{"id":16110,"date":"2025-07-08T13:09:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T16:09:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/experienceparkland.com\/?p=16110"},"modified":"2025-07-08T13:09:14","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T16:09:14","slug":"family-far-from-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/experienceparkland.com\/en\/blog\/2025\/07\/08\/family-far-from-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Family Far from Home"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Only two months after arriving in Canada as an international student from Nigeria, Gaffar Asanbe joined Parkland Clayton Park<\/a>, serving as both a server and a member of the maintenance team, while studying for his Master’s in Communication at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, N.S. With his family far away, he invited residents Ann Roberts and Betty Woolridge to accompany him to his graduation \u201cto stand in that symbolic space,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His connection with Parkland grew deeper as he experienced its community-oriented philosophy, \u201csomething that is not just preached but practiced in daily interactions,\u201d Gaffar says. He was touched by the warmth with which he was welcomed and made a symbolic acknowledgement in his thesis: \u201ca humble tribute to a place that became more than just a workplace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While he holds every resident close to his heart, Ann and Betty embraced him from the start, engaging in deep, meaningful conversations about life, family, and the world. Gaffar is grateful that they have become mentors and \u201csurrogate grandparents\u201d in many ways. Their stories, guidance, and encouragement have offered him both comfort and perspective, \u201cparticularly as someone navigating life far from home and family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The feeling is mutual. They don\u2019t just see him as a team member. Ann refers to him as her grandson, and Betty describes Gaffar\u2019s daughter as her great-granddaughter, \u201ctitles that touched me deeply and made me feel like family,” he highlights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their influence has been immense, shaping Gaffar during this crucial period of his life. \u201cI wanted them beside me on such an important day. Without Ann and Betty, my academic journey would have felt far lonelier.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their connection is a daily reminder that meaningful friendships grow across generations, and that, even far from home, it\u2019s possible to build a family of the heart.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Only two months after arriving in Canada as an international student from Nigeria, Gaffar Asanbe joined Parkland Clayton Park, serving as both a server and a member of the maintenance team, while studying for his Master’s in Communication at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, N.S. With his family far away, he invited residents Ann… Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":16111,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"table_tags":[],"class_list":["post-16110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-great-people"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/experienceparkland.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Betty_Gaffar_Ann1.jpeg","author_info":{"display_name":"Laura Barrett","author_link":"https:\/\/experienceparkland.com\/en\/blog\/author\/laura\/"},"yoast_head":"\nFamily Far from Home - Parkland Retirement Living<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With his family far away, Parkland Clayton Park team member invited residents to accompany him to his university graduation.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/experienceparkland.com\/en\/blog\/2025\/07\/08\/family-far-from-home\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Family Far from Home - 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