For someone who has only lived in Canada for a few months, curling be a puzzling sport.
Sobhan Monazzami, an immigrant who moved to Coquitlam last summer, said it never occurred to her when she lived in Iran that sliding rocks down a sheet of ice could be amusing.
“It is very new to me,” she told The Tri-City News, adding that she usually played volleyball or basketball in her hometown of Urmia.
But last Saturday, she got her chance to try out one of Canada’s most popular winter sports.
She joined a group of participants from the Immigrant Services Society of BC’s Learning In Action program, which holds community events to help clients improve their English and learn about Canadian culture.
While Monazzami may not be ready to take part in the next bonspiel, she said she came away from the experience with a greater appreciation for the sport.
“In the past, I don’t understand anything about curling — I am just seeing it on TV,” she said. “But when I go curling and I play it, I really enjoy it.”
Entertainment and activity are just two of the benefits of the program, said Claire Pinkett, an instructional coordinator with ISSBC’s LINC program.
Most of the participants are either beginner or lower-intermediate level English speakers, and they are paired with longtime Canadian residents more familiar with the language and culture.
The groups take part in new activities and visit local sites, encouraging people like Monazzami to get out in their new community and learn about the country’s culture, Pinkett said. It also helps them practise communicating in English, she added.
“It really builds confidence in using language,” Pinkett said, noting the organization tries to pick events that a newcomer may be intimidated to try on their own. “When you go out there, you actually see that what you are learning is extremely beneficial.”
Jasper Kin, a 48-year-old immigrant from Daegu, South Korea, said he had never curled in his homeland but had heard about the sport.
He and his wife go to school to learn English through ISSBC and he said opportunities to try out new things, like curling last weekend, helps him get to know new people and improve his language skills — although soccer is his preferred sport.
“I like sports,” he said. “When we are playing curling and other games, we are very close and friendly.”
@gmckennaTC
