This past summer, I had the chance to do something that not every teenager, or person for that matter, has the opportunity to do. I spent six weeks in Cairo, Egypt as part of an Egyptian family and as a student at an Arabic Language and Cultural Center. Two weeks after having returned to the United States, it is strange because I almost feel like my journey to Egypt never even took place. I am again sitting at the same computer as 8 weeks before, chatting with the same friends from high school, and I have even moved out of my home and am making a new transition into college. On the surface, my life is the same. But looking deeper into the thoughts and actions that I carry out on a daily basis, one can see how much six short weeks in the Middle East has drastically changed my outlook on life and my purpose in it.
Before Egypt, I considered myself a very open-minded, knowledgeable person. I started an International Awareness Club at my high school, and I hosted several exchange students. And as I can imagine my Egyptian host mother telling me, smiling “meshi, ok.” Which, in this situation implies “Okay. Thank you for sharing, Maria.” I did have an open mind and I did know a thing or two about the worlds different cultures and peoples. But by the end of my six week adventure, I realized how much how much my mind could still be opened and how much more I could actually learn. What I learned came did not come just from five weeks of Arabic class or just from time spent with my Egyptian family. Instead it was these experiences, combined with many others. It was the school and family combined with ith the two hours I spent on 6 different microbuses every day, or asking directions from a woman on the street, or us Americans asking our Arabic teacher Mohammed about an uncomfortable or confusing cultural situation we had gotten ourselves into. The knowledge that I gained came from the week I spent in the Egyptian countryside, sleeping under the stars on the balcony and living without running water. It came from from how I felt as a veiled woman at a conservative family wedding, how part of me wished I could have worn a sexy new dress, and then how the other part never thought of what I was wearing but instead on the interactions that I had. What I felt, what I ate, what I saw, what I heard, what I dreamed and even what I smelled contributed to all that I discovered during my stay in Egypt.
So, what did I learn? How exactly did it impact me? Like my peers who accompanied me on this trip, I feel that a summarization of what knowledge I gained is impossible. More appropriately, the feelings and emotions that I now possess can expose what I have learned about Egyptian and Arab culture. I must first say that my feelings are strong. Upon returning home, I was surprised to feel an even greater longing for Egypt than I did for my home while abroad. I was both extremely happy for what I had accomplished and having met the people I had met, but also exceptionally sad to have to leave it all behind when I was just becoming comfortable and beginning to understand. I feel strongly about many of the experiences that I had while in Egypt.
Primarily, I feel strongly connected to my Egyptian family. Whereas anyone could read a book about Egyptian family life, when in Egypt, the trials and tribulations that I went though in the process of connecting with each member of my family helped me gain an understanding of exactly what it meant to be a family in Cairo, Egypt. What role did I have as a daughter, an older sister, a teenager, a woman? At first I had no idea, but the more time that I spent with my family and walking around the streets of Cairo, I believe I began to understand. When my host sister told me the she could only hope that the family’s next exchange students would be as respectful of the home’s rules and traditions as I was, I felt that I had accomplished one of the greatest feats in my life. Or when my host father called me “ya habibiti” or “ya binti” (my love or my girl) rather than just “Maria,” I felt as if I had picked up on even the smallest cultural fragments that brought together a family.
Furthermore, I feel strongly attached to the Middle East and recognize it as a significant region of the world. Before I went to Egypt, I was aware of the problems that seemed to be growing there. However, I did not concern myself with them. I felt that it was some Muslim extremist’s fault for creating wars and that there was really nothing more to it. Like many other Americans, I didn’t want to make “their problem” my problem. Here, however, is where my views have changed most dramatically. Whereas I previously laughed with my Waukesha friends who told me that they only hoped that I would come back alive from Egypt and that I would not meet any terrorists, I now become appalled and angered by these kinds of jokes. It frustrates and saddens me that the majority of the American population, as I once did, sees the Middle East as a place only for violence, war, extreme religion and terrorism. It is true that these types of corruption exist there. However, I had an experience most opposite from this stereotype. Though Egyptians dislike American governmental policy, I, as an American citizen, was welcomed with open arms into the homes and hearts of more families and new friends than I can name. Bombs? I didn’t see any. So-called "terrorists" ? I didn’t meet any.
Yes. The people of Egypt are mostly Muslim, and yes, the women cover with long sleeves and veils. Yes. Many stereotypes that people have of Egypt and the Middle East are true in many situations. But in no way do these ideas prevent the Egyptian people from learning, growing and sharing just like Americans desire to do. My conservative Muslim family who never missed any of the five-a-day prayers and who were the first ones at the mosque every Friday, taught me only about kindness, sharing and community. My mother, who veiled from head to toe, always stayed up until I returned home safe at night. My sister, who will not date until she has accepted a marriage offer, and I bantered about the order and atomic weight of the elements on the periodic table and also which shirt looked better with which pants. In these situations, it wasn't until I felt the sweat dripping down my brow and looked out the window to see the desert as my backyard that I was in a foreign land half-way across the world.
It is true that Egyptian culture is so incredibly different from that of the United States. I am not lying when I say that many times I was uncomfortable or felt awkward because of a cultural difference or misunderstanding. I will admit that I was at times scared of finding my way around Cairo during my daily transit from school to home. However, I cannot begin to explain the unbelievable feeling that one attains when he or she finally can get from school to home without a problem, jump into a conversation with your average, everyday Egyptian, or walk down the street without feeling like a stranger. For the past summer, being "just like Asmaa, like Afnaan, like Ayatt, like Abd-alRahman" as my host mom would say in reference to my 4 sisters and brother, this is what I feel I have accomplished. By the last week in Cairo, I felt part of the family, part of the culture, and most notably, a part of Cairene society.
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