Egypt: A bewildering place that you can learn to love Past Review
By A student (Middle Eastern Studies, Economics, Wellesley College) - abroad from 09/08/2012 to 12/20/2012 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Alexandria
This was absolutely worth it. Please note that I write this review as a full year student; I can't really speak to what I would have gotten out of just one semester. Language-wise, I doubt I could have had a better program. The modern standard Arabic professor is easily the most incredible Arabic professor any of us had ever encountered. The dialect program was a mess in the fall (the first session of the program since the uprisings in 2011), but was great in the spring, and will surely be even better as the program progresses. The language pledge is a truly essential tool to developing not the just the vocabulary but also the confidence to speak well in Arabic. Culturally, I was pushed to the limit to challenge my own views and those of others. I developed a more complete picture of social issues in the Middle East and learned what drives individuals personal decisions on these issues. In doing this I simultaneously became both more accepting and more assertive, with deeper grounding to my personal views. Finally, living in Egypt teaches you perspective. You get to be strong, know yourself, and laugh. Living in Egypt is not easy, especially as a female, but for me it was worth it. You will be frustrated, you may break down. But then one day you realize that it's not just you who's going through this- it's every Egyptian, every day. And then you're able to finally understand the ubiquitous Egyptian word "m3lesh". Usually translated only roughly as "no problem; no worries; nevermind", this word is what makes life in Egypt possible. When there's a day that one bad thing after another happens and you finally come home and burst into tears and your Egyptian roommate consoles you with "m3alesh", what she means is that she truly does feel your pain, and that you will get through it, because all of Egypt does. Once you break this wall of understanding with Egyptian society, you begin to develop the ability to laugh at these incidents. We don't laugh because what happened wasn't sad or frustrating or angering, but rather because there is nothing that can be done to take it back, so why cry when you can laugh at the absurdity of it? And once you can laugh, you can look around and appreciate all of the amazing Egyptians that you meet who push forward every day in their efforts to live a happy and fulfilling life despite a system that makes every effort to deny them it.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Generally, assignments were not particularly intense. However given the effort required to read Arabic well, one could work to the extent that they wished to understand readings better. More importantly, the language pledge acts as constant homework, as one is constantly speaking, trying to understand, and learning Arabic. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration are incredibly friendly, accessible, and responsive. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Keep in mind that you've chosen to come to Egypt, and your living arrangements are better than the average Egyptian's. That said, the dorms were pretty bad by American standards (not clean, strict rules for going out at night, etc). The second semester though I lived in an apartment, which was incredible. I'd give that 4.5 stars, although I wouldn't recommend it for a first semester student. |
| * Food: |
No variety whatsoever, and VERY few vegetables. (Again, keep in mind that you've presumably chosen/are considering Egypt for reasons other than its culinary prowess.) However there was plenty of food. Second semester though I cooked for myself, which was wonderful. Food is very inexpensive, and there's a good variety of fruits and vegetables available in the market. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The city is generally safe from theft, assault, etc. However, females (especially non-Egyptians) face constant harassment, and at night it can be highly dangerous for females alone. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
On one hand, you will likely find that you need to spend money more often than in the US to find entertainment, since there aren't student organizations and events. However, essentials are VERY inexpensive, and inexpensive entertainment can be found. Obviously, how much you choose to travel and whether/where you eat out will greatly affect how much money you spend. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $10 |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I'd known before I arrived that what I wear has little to no affect on how much harassment I receive. As long as my shoulders, most of my chest, and legs to the shins are covered, the particular tightness or exact length of a garment aren't very important. Just wear what you're comfortable in, and know that the best deterrent of harassment is the confidence in your walk (although even that can't stop all harassment). |
