football with family friends. Initially friends of Arturo, Rasha met them while staying at Ottawa&#039;s reception centre for refugees earlier this year. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette\" class=\"ewic-wid-imgs\" src=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/thejunction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/COSSETTE-Rasha-007.jpg\" \/><p class=\"flex-caption\">Rasha jokes with Arturo while watching Sunday afternoon football with family friends. Initially friends of Arturo, Rasha met them while staying at Ottawa&#039;s reception centre for refugees earlier this year. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette<\/p><\/a><\/li><li class=\"ewic-slider\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/thejunction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/COSSETTE-Rasha-008.jpg\" title=\"Rasha&#039;s cigarettes and iPhone lie on a table. Both are never very far out of Rasha&#039;s sight. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette\" rel=\"ewicprettyPhoto[69269d5cbe173b0e]\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Rasha&#039;s cigarettes and iPhone lie on a table. Both are never very far out of Rasha&#039;s sight. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette\" class=\"ewic-wid-imgs\" src=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/thejunction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/COSSETTE-Rasha-008.jpg\" \/><p class=\"flex-caption\">Rasha&#039;s cigarettes and iPhone lie on a table. Both are never very far out of Rasha&#039;s sight. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette<\/p><\/a><\/li><li class=\"ewic-slider\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/thejunction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/COSSETTE-Rasha-009.jpg\" title=\"Rasha shows Arturo photographs from the war in Syria on her iPhone. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette\" rel=\"ewicprettyPhoto[69269d5cbe173b0e]\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Rasha shows Arturo photographs from the war in Syria on her iPhone. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette\" class=\"ewic-wid-imgs\" src=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/thejunction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/COSSETTE-Rasha-009.jpg\" \/><p class=\"flex-caption\">Rasha shows Arturo photographs from the war in Syria on her iPhone. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette<\/p><\/a><\/li><li class=\"ewic-slider\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/thejunction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/COSSETTE-Rasha-010.jpg\" title=\"Rasha&#039;s friend Olenka shows her son a photograph of a Syrian soldier wearing a gas mask. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette\" rel=\"ewicprettyPhoto[69269d5cbe173b0e]\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Rasha&#039;s friend Olenka shows her son a photograph of a Syrian soldier wearing a gas mask. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette\" class=\"ewic-wid-imgs\" src=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/thejunction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/COSSETTE-Rasha-010.jpg\" \/><p class=\"flex-caption\">Rasha&#039;s friend Olenka shows her son a photograph of a Syrian soldier wearing a gas mask. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette<\/p><\/a><\/li><li class=\"ewic-slider\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/thejunction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/COSSETTE-Rasha-011.jpg\" title=\"Rasha holds the hand of Olenka&#039;s son as they make their way out of the apartment. &#039;&#039;I love you so much,&#039;&#039; she tells him. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette\" rel=\"ewicprettyPhoto[69269d5cbe173b0e]\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Rasha holds the hand of Olenka&#039;s son as they make their way out of the apartment. &#039;&#039;I love you so much,&#039;&#039; she tells him. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette\" class=\"ewic-wid-imgs\" src=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/thejunction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/COSSETTE-Rasha-011.jpg\" \/><p class=\"flex-caption\">Rasha holds the hand of Olenka&#039;s son as they make their way out of the apartment. &#039;&#039;I love you so much,&#039;&#039; she tells him. THE JUNCTION\/Marc-Andr\u00e9 Cossette<\/p><\/a><\/li><\/ul><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n\tjQuery(document).ready(function($) {\r\n\r\n\t\t$(\"#preloader-69269d5cbe173b0e\").fadeOut(500, function () {\r\n\r\n\t\t\t$(\"#ewic-con-69269d5cbe173b0e\").addClass(\"ready_to_show\");\r\n\r\n\t\t\t$(\"a[rel^='ewicprettyPhoto[69269d5cbe173b0e]']\").ewcPhoto({\r\n\t\t\t\ttheme: \"ewc_default\",\r\n\t\t\t\tallow_expand: false,\r\n\t\t\t\tdeeplinking: false,\r\n\t\t\t\tslideshow:8000,\r\n\t\t\t\tautoplay_slideshow:false,\r\n\t\t\t\tsocial_tools:false\r\n\t\t\t});\r\n\r\n\t\t\t$(\".flexslider-69269d5cbe173b0e\").fadeIn(300);\r\n\r\n\t\t\t$(\"#ewic-con-69269d5cbe173b0e\").flexslider({\r\n\t\t\t\tanimation: \"slide\",\r\n\t\t\t\tanimationSpeed: 0,\r\n\t\t\t\tuseCSS: