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Nassreen Filsoof
I was born in Tehran, Iran, As a child, I was blessed with a loving family, who always sought to provide a precious and happy childhood for me, the youngest of five siblings, even though this was not always an easy task since my family came from rather modest means.
My father passed when I was 2 years old and I was brought up with a very active and out going mother who also passed away when I was 16th. I always wanted to be a physician but being born in a modest means family and not being afford the cost the closest place for me to be able to help others was to become a nurse.After graduation from high school in 1962, I was awarded a four-year, fully paid scholarship from the National Iranian Oil Company to go to England and become a Registered Nurse. Nursing school was very hard. Besides having to deal with being away from home for the first time and learning a new culture, I found it difficult to adjust to the strict discipline of the British teachers, who failed to empathies with the foreign students. In spite of the initial difficulties, I prevailed and completed my Nursing education. I was in London during the 60s! This era was the best that a young girl could wish for: there were the Beatles, Tom Jones, the Rolling Stones, Petula Clark, and lots more to make life lots of fun.
Upon my return to Iran in 1967, I worked at National Iranian Oil Company Hospital, in the Persian Gulf city of Abadan, for two years, after which I was awarded another scholarship to go to England for post graduate studies. I applied for the National Heart Hospital in London and was accepted to study Cardiac Intensive Care and Coronary Care unit nursing. I was the first woman in Tehran who became specialized in Cardiac Care Nursing.
On my return to Iran in 1970, I was offered numerous teaching opportunities at different nursing schools in Tehran, as well as a full-time position in a newly-built hospital in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Coronary Care Unit (CCU) supervisor. Iran was blooming on the way to prosperity and needed young and educated people to work hard towards a better future for the country. I was pleased to have a small part in improving this dynamic community. We were all working extremely hard to make our country a better place for future generations.
In 1975, I met my husband Amir, a petrochemical engineer, and we married shortly after. We had two lovely children, a daughter and son, two years apart. In 1976, I went back to university at the Imperial Medical Centre of Iran in pursuit of a master’s degree in Nursing Administration and Education.
As a woman, I enjoyed my work and my personal life in an environment where men and women were equal and worked side by side without discrimination. Women were lawyers, physician, surgeons, nurses, administrators, teachers, members of parliament, ministers, and judges. In fact, Shirin Ebadi, the winner of the 2003 Nobel Peace Price, was the first female judge in that era.
Regretfully, in 1979, the regime in Iran changed and an Islamic Republic was created. Millions of men and women like me could not continue living in Iran anymore and immigrated to different countries. It was quite challenging to pick up your bags and leave your home, not knowing what would happen to you and your family. Imagine a plant being uprooted and being planted in another environment. it is quite possible for that plant to become weak, lose its leaves, and eventually die. My husband and my two children (4 and 6 years of age) were each like an uprooted plant. We left Iran in 1982.
My husband and I considered both Europe and the United States as places we could possibly settle. After living in Belgium for a year, it became clear that Europe was not meant for us. Europe was suffering from unemployment. There was no opportunity for people like us, that is non-European immigrants, to establish ourselves if its own people were incapable of getting ahead. The United States was no better. Iranian – American relations were at an all time low and the USA was simply not the best place for us to make our new home.
It was a very cold day in December 1984. My husband and I were walking in Brussels, wondering what to do. We had two young children who needed stability, a good education, and a proper home. As we were walking, we saw the Maple Leaf flag moving back and forth with the wind, as if it were calling us. We decided to go to the Canadian Embassy and apply for landed immigrant status. After six months, we were granted visas and in July 1985, we came to Vancouver.
Although I was a Registered Nurse from England and the United States with a master’s degree in administration and Education, I had to pass the Nurses Registration exam in British Columbia again in order to practice. Wherever I applied to work, no one would employ me unless I had experience in British Columbia. I started working in a nursing home as a nurse with a minimum wage ($5.00 /hour) to obtain experience. It was extremely hard, after holding so many high-profile positions in Iran, to start from zero again, but I was determined to make it work. I needed experience in British Columbia. I worked and studied extremely hard to learn about Gerontology Nursing. I became Registered Nurse in BC after passing the registration exam in 1987.
