Kobra

“The creator tests us through hardships but also opens doors for us to work through those hardships and make the best of the circumstances we are in. My family has survived 3 wars and 22 years of living at a refugee camp. There were many instances where we have come so close to death and yet we are still alive. I don’t take for granted the fact that I am alive and hundreds of others around me didn’t make it. If this doesn’t motivate me to do all that I can to make the world a better place, then I don’t know what would.”

Kobra is 31, a practicing lawyer interested in immigration/refugee law, criminal law and human rights, and is also a new mother living in Winnipeg. Kobra is Kurdish and was born and raised in a refugee camp in Southern Iraq until the age of 14. She told me her proudest achievement is, “entering and graduating from law school. I arrived in Canada at 14 years old with only a second-grade education. Going through the education system in Canada hasn’t been an easy journey. I succeeded because I stopped comparing myself to others but more importantly, I became comfortable with my identity and my story.” When I asked her what her own favourite quality is she told me, “dedication and perseverance. Again, it’s hard to come to a new country with little education and no knowledge of the language, and even harder when your family has experienced the trauma of living through wars, poverty and instability.” This photo is taken at the University of Winnipeg where Kobra pursued her undergraduate degree. She told me, “I have always loved going to school. While living in the camp, I had dreams of attending school but I was not able to. When we came here, I had dreams of attending university but there were constant barriers due to family matters and particularly when my father and other members of my family were injured in Iraq. I was finally able to attend university in 2009 and it was a dream come true.” When I asked Kobra what her hobbies are she told me, “I love beading. This is something that I did while in the camp with the elders and my grand-mother. Beading used to be a big part of the Kurdish culture and the elders at our camp kept themselves occupied with it giving them a sense of their home back in Iran.”

Q&A Feature:

Where is your favourite place to find yourself?

“I love sitting with my mother and drinking Kurdish tea.”

What is most important to you and why?

 “My relationship with the Creator is very important to me and that encompasses not just doing the rituals that our faith requires. Within that relationship is the commandment by the Creator that we stand for justice even if it be against ourselves. It also includes my relationship with my parents, siblings, friends, my community and my relationship with the earth.”

What is a fun fact about you that you haven’t told me yet?

“I have a silly sense of humor.”