false,\r\n\t\t\t\teasing: \"easeInQuad\",\r\n\t\t\t\tdirection: \"horizontal\",\r\n\t\t\t\tslideshow: false,\r\n\t\t\t\tsmoothHeight: true,\r\n\t\t\t\tpauseOnHover: true,\r\n\t\t\t\tcontrolNav: false,\r\n\t\t\t\tprevText: \"\",\r\n\t\t\t\tnextText: \"\",\r\n\t\t\t\trtl: false,\r\n\t\t\t\tslideshowSpeed: 5000,\r\n\t\t\t\tstart: function(slider){\r\n\t\t\t\t\t$(\"#ewic-con-69269d5cbe173b0e\").find(\".flex-caption\").hide();\r\n\t\t\t\t\tvar curSlide = slider.find(\"li.flex-active-slide\");\r\n\t\t\t\t\t$(curSlide).find(\".flex-caption\").slideDown();\r\n\t\t\t\t},\r\n\t\t\t\tbefore: function(slider) {\r\n\t\t\t\t\t$(\"#ewic-con-69269d5cbe173b0e\").find(\".flex-caption\").slideUp();\r\n\t\t\t\t},\r\n\t\t\t\tafter: function(slider) {\r\n\t\t\t\t\tvar curSlide = slider.find(\"li.flex-active-slide\");\r\n\t\t\t\t\t$(curSlide).find(\".flex-caption\").slideDown();\r\n\t\t\t\t}\r\n\r\n\t\t\t});\r\n\r\n\t\t});\r\n\r\n\t});\r\n<\/script><\/div>\r\n\n<p>\u201cI love Ottawa. Everything here is nice. Except the weather\u2026 It\u2019s cold. Very cold,\u201d she says with a smile, pretending to shiver.<\/p>\n<p>A large, half-empty box of Tim Hortons donuts sits on the coffee table, next to a pair of unclaimed double-doubles, a plate of chocolate chip cookies, and a pack of Rasha\u2019s Pall Mall cigarettes.<\/p>\n<p>Rasha, 27, sneaks up behind Arturo, draping her hands on his shoulders. Her brown eyes are shrouded by long false eyelashes, glittering eye shadow, and teal green eyeliner.<\/p>\n<p>By all appearances, this would be just another unremarkable Sunday morning, were it not for the extraordinary journey that brought Rasha to Ottawa in the first place.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI love Ottawa. It\u2019s very safe here,\u201d she says. \u201cNow I can sleep. I can go outside. I\u2019m not scared of anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>Death in Damascus<\/h4>\n<p>Before war broke out in Syria, Rasha lived a safe and comfortable life in Damascus. (She asked that her last name not be used, to protect her mother and sister who are still in Syria). Working as a stewardess for Syrian Air, she travelled to places as far-flung as Egypt, Germany and Thailand, before returning home to her mother, two brothers and sister.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was a very nice country to live in. We were very happy there,\u201d says Rasha. \u201cI didn\u2019t feel scared before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rasha did not support the wave of protests that swept through parts of Syria in 2011, seeking to overthrow president Bashar al-Assad. Her father has served as a general in Assad\u2019s army. And while Rasha knew that opposition groups were stirring, she says she believed Syrians could find a peaceful solution to the crisis.<\/p>\n<p>Everything changed in 2012.<\/p>\n<p>The capital had seen protests, but fighting intensified considerably in Damascus.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cISIS started coming to Syria. They killed people, kidnapped people, asked for money,\u201d says Rasha. \u201cThey broke everything. My home. Everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rasha recalls the morning in 2012 her own life spiralled out of control, when she learned her 29-year-old brother, a lawyer, had been kidnapped by a group affiliated with ISIS. Rasha says he was targeted because of her father\u2019s position in Assad\u2019s army.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey called my mom and told her, \u2018We killed him,\u2019 and that\u2019s it,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd then two months later, they killed my younger brother. He was 18 years old.\u201d<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/147494294\" width=\"700\" height=\"393\" frameborder=\"0\" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n<p>Rasha would be next, her brothers\u2019 killers warned. \u201cMy mom told me to leave Syria. I left. I ran away to Lebanon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rasha spent a year and a half in Beirut: a place she says is extremely <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2014\/09\/30\/lebanon-rising-violence-targets-syrian-refugees\" target=\"_blank\">dangerous for Syrian refugees<\/a>, especially women who routinely face <a href=\"http:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/cgi-bin\/texis\/vtx\/refdaily?pass=52fc6fbd5&amp;id=5296e4785\" target=\"_blank\">sexual harassment or abuse<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery day felt like a year,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>She tried to work, but employers often withheld payment. After all, Rasha says, authorities are more likely to side with other Lebanese than with refugees.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"450\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player?url=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F235610516&player_height=&player_height_multi=&player_width=&player_type=visual&color=&auto_play=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&buying=&sharing=&download=&show_artwork=&show_playcount=&hide_related=false\"><\/iframe>\n<p>Eventually, she decided to register for resettlement through the UNHCR. As an unaccompanied woman, her application was accepted by the Canadian embassy in Beirut. By March 2015, she was on a plane to Edmonton, though her stay would be short-lived.