On Saturday, we were invited over to one of our student’s home to meet with her and her fiancée. Her fiancée is hoping to get a fellowship at Harvard Medical and they plan to marry in a year. They wanted to talk to us about life in the States as well as things they need to consider financially when they live there. While the marriage is not arranged, it is a very traditional Islamic courtship. They were introduced by mutual friends with the intent to find a suitable marriage partner. They do not “date” in the Western sense as they always have a chaperone and family members around. Outing usually take place in family settings and they focus on conversations and making sure they are compatible. They became engaged late last summer and now are planning the rest of their lives together. They plan to marry after he goes to the States for the first year of his fellowship – but would like to be married before he leaves on paper and then live together as man and wife after his first year. Both families are in the upper class and are very traditional. The young lady lives in a “villa-mansion” that the family purchased 17 years ago in an area by the British Consulate. It took them nearly 7 years to renovate the home before they moved in. The home took up nearly a block with the yard and was completely surrounded by a high wall. The interior was decorated in a French provincial theme. We enjoyed a lunch that seemed more like a banquet in a large dining room with a table that seated probably 15 guests. It was a very pleasant and entertaining afternoon.
On Monday, we were invited to a birthday party for the two children of my assistant, Islam. Our friend Bev, who has been visiting Egypt, returned from a trip to Cairo and jointed us. The birthday was much like one we had attended earlier this spring except it there more family members present. Both sets of grandparents and the sisters of the parents were present with their children. Islam and his wife have two children (Adam, age 3 and Farida, age 1). It was really only Adam’s birthday, but Farida missed having a party a month earlier because of the chicken pox. It was really neat meeting all of the family members and learning about their everyday lives. Families are so close knit. Many live in close proximity to one another. In the States, young people often leave home and go off to other parts of the state or country for a variety of reasons – one of which is to make their own mark on the world. In this culture, if you want to make your own mark, you often do it in the confines of the neighborhood you grew up in.
On Tuesday, the resident teaching staff held an appreciation supper for all of the workers who make our lives here so worry free. The workers and their families were invited and it was such fun to go around to each table and meet the families of the workers. Everyone was dressed in the “Sunday” or in this culture “Friday” best. The workers were so proud to introduce their family members to us and for both Pat and I this was a real highlight of the evening as we were given the opportunity to show our gratitude to the workers and their wonderful families. Many of our workers have young children and both Pat and I were able to hold very young babies so their parents could eat their meals. For those of you who have never been here, the workers include cleaners, cooks, drivers, gardeners, security workers, painters, electricians, carpenters, etc. They are very special to us.
As you may know, President Obama is coming to Egypt on Thursday to present a major speech to the Arab World. He will be speaking in Cairo at one of the universities. Bev, our friend, was in Cairo last week and told us that many steps were undertaken to clean up the city. The people here are very anxious and excited to hear what the President will say. Needless to say, the current President of the US is far more popular than the previous President was.
