Shiraz Lalani was born in Mbarara, Uganda where he spent his childhood. He recalled a comfortable middle class family life with his mother an father looking after their general store. Shiraz moved to Kampala to enroll in a college accounting program. After completing his certification, Shiraz worked as a bookkeeper in Uganda for three years until the expulsion decree was announced.<\/p>\n
Shiraz was admitted to Canada in early October and arrived in Montreal on October 13th, 1972. He was resettled in Kitchener where he recalls receiving support from the FOUR [Friend of Uganda Refugees] university group. After working several odd jobs including factory work at the Dare cookie plant in Kitchener, Shiraz procured a job doing customs clearance bookkeeping at Kuehne and Nagel. He has been working there since May of 1974.<\/p>\n
Shiraz recalled the struggles of adjusting to Canadian life with the harsh climate, bland food, and anxieties of being in a new country. However, after a few months Shiraz felt more comfortable in Kitchener and remembered a relatively smooth experience of raising his family in Toronto.<\/p>\n
The interview was conducted at Shiraz\u2019s home in Toronto, Ontario.<\/p>\n