<\/p>\n<h4>From Beirut to Edmonton<\/h4>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t feel safe there,\u201d says Rasha, shaking her head with furrowed brow.<\/p>\n<p>She recounts being assaulted by a man on the street after leaving the reception centre to buy cigarettes. The man grabbed her by the wrist, telling her to go with him.<\/p>\n<p>Rasha managed to free herself, but knew she would have to leave again. \u201cI ran away from Syria to Lebanon, Lebanon to Edmonton. Now where am I going to run away? Where am I going to go?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI knew that Ottawa is the capital, so I moved to Ottawa. I always think the capital is better,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<h4>Finding home in Ottawa<\/h4>\n<p>\u201cThere was no furniture in the apartment. Just the floor. I slept on the floor, in cold April. Three days. There was no food. Nothing,\u201d Rasha says of the apartment she found in Gatineau for $700.<\/p>\n<p>Asked how she found the strength to deal with such adversity, Rasha is stoic. \u201cI\u2019m alone. If I\u2019m not strong, I could lose my life and cry all the time. I can\u2019t do that. I have to go, move, find my life. I lost everything in Syria; I had to start a new life here.\u201d<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"450\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player?url=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F235610513&player_height=&player_height_multi=&player_width=&player_type=visual&color=&auto_play=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&buying=&sharing=&download=&show_artwork=&show_playcount=&hide_related=false\"><\/iframe>\n<p>Walking around her neighbourhood in Gatineau, Rasha happened on an Middle Eastern grocery. A Syrian woman working at the store took her under her wing and suggested she move to the refugee reception centre in Ottawa\u2019s ByWard Market. It would prove to be yet another fateful step in her long journey.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI met my fianc\u00e9 there,\u201d Rasha explains referring to Arturo, a refugee from Mexico who arrived in Canada nine years ago. \u201cHe was visiting Mexican friends and then I met him there. We started talking,\u201d she adds with a coy smile. Rasha says the wedding might take place in April. \u201cFor sure not in the winter!\u201d<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/147494293\" width=\"700\" height=\"393\" frameborder=\"0\" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n<h4>Caught between two lives<\/h4>\n<p>Since arriving in Canada in March, Rasha has finally found some stability in her life. Within a few months, she found work at Subway: a job she has since left to work alongside Arturo, both as superintendents in their new apartment building. This is no small feat, considering Rasha barely spoke English when she first landed in Edmonton. \u201cI only knew \u2018good morning,\u2019 \u2018good night,\u2019 \u2018how are you\u2019,\u201d she insists.<\/p>\n<p>Still, while she has made a new life for herself in Canada, Rasha mourns all she had to leave behind in Syria.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not easy to be a refugee, like me. I lost my brother. I lost another brother. I lost my home, my car, lost my life, lost my job. I lost everything to be a refugee,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>Her thoughts often drift back to her mother and sister in Syria, whom she hopes to see again here in Canada. \u201cEverything is different now. I feel happier. I just need my mom and sister with me.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From Damascus to Beirut, Edmonton to Ottawa, Rasha has spent the past three years running away from violence. While she has made a new life for herself in Canada, she still mourns all she had to leave behind in Syria.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":624,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,1],"tags":[181,155,182,152,13,138,193,151,153,156,183,184,146,157,12,7,154,77,60,180,150],"class_list":["post-581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-third-edition","category-uncategorized","tag-alberta","tag-arturo","tag-bashar-al-assad","tag-beirut","tag-canada","tag-catholic-centre-for-immigrants","tag-catholic-social-services","tag-damascus","tag-edmonton","tag-gabriel","tag-gatineau","tag-isis","tag-lebanon","tag-olenka","tag-ontario","tag-ottawa","tag-rasha","tag-refugee","tag-resettlement","tag-sophia-house","tag-syrian"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Finding refuge in Ottawa - The Junction<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/thejunction\/2015\/12\/01\/finding-refuge-in-ottawa\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Finding refuge in Ottawa - The Junction\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"From Damascus to Beirut, Edmonton to Ottawa, Rasha has spent the past three years running away from violence. 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