Refugee pays it forward out of his own pocket
Mazen Khalaf steps up to help when his gas station customers’ payment cards would not work
He has survived bombing, years in a refugee camp and the culture shock of coming to a completely strange land.
So when Syrian refugee Mazen Khalaf was faced with a customer whose payment card wouldn’t work at the gas station where he works, it would have been easy for him to tell the person to figure out a solution.
Instead, Khalaf, on minimum wage, paid the bill out of his own pocket.
The shocked customer was amazed and asked him why he did it.
“Because somebody helped me (come to Canada). I’d like to help people, too,” Khalaf said.
He did it again for a woman who had the same issue. Both customers paid him back the next day, the man giving him a tip on top, but Khalaf didn’t expect payback. He was happy to help because Canadians had done a lot to get him, his wife and his three sons to Canada six months earlier.
Khalaf, wife Dina, and sons Mohamad, 13, and twin boys Ibrahim and Yousef, 10, lived temporarily in a home in Thornhill when they first arrived in Canada.
They’ve since relocated to a townhouse in Newmarket.
Their English has improved considerably over six months and they are enjoying school.
The kids aren’t allowed to play video games during the week. They must focus on school work and learning English.
Aided by English interpretation from Syrian immigrant Anwar Alomar, who came to Canada more than 20 years ago and was of great assistance in bringing the Khalaf family to Canada, Mazen Khalaf spoke about his experience so far.
He said he doesn’t spend much time outside, but did say, “first winter here, too much cold.”
He doesn’t yet have a car, and acquiring a driver’s licence as well as a vehicle is a top priority so he can attend his job at the gas station, where he works from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., and so he can take English lessons at the local Welcome Centre. Because of his English level, he doesn’t qualify for free transportation as does his wife, Dina, who is at a lower level of English skill.
The job has worked out well for him. He initially struggled learning to sell Lotto tickets and cigarettes — because of the dozens and dozens of brands — but caught on quickly. He said the customers have all been nice and many have asked him about his background. He said they want to know about Syria. And he insists customers never get angry or impatient because of his lack of English.
He hopes eventually once he learns to speak decent English and gets more experience to apply for the kind of job he held in Syria, which was as a manager in a mall. He dealt with customers and knows that business.
Finally, he wants to be a Canadian citizen, a goal he hopes to achieve, along with the rest of his family in about three years, when they become eligible.