METRO VANCOUVER - There were tears and cheers of "Thank you Canada" as the uncle, aunt and five cousins of the Syrian toddler whose photo galvanized the world arrived at Vancouver airport at around noon on Monday.
Mohammad Kurdi, uncle to the deceased three-year-old Alan, had only hours before been reunited with his wife and five children in Germany, where he had been living while his family waited in Turkey. It was in Frankfurt that he first met his five-month-old son, Sherwan, who was alert and awake for his arrival in Canada.
They were greeted at Vancouver airport by Mohammad's sister Tima, who raised the money to sponsor the family. She wore a pendant bearing the picture of her deceased nephews.
As her brother and his family stepped through the sliding doors into the international arrivals area, they were showered with flowers, balloons and stuffed animals. Faces were cradled in hands and the baby passed around as the politicians and media who had come to witness the homecoming kept a respectful distance.
The family said that while they are happy to be in Canada and grateful for the country's generosity, they are still grieving for their dead relatives and all the Syrian refugees who were not able to escape.
Mohammad, his wife Ghousoun Dakouri, and their children Hedeen, 16, Shergo, 14, Ranim, 9, Rezan, 7 and Sherwan, five months, will stay with Tima Kurdi and her family in Coquitlam. Mayor Richard Stewart was at the airport to greet them.
Tima Kurdi said that after the family left the airport and walked out into a crisp, sunny Vancouver day, that they would probably all have a long talk. Even though they speak on the phone almost daily, it is not the same as seeing them face to face. In the morning, she has planned a traditional Syrian breakfast.