After that, my husband and I decided to purchase a Care Home and look after senior citizens ourselves. In June 1987, we purchased Britannia Lodge and have been operating it for the past 34 years, along with 50 employees. The work is incredibly challenging, but it gives me a lot of satisfaction to look after the seniors who do not have anyone to take care of them in the winter of their lives.
I have made Canada my home. My children have both graduated from university; they have had incredibly happy childhoods, which have continued into prosperous adult lives in Vancouver.
Although, I love Iran with its extraordinarily rich history and culture, my home is Canada now. The journey was exceptionally long and challenging, but it was worth the effort. We finally reached our destination. I am grateful for my life and appreciate this wonderful land with all my heart and soul.
Due to the issues that new immigrants face, I have decided to become an active volunteer in the community. I volunteered at Chartwell Elementary School and Sentinel Secondary School during my children’s education. I have been actively involved in establishing the multicultural support group at Sentinel Secondary School and in introducing different cultures to the school educators and students to bridge some of the potential gaps. I have also volunteered to raise funds for the Red Cross in disaster situations, such as the Bam Earthquake in 2003 and the South Asian Tsunami in 2004. I have been a member of the West Vancouver Community Foundation Board of Directors for four years, and one of the founding members of the Iranian Canadian Cultural Association since September 1998 and worked in ICCA for 7 years. I continued to work with new immigrants to Canada and always encouraged them to become volunteers in their community in order to give back to their adopted country and appreciate what Canada has given them.
I have been a member of the Canadian Federation University Club, North Vancouver for many years and have worked in their board of directors for two years. I appreciate and admire the Club’s mission statement on women and educational matters. I am proud to be a part of this organization and encourage other university-educated people to join.
Since I had so many difficulties when I arrived in Canada and did not find any organization to help me, after being on the Board of Directors of different organizations and gaining a lot of knowledge about the non-profit organization in Canada, in January 2005, I have established the Canadian Iranian Foundation a not for profit organization with the mission of facilitating the social and cultural integration of the newly arrived immigrants to Canada, awarding scholarship to the deserving students who have financial needs to peruse their post-secondary education and assist the humanitarian causes.
Canadian Iranian Foundation has become a registered charity organization in May 2006.
CIF has assisted the new immigrants by providing different seminars throughout the year for them and provided scholarship for deserving students in BC. With having fund raising events regularly and raising fund C.I.F. has rented an office which is utilized as a resource centre in North Vancouver, where new immigrants are seen regularly and assisted with their needs as well as providing family and settlement counseling to the new immigrants who need information. I have created this organization to assist people in learning about Canadian Culture, Values, Geography and History. This organization brings different cultures together at the seminars and the events so can learn from each other and respect each other. For the past sixteen years CIF has been an integral part of the community and has helped so many immigrants as well as organizing festivals and events that all community come together and celebrate their diversity in an environment where everyone is happy, respectful of each other and celebrate each other’s culture.
In the meantime, I am still working full time at my care facility with my son and daughter. I have a lovely family and seven grandchildren. Volunteering in the community has been my family’s priority as my children both were very much involved at their schools, Boys and Girls club and many more organizations.
I am a proud Canadian and will continue giving back until the day I die, as this country has done so much for me and thousands of others like me and I will try my best to make people understand each other’s culture despite their differences and background because I believe in having multiculturalism.
I have been nominated for the Nesika award by the Liberal government of BC in 2013
I have been nominated for the YWCA women of distinction award in 2014
I have been the first Iranian woman who has been selected and awarded as the RBC and Canadian Immigrant Magazine top 25 Canadian Immigrants in 2014
I have received the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee medal in 2013 from Andrew Saxton MP from North Vancouver on Canada Day for my services to the community.
I have received an award for community building and being an exceptional citizen from the West Vancouver Municipality.
I have received an award from the Canadian Iranian Foundation Board of Directors for my services to the community
The Canadian Iranian Foundation, the organization I have established has been nominated for the best settlement agency in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
I have also been nominated for the “Unity in Diversity” award.
I have received the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers from Governor General in September 2019.
