Iraqi Engineer Finds Peace Studying in Canada
International Studies Creates New Beginning for Baraa Safaa
Aug 9, 2009
“Welcome to Canada!” No three words have ever been sweeter to University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) international student Baraa Safaa than when he was greeted by a Canadian customs agent in Montreal in July 2007. The 24-year-old engineer from Iraq is grateful to live in Abbotsford, British Columbia after spending nine months buried in paperwork, rushing to different offices, filing payments after payment while losing a lot of sleep waiting for the necessary student visa to study in Canada.
A New Beginning in Canada
“When I flew into Canada, those three words came quickly and changed my life." Safaa explains. "That meant so much to me, to be treated like a human again.”
Safaa, whose home and family are in Baghdad, is in Canada studying computer technology and English. He was the first UFV student from Iraq, and since his successful stint as a student his two cousins have joined him in Canada. His immediate family still resides in Baghdad, and everyday he thinks of his father, a professor at the University of Baghdad, his mother, a middle school teacher, his two younger sisters and younger brother.
"My family is like any other family in Iraq trying to survive. People are concerned about the resources that are available to the people. There is no water, no electricity and the lack of jobs. So people are surviving and trying to find a way to live."
Living in Baghdad When it Fell
His gentle, brown eyes turn sad as he explains what it was like at home after the war began. “In Baghdad, life [when I left was] hell. Living in peace is a principle of life. We all deserve to sit down to eat with our families and feel safe and have water and food when we need it.”
Safaa and his family stayed at home as the first air strikes hit his country in March 2003 “but as [US military] came closer to Baghdad, my dad took the rest of our family about an hour away. We heard some people would break in and steal everything if you left your home empty, so I stayed to protect it.” Luckily, no one tried to break in.
When Baghdad fell a few weeks later, Safaa felt a complex dejection. “Before the war we did want more technology and freedom in our country. But it still was our country, and it was being taken over by another country. I felt very sad when the statue of Saddam Hussein was pulled down. I know he was a dictator who killed people who [opposed] him, but with him we had order, we had water, we had electricity, we had food.”
Hundreds of people who have died in this war have had some sort of connection to Safaa. “Whether it was someone from my neighborhood, from work, from the university, or family, I know many people who have died,” he explains.
“At least 20-25 times I was close enough to a bomb exploding that I had to run away. One time I was in my car in traffic with some of my friends. We heard a huge boom, and saw body parts and blood flying everywhere. My windshield shattered. We all had heavy coats on and protected ourselves from the flying glass. We got out of the car and ran away, because we knew in about an hour tanks would come to check out the bomb, and [we believed] they would kill anyone still around.”
How Will the War in Iraq End?
When asked how he sees the war ending in his country, Safaa becomes passionate for his people. "I believe that the war will end sooner than what people had expected. People start realizing the meaning of the war, and start acting in a positive way. Especially after the army had left the cities. It takes time for educated people to go back and build the country. In fact, most of the brain drain had left, and because of the situation, it is very hard for bring them back; however, situation is getting better, so they will all go back."
Future Politics for Safaa
Meanwhile, Safaa is drawn to politics in Canada. "I ran for the Student Union President six months after I arrived to Canada and I won the election, so I served the Student Union Society SUS for a year. I ran for the UFV Board of Governors about four months ago, and I won the election as well."
"My future plan is to be a Canadian citizen and give back to Canada because [the country] gave me a lot, and help the people and the political system here. I will graduate in Fall 2010, then I can start looking for a job in the computer business to establish myself and put the first step into the future. Abbotsford is so beautiful. People here have been so nice to me. I want to do what I can to serve the Canadian people.”
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