Many years have passed since he left his homeland, Egypt, and immigrated with his family to Canada, to experience a new life and a new people. During his first days in his new senior school in Halifax, Nova Scotia, more than 5,700 miles from home, he was regarded as an alien or a character from a fairytale. "It was new for me to come to Canada and I was new for them. They were friendly, but had no idea about our community," says Ahmed Moustafa, who works in the recruiting and business department at a Canadian university. They called him ‘The Egyptian' and thought of him as a monument from the mysterious land of the Pharaohs. "They were very respectful and tried to get to know me better. I was like an ambassador for my country," he explains. Ahmed soon became recognised as one of the cleverest pupils in his school. "They stopped asking my son what it was like for him to see an aeroplane for the first time, as if we were primitive people. They then asked him more about our culture and civilisation," says Hanaa Hussein, Ahmed's mother. Hanaa's family immigrated more than 20 years ago, leaving their home, friends, work and memories behind. "I must admit that the decision to immigrate was very hard. But we had to go for it. We decided to immigrate for a better life, education and work opportunities," adds Hanaa, who works as a volunteer at a school and a translator for child services in Canada. Her whole family are now Canadian citizens, living and working in Canada. "I have worked in tourism for a long time and I now own my own global travel agency," says Mohamed Moustafa, Hanaa's youngest son. Mohamed has lived most of his life in Canada but still looks very Egyptian and still speaks Arabic. "We usually travel to Egypt every couple of years, depending on our work commitments. I last went to Egypt in April 2011, shortly after the revolution," says Mohamed, who is proud of his native country. In order to feel at home, they have created, with some friends, The Nova Scotia Egyptian Society, a non-profit organisation that represents the community in various ways and assists education, charities and newcomers to Nova Scotia. "We created this society to help one another and help Egyptians visiting or immigrating from abroad. Also, we participate in events to spread the Egyptian culture within Canadian communities," explains Mohamed, who is the society's PR head. The Nova Scotia Egyptian Society has organised some of the biggest events in Canada, including protests and cultural showcases in multicultural festivals, covered by local and national newspapers and TV shows. "We serve our community, as well as promoting understanding of Egyptian culture and heritage," says Ahmed Assal, the society's community services director. Ahmed Assal, a geologist who immigrated about 15 years ago, works now for a local company petroleum company, while his wife is an accountant and works for a local children's hospital. Two of their children are at university and the third is in senior school. "Our society works voluntarily to strengthen the community in the Province of Nova Scotia. We implement programmes that contribute to the social needs of its members. We also provide charitable assistance to Egyptians and others in need," says Ahmed Assal. He suffered a lot in his native country, and, although he has a degree, he wasn't able to get a good job, because of favouritism – every company chairman gives jobs to his relatives and friends. "In the 1990s, I approached a big petroleum company in Cairo. I was well qualified and asked them for a job. “An official in the company said, ‘I'll be honest with you'. He then showed me hundreds of CVs piled up on his desk for people wanting to work there. He told me that only relatives of people who already worked there ever got jobs there. He shook my hand and advised me to look somewhere else for a job. "It was the same story when I went to other countries, so I decided to immigrate to Canada. Hopefully, things will improve after the Egyptian revolution. I hope we really see a new Egypt," adds Ahmed Assal. In Egypt, many people's hopes have faded, because Mohamed Morsi, Chairman of the Freedom and Justice Party, and Ahmed Shafiq, a former prime minister loyal to Hosni Mubarak, have made it to next month's presidential runoff. "We didn't vote in the first round; nor will be vote in the runoff. We don't live in Egypt and we won't vote for someone who may be bad for our country. But we always follow the news, sharing our fellow Egyptians' anxieties and hopes," he says.
