From the Mideast to the Midwest

I am currently sitting in the airport because my last flight to Cleveland is delayed. This layover has made me think a lot about my overall experience in Cairo and studying abroad. I must say I feel this experience has been an experience of a life time. I won’t say that experience changed me, but I feel it taught me so many different things about myself. This was not an ordinary study abroad experience that many college students embark on. Living in the Middle East for four months confronts you with a very different culture and way of thinking from my own. It would be difficult for me to explain every way in which Egyptian or Middle East culture and society is different from my own. Some of the ones that come to mind now are the food, dress, religion, form of government, police, and different historical experience. In many ways Egyptian society and culture reminds me of Europe and Latin America, such as the large bureaucracy, lack of timeliness, and a generally more laid back society which is less reliant of specific organization. However, despite the fact that Egyptian culture and society is very different, the thing that stuck out to me the most was how similar it was to America. Honestly I expected Egypt to be more different from the US than it actually was. There are so many similarities with the US that continued to surprise me. More than anything, you find that people are the same everywhere.
One of the most profound differences in Egypt that did affect me the most concerned religion. Living in America as a Protestant Christian I think I took for granted being in the majority. Living in Egypt as a religious minority was a eye opening experience. In Egyptian society religion in integrated into society in many different ways, which are very visible. People in Egypt are very religious and it is expressed throughout their society. It was an interesting experience because it allowed me to see the world in a different way, I got to understand what it must be like for religious minorities in America. In Egypt, I was very impressed because Egyptians never spoke badly about Christianity towards me and were open in accepting me as a Christians. I found Egyptians to be very tolerant of Christians. My roommate herself was a Coptic Christian and had no problem interacting with Muslims or being fully accepted and integrated into Egyptian society. However, she did point out instances of hate crimes against Christians and lack of political representation, which is common for many religious minorities even in the US. Egypt as a government is fairly secular for the Middle East but there are still aspects in which Islam is expressed, like as a nationalistic character for Egyptians.
My experience in Egypt made me very grateful for the separation of church and state in the United States. In having a glimpse at the experience of a religious minority, it is easy to understand why our system of separating religion from government is a good system. Another way in which this experience changed me is that I find it has helped me to grow as a Christian. Being a minority in Egypt challenged me and helped strengthen my commitment as a Christian.
An interesting aspect of living in Egypt which I didn’t fully expect was how much I blended in. Pretty much every Egyptian I met thought I was Egyptian or Arab. I blended in everywhere I went, everyone spoke to me in Arabic if I wasn’t with Americans and I wasn’t treated as a tourist (tourists get treated much differently). It turns out because of this I had a totally different experience than most study abroad students or Americans in Cairo. I got treated as though I was a native; while my blond haired girl friends would get welcomed everywhere they went. It was a different experience to blend into a society so much. In America, there are so many different ethnicities and races that there isn’t really an American look. While when I visited Europe (even Germany ironically) I always stood out and got stairs. I enjoyed feeling as though I could walk down the street and be treated as a native.
Another realization I have come to at the end of this Egyptian adventure is how fortunate I was to make this journey with Derek! Looking back, I don’t know how I would have survived in Egypt without him! It is wonderful to know that this is an unique experience we have had together, and I will have someone who will understand what it is like to live in the Middle East. It was definitely difficult at times living in Egypt and adjusting to a different culture, but I feel my relationship with Derek is much stronger now because of this trip. And I am so glad we got to travel to Lebanon together!!
Leaving Egypt I had many mixed feelings. Of course I am so excited to see my family, have the comforts of home and have some Mexican food, but at the same time I have loved living in the Middle East. There are going to be so many things I am going to miss! There is definitely no where in the world like Cairo!!

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