Shaheda arrived in Sudbury, Ontario with her husband and five children in 1967 from Malaysia. Before that they had lived in Singapore and Pakistan due to her husband’s work. Her husband was an economics professor and decided to move the family to Canada when he saw a job posting in the Economist Magazine for a position at Laurentian University. Shaheda said, “I remember him telling me about this job and the idea of moving to Canada and I was very mad as we had a very enjoyable life in Asia. My husband believed there were better opportunities for the kids in Canada. Canada was known to be a progressive and well-known country for equality and fairness.” What Shaheda expected to arrive to in Sudbury was very different from the reality she faced stepping off the plane. She told me, “it was shocking, because the first pictures we saw of Sudbury were beautiful with lots of trees with fall colours and sun. These pictures were of Ramsey Lake in Sudbury. But when we arrived at the end of September it looked like we were on the moon. Everything was bare and black (because all of the leaves had fallen). We really began to doubt if we had done the right thing for our family.” They soon adjusted and became more acquainted with their local community, who Shaheda described as very friendly. “My husband and I used to go for nightly walks when we first arrived in Sudbury. I used to wear my saree and my husband wore more western clothing, but this was not anything that was strange to me. I found out from my kids all the other kids at their schools used to know exactly who we were, because of my sarees. It is funny because today culture attire is much more common, and people are better informed in general. It is pretty normal to see people in desi clothing in the city.” Amina, Shaheda’s granddaughter, admires them greatly for the steps they took to establish themselves. She remarked, “I’m so proud that my grandparents were able to establish a wonderful life for our family in Canada. My grandparents decided to move to Northern Ontario in the 1960s - a place so foreign to what they had previously known. I’m forever grateful for this because it has provided us with so much opportunity.”

Naila, Shaheda’s daughter-in-law, arrived in Elliot Lake in Northern Ontario in 1983 from the UK. She moved to Canada at 19 after marrying her husband Hamid, Shaheda’s son and also Amina, Safia, and Nadia’s dad. She told me her memories after she moved were quite eventful, as her and her new husband were visiting a lot of family, attending social events, travelling around, and her husband had a strong social circle which she integrated in and soon made lifelong friends with. She told me even though she moved from the UK, there were many subtle differences to adjust to. Naila shared a funny story from her early days: “I remember when I first moved here, I was trying to follow a recipe that called for catsup. I remember going to the grocery store and asking a couple people and finally realized they meant ketchup. I felt pretty stupid, because I knew what ketchup is. But those are the small and confusing things that can be tricky to newcomers! New words and ways of saying things.” Her ties to the UK are still strong, with most of her immediate family still residing there. Naila's own mother, Rafat Maududi, happened to be visiting from the UK the day I visited the Gilani family home. Rafat moved from Pakistan to London in the early 1960s where she raised 3 children and established several daycare centers.

Later on, Naila and her family then moved to Guelph with their three young daughters. Nadia, her youngest daughter told me, “I am especially proud of my mom and dad for moving to Guelph and establishing their own home and making a reputation for themselves within the city. I am proud to be referred to as “Dr. Gilani’s daughter.” In the 1990’s and early 2000’s when Nadia was going through schooling there still was little diversity in Guelph. Nadia told me, “to be honest as a kid I felt like a bit of an outsider, growing up in a predominantly “white” city where citizens had less exposure to Islam and Pakistani culture. As I’ve gotten older, I have realized that a lot of my friends who are people of colour also felt the same way. It seems like a common children of immigrant struggle. It takes some time to be comfortable with your differences and culture, when it’s different than the majority.” Even as she gets more comfortable with her roots she notes, “me and my sisters we have always found it so hard when people ask us “where we are from” because we have lived our whole lives in Canada, regardless of our Pakistani roots.

Safia, Nadia’s older sister, told me she’s so proud of how everyone in her family has been motivated to find their own personal niche. “We have all been fortunate to find careers and past times that are diverse. I find pride in seeing my sisters and family succeed in whatever makes them happy.” Safia is a school teacher and mother to Sana, one of the youngest members in the photograph. Safia told me, “I feel valued when people come to me for advice. Whether it is one of my students at school, or my sisters, it is nice to know that my outlook might help them in some way.” What she hopes for her daughter Sana, and her niece Zara, is that they “feel comfortable in their own skin. I hope that they are proud to talk about their culture and religion and I hope they never feel ashamed of who they are.” When I asked Nadia what she hopes for her nieces, the youngest generation, she told me, “I find that in our society it can be very difficult for women to be taken seriously in their careers and as leaders. I hope we see it become less novel to see women in leadership roles, like the prime minister or a CEO, so Sana and Zara can see these as futures for themselves (if they choose) not just men!”

As I left the Gilani’s family home last summer, I could truly feel how connected they are with one another and with their neighbours. So much so, not long after I had photographed them, one of their neighbours and friends wrote to me saying she had heard about the project through them. Amina said it so clearly, “I loved my childhood growing up in Guelph and I’m so happy to be part of the Kitchener community.”