When I say that I am from Egypt this is the response that is evoked in others’ minds. This is a figurine my grandmother brought to me from the country when I was about 6. This piece started my interest into and my country’s history. I wanted to know everything about the history of a society that could produce art and structures that beautiful. As I grew older, though, I found myself less interested in Egypt’s architecture and more interested I my family’s history. I became angry that the world could marginalize the country as blocks of stone and carvings designed and finished well over 3000 years ago. The country today suffers loudly, but to deaf ears through countless revolutions and terrorist attacks.
I became more interested in the past of my family: why did you move here when your entire family was home (dad)? what was it like leaving your home at 16, unable to return even for family marriages (mom)? how was working as a translator for the UN (teta)? How meeting face to face with Gadaffi over an engineering project (gido)? I speak Arabic with them and watch news in Arabic with them.
One of the hardest things I must do is reconcile my complex and rich Egyptian history with the American culture I was born and educated in. I am grateful I am here; Egypt had 2 revolutions between my birth and my graduation from high school, yet my history and family live there. The reconciliation between cultures is hard.
~Joe S
Leave a Reply