Family from Mexico shocked by Brandon’s cold, stunned by residents’ warmth

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This article was published 03/01/2023 (1019 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A family that moved to Brandon from Mexico and was surprised by just how cold Manitoba winters can get has received a warm welcome thanks to a pair of women who gave them winter clothing.

Rocio Luna — a violinist who moved to Canada to study for her master’s degree in music performance and literature — said the kind gesture confirms she made the right choice coming to Brandon.

“They were super-kind with us,” Luna said of the People of Brandon Facebook group she had turned to for help and later posted a message of thanks. “That’s why I got the courage to post this, because I felt the need to let everyone know they are so very good people here.”

Luna moved here with her husband, six-year-old daughter and one-year-old son to study at Brandon University. She said the school had the program she wanted, and Brandon was the right fit for her young family — neither too big or too busy.

The family arrived here on Christmas Day, flying from Mexico to Brandon via Calgary. She said it was only when the plane touched down and she stepped onto the runway at the Brandon Municipal Airport that she realized how cold the Wheat City could be.

The high temperature in Brandon that day was -20.8 C, which felt more like -28 C with wind chill. They were wearing jackets more appropriate for fall than mid-winter.

“It burned my nose, my mouth,” Luna said of the cold air, adding the family ran from the plane to the terminal. “I held my baby with a bunch of blankets that I had there in the carry-on. My daughter also got covered with what we had, and my husband and I just ran for it.”

Luna had researched Canada before leaving Mexico, but still wasn’t prepared for the deep freeze. Her husband, who is originally from Pakistan, had been to parts of Europe where the temperature dipped as low as -8 C, but hadn’t experienced anything like Brandon’s cold. Luna had travelled in Europe too, but not anywhere cold.

Once at their temporary home, the Clarion Hotel and Suites, Luna ventured out to find appropriate clothes for her family. She said she’d managed to find snow boots in Mexico, as uncommon as they are there.

The only one with suitable footwear, she ventured out to nearby Giant Tiger but said she didn’t find what she needed for her husband. Not familiar with Brandon, and without transportation, she said she didn’t know where else to go.

That’s when she remembered she had joined the People of Brandon Facebook group where residents frequently post asking for guidance and help. There, she posted an appeal for places to buy clothes and for anyone who might have second-hand apparel she could buy.

Not only did she receive a flood of replies advising where she could go to shop, but two people kindly messaged her to ask about sizes and offer clothes. One of them who went by the name Michalla Dawn online (who couldn’t be reached for comment), told Luna she would be at the hotel with items in 10 minutes.

“It was around 9 p.m. or so, and I was, ‘Really, someone randomly, don’t even know me, don’t even know who I am, and is just going to come to deliver some clothing for me?’”

Not only did Michalla Dawn bring clothes, she brought toys for the children. Luna said the Good Samaritan had bought the items for them from a thrift store.

Then, another group member named Donna (who didn’t want her last name used) stepped forward with a winter jacket that was in brand-new condition for Luna’s husband.

She didn’t want money for the jacket, and told the Sun that other people have helped her in the past and she was just doing the same for a family in need.

“I had (a jacket) in my closet that wasn’t being used and thought, ‘Well, if it fit him, he could certainly have it,’” Donna said, adding, “No one can truly be prepared for just how cold Manitoba winters can be until they actually experience them.”

Luna and her family have since found an apartment in Brandon.

ihitchen@brandonsun.com