A Syrian family's long journey to Canada

Over the past seven months,as Canada has been welcoming thousands of refugees from Syria, the CBC has been reporting onthe enormous hardships the newcomers face.

Not so wellknown is the sadness they carry with them as theyrebuild their lives far from home, missingloved ones left behind. Once settled in Canada, the refugeesstruggle toadaptto a strange place and a new language, all the whilebearing the emotional burden of their past.

• Watch Adrienne Arsenault'sdocumentary on the Farwansin the video at the bottom of this story

One family gave the CBC'sThe Nationalextraordinary access to their private livesas they made their life-altering journey from SyriatoLethbridge, Alta., by way of Jordan.

This is a portrait of the Farwan family.

When we met the Farwans, they werelivingin Jordan.

We first met Jebreel, 6,and his family last December in Irbid, Jordan, where the family of 10had settledthree years earlier after fleeing the civil war in Syria.

They found respite in a nearbyolive grove.

The Farwanstook us to a quiet olive grove not far from the rented apartment where they wereliving. The olivetrees felt familiar, like the ones on the small plot of land they ownedback in Syria.

The Farwan boys in Jordan

8 years ago

Duration 0:16

Three of the Farwan brothers chase each other through an olive grove in Jordan, where they and their family pick olives to earn a little money while waiting to come to Canada as Syrian refugees.

Kawther, 2,the baby of the family, seen here in the arms of her sister Yamama, 14, was born in Jordan and hasnever seen the Farwans' home in Syria.

The fruits of their labour helped sustain a large family.

The olives the familypickedsupplemented thesmallallowance they receivedfrom the UNHCRandhelped feed and clotheAdam, 11,and his siblings.

The whole family pitchedin.

Ahmad, 18, the eldest of eight siblings, found work as a mechanic. His incomehelped ease the expenseofraising a large family for his parents. One of the biggest limitations of refugee life in Jordan is not officially beingallowed to work.

TheFarwans' hometown was the flashpoint of Syrian conflict.

The Farwans are from Daraa, the southern Syrian citywhere protests against the regime of President Basharal-Assad erupted in March 2011and were violently crushed.InDaraa,Khalilworked as a taxi driver to support the family. Their life was modest but happy and full.

Leaving Syria was a difficult decision.

In Syria, the Farwansowned a house and a car and often went on picnics and other familyoutings."We were happy. We had a good life," Khalil said. But after two years of enduring the escalating violence that had spread from Daraa to the rest of the country, Khalil decided to take the family to Jordan.

Homewasjust over the borderbut worlds away.

"I miss everything the houses, the neighbourhood,"Huda told theCBC when we interviewed the family inJordan. Having some of her relatives around, who also fled to Jordan,helped her fight the homesickness, but not entirely. "I miss my memories," she said.

Canada opened its doors.

In November 2015, Nouh, 9, and hisfamily applied to come to Canada under the Liberals'newly announced Syrianrefugee resettlement program.TheUNHCR in Jordan assessed the family and placed them on itslist of refugees recommended for Canada's program. Thenext step was a meeting scheduled with Canadian immigration officialsfollowed bysecurity and health checks.The family felt encouraged and hopeful.

Ahead of theirmeeting with Canadian officials, everyone was eager to look their best.

With the promise of their meeting with immigration officialsand possiblytheir eventual journey to Canada, the Farwanswere eager to look their best. They went on ashopping trip, and everyone picked out an item or two of new clothing.Jebreelchose a pair ofcolourful sneakers.

TheFarwans received some bad news.

Soon after their shopping trip, Khalil received a call. The family's meeting with Canadian officials had been cancelled.After a sleepless night for the entire family, Khalil travelled to the UNHCR officeand waited for someone to explain what happened with their case.

To watch Khalil over several anxious hours waiting to find out what had gone wrong was to truly appreciate how precarious the life of a refugee can be.

Waiting for news

8 years ago

Duration 0:36

Khalil Farwan spent hours in a UNHCR tent waiting for news about why his family had been taken off the list of Syrian refugees approved to come to Canada.

Eventually, Khalillearned the family'sremoval from the queue was down to a clerical error, one digit in their case number written down incorrectly. The error was fixed, and the family was back on the list.

There was still much to do before the Farwans were cleared tocome to Canada.

Before their final approval for resettlement in Canada, there were still security, health and otherchecks to undergo. Adam waited anxiously as a refugee official checked the family's papers.

The family was anxious but hopeful.

Over a period of severalweeks, the Farwanswould attend many meetings with refugee authorities, but as they waited for the finalword from Canadian officials, thefamily was hopeful.

Flight to Canada was the Farwans' 1st time on an airplane.

Mohammad-Eid, 17,Adam, Mahmoud, 15,and Yamamawere excited to be going on their first plane ride but were also sad to be leaving behind close friends and relatives. The family boarded a plane to Toronto on Jan. 31 and after a night in the hotel, continued on toLethbridge, Alta.

A new year brought a new home, new weather andthe challenges of a new language.

In January, the family moved into their new house and began settling in for their first Canadian winter.

First winter in Canada

8 years ago

Duration 0:20

The Farwans spent their first winter in Canada at their new house in Lethbridge, Alta.

All eight Farwan children have enrolled in public school while their parents have signed up for English classes. Learning a new language has beena challenge, especially for Khalil and Huda, who have spoken Arabic their whole lives.

The Farwan boys in Lethbridge

8 years ago

Duration 0:21

The youngest of the Farwan brothers run through a park in Lethbridge, much like they used to do in Jordan while waiting to come to Canada as Syrian refugees

To read more about the Farwans' journey, watch AdrienneArsenault'sdocumentary below:

Struggling to Adapt: One Syrian Refugee Family's Story

8 years ago

Duration 18:29

Six months ago, a Syrian refugee family let us into their lives as they were about to come to Canada. Adrienne Arsenault checks back in with the Farwans to see how they are adjusting.