Cherise Seucharan for The Star writes, “after seven months in a Malaysian airport, Hassan Al Kontar’s first few days living in Whistler, B.C., have been spent in a dreamlike state. He arrived at the Vancouver airport with only thin clothes and a pair of slippers. Al Kontar was immediately welcomed by his sponsor and the rest of the community with open arms.
“I’m here now and I’m safe. I have to keep reminding myself,” he said in an interview from his new Whistler home. “There’s a moment where you realize real life is more beautiful than a dream.”