So after having been away in Cairo for 6wks I’m back in the country trying to get caught up with everything GNP-related. Except that this is my first time in DC, so I’m still in summer/tourist mode.
Cairo was, as my friend put it, “crazy challenging” but I loved it. I was learning Arabic and teaching English at a refugee school; most of the refugees are from Eritrea, Sudan, and Iraq with a few from Ethiopia, Somalia, and Burundi. I’ve worked and volunteered abroad before, but this was by far the best experience ever. My work (mainly helping 14-18 yr-old kids with their English writing ability) was both rewarding and frustrating. Rewarding in that I got to really get to know a few students and form a hopefully lasting relationship, but frustrating in my realization of how few rights they have in Cairo. They’re so disenfranchised even though they’re supposed to be accorded all the rights of an Egyptian citizen once they receive refugee status. And because they’re not allowed to work, a lot of teenage boys resort to gang violence. But I could really write a book on my experiences in Cairo, so I’ll stop now before this gets too long…
The transition back to America has been good. Amanda graciously took me in while I looked for housing, so that was really helpful and appreciated. Things are definitely moving slower over here than in SF, but hopefully by the end of the summer we will have established a strong foundation for things to really get off the ground. Tonight’s the happy hour, so I’m really excited about schmoozing and trying to get as many reviews as possible. Apparently Hawk n Dove is the place to be, so hopefully it’ll be a successful event.
I’ll check in later and update on our progress here in DC!
