Ask most immigrants why they came to Canada, and they'll tell you it was to live a life of more opportunity for themselves and their children.
Shairose Shamji-Karmali, owner of Burnaby's Safari Snack House and Grill, was one of those children, and now she says her experience may hold some of the answers to the questions immigrant parents have as they settle their families here now.
She was born in Kampala, Uganda to second-generation immigrants from Gujarat, India.
But when Idi Amin's ruthless regime began targeting non-ethnic Ugandans, the family had to flee.
The only memory Shamji-Karmali has of Uganda is her mother having to turn her gold chain over to government soldiers as a bribe in exchange for them being allowed to use the airport bathroom before they fled.
The family flew to Italy, the first country they could get a visa to enter, where they stayed for 11 months living in an immigrant camp. It was OK in the short term, but it was not where they wanted to settle.
"My father applied to different immigrant agencies to sponsor us to come in. So it was either England, Australia, and Canada, and we were fortunate enough to get sponsored by Canada," Shamji-Karmali said.
From there, they flew to Quebec City where her parents had to contend with a new life, new careers, two new languages and a new culture in which to raise their four children.
"Settling in Quebec City obviously was an adventure in itself because we spoke no English, we spoke no French," she said. "Can you imagine, being eight years old, coming from a country where in your life you had never even imagined snow? Like, what is snow? And at the age of eight or nine you have these flakes coming down from the sky. It was amazing."
While her parents took jobs in factories, the kids found themselves in a new, more responsible role in the family, something Shamji-Karmali enjoyed.
"I think it was really nice in the sense that my parents relied on the kids to get around because kids obviously pick things up a lot faster," she said. "As children, we tend to adjust with any situation that we've been given."
Shamji-Karmali said she remembers it being stressful for her father, who once owned a successful transportation company.
"I think that took a large toll on my dad because he went from being a business class man to working in a factory," she said.
But better days were ahead. In time, her father's career developed, and the family relocated to Toronto, where there was more of an Ismaili Muslim community. Though he died young, Shamji-Karmali said her father was happiest when he had achieved his goal of owning his own business again.
"I think that was a joy, when he bought that little variety store. I think that was the best time for my dad," she said. "He was so happy with that little baby at that time. He was finally self-employed."
As for raising their kids, Shamji-Karmali said her parents struggled at first finding the balance between their own culture and the culture their children were immersed in.
"My parents were extremely strict, being Muslims of course, having three daughters. Mom used to freak out all the time. She wanted to make sure that we were always kept in our community where we knew what our culture was," she said.
While Shamji-Karmali's older sisters weren't allowed to join after-school sports or attend dances, her parents came to see Western culture as less of a threat, and Shamji-Karmali was given more freedom.
"With time, the culture kind of set into my parents," she said. "They were a little more relaxed."
And that has made a huge difference in the way Shamji-Karmali has raised her own two sons, who are soon to graduate from university. Shamji-Karmali said that is a lesson new immigrants could benefit from.
"The opportunities are so amazing here, and I think if parents would just open that window for kids to go out there and see what their niche is, they could become anything they want to become," she said. "Encourage them in whatever they want. If it's dance, then put them in dance classes. If it's music that they want, put them in music classes. If sports is what they want, encourage it."
In her years since being an immigrant child from Uganda, Shamji-Karmali has owned and run a number of successful business franchises, risen through the ranks of management in the banking and telecom industries and has now finally settled on running her restaurant, Safari Snack House and Grill on Canada Way, which she bought with her husband who immigrated from Tanzania.
The couple work hard, but Shamji-Karmali said owning their own restaurant fulfills a dream the couple has long had.
And therein lies one last piece of advice for today's newcomers who want to start their own business:
"You've got to love it. You've got to want it. Those ones that are successful are the ones that have their heart and soul in it," she said. "I don't think we could have made a better decision in our lives."
