Louise Gow
Vietnam / Canada
Louise Gow is a Canadian artist. Louise was sponsored to Canada by the River Park Church in Calgary, arriving when she was eight years old, fleeing from conflict in Vietnam. To this day, River Park Church continues to sponsor refugees to Canada. Louise has written about her journey to Canada from Vietnam, and shared pieces of her art with us.
A Glimpse into My Journey
By Louise Gow
My earliest memories were danger from the bombings, soldiers entering our house to take whatever they wanted. Hunger and terror were our daily companions in a life filled with violence and fear. I was one of the more than 700,000 boat people that attempted to escape Vietnam during the war. At the time I was 8-years old when my parents were able to get me on a boat as a favor from some people that were also planning to escape and that had been hiding in our house also hoping to be lucky enough to escape the war and hardship.
There were so many men, women, elderly, and children crammed on top of each other on the boat. The journey was for 4-days and 3-nights with little in the way of food or water. I can recall the stench from the excrement and vomit as the waves tossed us around. The days were filled with pirates boarding our boat to steal anything of value that they could find. The nights saw intense storms and darkness that had everyone wondering if we would survive in our small leaky boat. The constant sounds of tears and prayers filled the air throughout the entire journey. I still vividly remember the horror and for years, I had night terrors.
Finally, we reached Malaysia where we were met by the coastguard who attempted to turn us away from landing. However, our boat was so broken and with people screaming everyone started to jump into to the water looking for any refuge they could find.
We ended up in a Red Cross camp for a year before being lucky enough to gain sponsorship to come to Canada by travelling onto Calgary. I was blessed to be sponsored by First Christian Reformed Church, now River Park Church, of Calgary.
Coming to Canada provided me with opportunities in my life that I never thought would have been possible and for that I have been truly blessed.
Painting is therapeutic for me and having the opportunity to creatively express my feelings is an important outlet for me. I believe deeply in having diverse multicultural communities. As an immigrant, I have had an opportunity to experience success, freedom and to enjoy the beauty of life. I have a deep belief in the joys of working together to build a better life for ourselves and for future generations. I hope that my paintings will give people a sense of the energy, excitement, and the opportunities that Calgary provides and an additional glimpse of who I am.
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