Katie Daubs,
The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Saturday, May 03, 2008
Pat Marshall was a young mother in 1979. She didn't have the money to sponsor a refugee family, but she joined a group at the Canadian Martyr's Church to help in any way she could.
At the time, the government paid for English classes only for the breadwinner in refugee families. So Mrs. Marshall visited a Cambodian woman who also had young children, like herself.
"She couldn't say a word. I labelled everything in the house with masking tape -- table, chair, wall -- and it worked."
Mrs. Marshall, now 63, said the real reward came when she and the woman could finally speak to each other.
One Christmas, the five couples involved with the family paid a visit with some presents for the children. They had juice and cake, but words were sparse as the family was still learning English.
When they left, the group was puzzled as to why the children didn't open the presents. Years later, the mother laughed as she told Mrs. Marshall that in Cambodia, opening the gift when the person is there means you like the gift more than the person. It was one of many cultural misunderstandings.
Although the family moved to southern Ontario, Mrs. Marshall is still in touch with the woman who calls her "Big Sister."
"It was a wonderful moment in Ottawa's history," she said.
Could it happen again?
"I would love to say yes, but there's something in me that says no, but I don't know why." she said. "Sometimes I think we've become almost desensitized to tragedies."
"But I don't know. Maybe it could happen again."
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