The brothers sat side-by-side on their bicycles.
Three days earlier, Syrian refugees Hamsa and Mirvan Fandi touched down in Canada after leaving the Darashakran refugee camp in Iraq where they’d lived for four years.
“They were very happy to get that opportunity,” says Lea Borlick a parishioner with sponsor West Vancouver United Church. “But you know, you also leave everything behind.”
The trip to Obsession Bikes in Lower Lonsdale was meant to let Hamsa, 8, and Mirvan, 5, forget what they’d left – at least for a while.
Before arriving in Canada the brothers were asked what might make them happy. Their response: bicycles and a piano. (“Piano’s on the back burner,” Borlick notes.)
Obsession Bikes owner James Wilson admits he has “no idea” what it’s like to live in a refugee camp. But he does understand the childhood yearning to ride. The first bike he owned was donated. It opened a “world of goodness,” he remarks.
“If a child gets the opportunity to experience the freedom that a bicycle can provide then it’s going to show them just how big the world can be.”
The goal for Wilson and his employees was simple: “Let’s do what we can to see that their landing here is as special as possible.”
Once inside the shop the brothers were stoic, Wilson reports. It’s a trait Borlick attributes to living in a camp where a big grin may mean “there’s something wrong with the person.”
Mirvan was one year old when his family made it to the camp near Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. The trip to Obsession Bikes was the first time he’d sat on his own bike.
Wilson swapped out the too-large bike he’d set aside for Mirvan, quickly finding a better fit. After helmets were snug and training wheels attached, the brothers left the store, pushing their bikes up the block alongside Borlick.
Borlick says she’s been largely preoccupied with the brothers’ dental appointments and immunizations, all while trying to bridge a language barrier and find the Fandi family permanent housing. The brothers are also grieving a recent death in the family.
“This week has not been the greatest week,” Borlick reflects.
While she’s aware there are preservationist voices against allowing passage to refugees, Borlick says she envisions “a new Canada” with greater cultural diversity.
“Is there anything wrong with that? Maybe we can learn how to get along better with other nations and have more peace.”
For Wilson, giving the bikes away creates a special culture at the shop. “Everybody’s having a tough time these days, economics being what it is,” Wilson reflects. “To create that kind of charity … it’s pretty warming.”
As the brothers left Wilson’s shop pushing their bikes, Borlick noticed the Lower Lonsdale sidewalk was deserted. She nodded.
Mirvan and Hamsa started to pedal. Borlick quickened her pace and watched them: “smiling and riding away.”
