E73: Noha Tanahi found belonging by helping fellow immigrants

Hello, I'd really like to grow this email list. If you enjoy this newsletter, it would mean the world to Jola and I if you encouraged one friend/fellow immigrant/colleague to subscribe…Very likely, the the only thing you will get in return is warm fuzzy feelings, and if I can attribute it to you, I’d personally send you a thank you email.

Join us as we explore the bitter-sweet world of the immigrant.

In this episode, I’m speaking with Noha Tanahi, Settlement Services Manager at TIEs (The Immigrant Education Society).

Noha moved to Canada from Egypt looking for a fresh start 20 years ago. But it didn’t take long to start missing home. “I started missing Egypt as I landed at the Montreal airport,” she says.

Settling in didn't get any easier. She landed in Montreal, moved to Calgary, then Fort McMurray, then back to Calgary. Stressed, frustrated, and angry, Noha called a shelter for women asking for space so she could leave her home.

That phone call changed her life.

In this conversation, Noha and I explore the concept of being a newborn when you move to a new country. We also chat about:

* How settling into a new country often veers from the perfect script we have in our heads

* The loneliness that comes with settling down especially if you don’t stay in a city long enough to make friends

* Getting fired from her first job after eight hours

* Volunteering and how it led her to her job

* Her work at TIES and why she would do her job for free

Official Links

👋🏽 Follow Noha on LinkedIn

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewcomerspod.com