Stories of Santropol Roulant

My name is Solmaz Nassiri. I am a new immigrant from Iran, having moved to Canada on my own in May 2013. When I arrived here, I didn’t know anyone. One of my English teachers introduced me to Santropol Roulant. Since then, I’ve come here every week. Before coming to Santropol Roulant, I didn’t have very much confidence but the people here really helped me to get involved in the Canadian culture.

A lot of things are different here than in Iran, where I am from.  I can’t say that I was shocked when I came to Canada but I was in my shell. I have gotten used to talking to people and have gotten to know the Canadian culture.

I really like Montreal. I have difficulty speaking French but I am trying to improve it because I really want to stay in Montreal. I used to live in the capital city of Iran and it was really crowded – people were always in a rush. Here, something is different. People are calm. It seems they know what they want from their life and they enjoy the time.

About the blog series:
Santropol Roulant is a beautiful community of members brought together by food and community engagement. In an effort to capture the diversity of our members, we are launching Stories of Santropol Roulant. One of our volunteers, Monica (pictured below), is setting out to photograph our members and collect quotes and short stories to share on our blog and social media. If you see Monica at Santropol Roulant with a camera in hand, feel free to approach her and say hello. We would love to hear your story! Contact rachel@santropolroulant.org if you have any questions or would like to be interviewed.