• Touran Nazargahi

  • Iran - Vancouver

Art by Emily Honderich

Touran Nazargahi story

Touran Nazargahi was born in Iran and grew up in Sanandaj. She was a great teacher and yoga instructor. She came as a refugee to Canada in 2019. She is waiting for her hearing day to be accepted to stay here or not. Her dream is to join the UN to teach and help more children to have a better education.

No Need to Pay to Watch the Stars

Can you imagine the feeling of arriving as a refugee two days before your 40th birthday? On September 19th, 2019, I was homeless and jobless, with only 40 years of my painful life experience.

I cried every day during my first three months in Canada, but 2020 came, and I made a resolution to start a new life. I attended programs and workshops for refugees, which made me optimistic about my future.

But suddenly, COVID-19 destroyed all my plans. I had to stay home, and I locked myself all alone, my only company being a broken laptop. I soon became depressed.

At one point, I lost connection with my parents in Iran for three months, as I couldn’t afford to pay my cell phone bill. During those nights, I followed my mother’s advice to look at the Big Bear stars whenever I missed her because she would look at them too. I talked with her through them. Thank God there is no need to pay to watch the stars.

As a yoga instructor, I decided to overcome my depression. I kept practicing yoga every day, attended many webinars, and watched movies on my same broken laptop. I did not give up. The pandemic taught me many lessons. I found myself strong and realized how lucky I am to be in Canada.

"But suddenly, COVID-19 destroyed all my plans. I had to stay home, and I locked myself all alone, my only company being a broken laptop. I soon became depressed."

- Touran Nazargahi