Ahlan wa Sahlan

Ahlan wa sahlan. Welcome. This blog will be a record of my travels in Egypt during summer 2009. I hope to gain, and share, some insight into the culture and people of Egypt.

But first some information about me and what I'm doing. I've been interested in other cultures from a very early age. Along with learning about them, my other relevant interests include reading, writing, current events, politics and history. The Middle East and the Arabic language have been particularly fascinating to me due to their high importance in world affairs. The region is one of the chief foci of global diplomatic efforts, so, as an aspiring International Relations major, I find a comprehension of it critical to both myself personally and the world in general. In my personal opinion, future world peace stability depends in large part on the West being able to understand and interact with the Middle East in a positive way, and vice-versa.

My studies of the region have included two trips I had the privilege of taking in 9^th and 10^th Grade, to Spain and then Greece and Italy, respectively. Both were during my school's (The Ross School in East Hampton, NY) M-Term, a 3-week period during which we have the option to either take a trip or a term-long class. Both trips were about the crucial role the Islamic world played in the transfer of knowledge between the Classical and Renaissance worlds. At the same time, as anyone who has ever wandered through the exquisite rooms of the Alhambra Palace in Granada can attest, the Islamic world made a staggering number of contributions on its own.

My history with the language itself is a somewhat rocky one. I took Arabic at my previous school for 2 years, in 7^th and 8^th grade, and then gladly dropped it when I switched out for high school. I could bore you with outside reasons I didn't like studying the language and, consequently, didn't learn much, but ultimately the onus was on me. I squandered an opportunity to get a head start with something I now realize may well become an important part of my life. All I can say about my previous Arabic experience is that it showed me how NOT to approach a language. After two years away, I'm reacquainting myself with a fresh outlook and an eagerness to learn.

It was a renewed interest in the Arabic language, and my subsequent search for a way to spend my summer learning it, that led me to the program I'm traveling with. I'm going to Egypt as part of the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y). The initiative, a program of the State Department, gives full, merit based-grants for youth to go overseas and learn languages of diplomatic importance. Its mission statement and goals (found here) are as follows:

NSLI-Y Mission Statement
NSLI-Y is about American youth speaking international languages to establish ties with people from other cultures. It is an early, formative program providing American teens – ages 15 to 18 - with opportunities they need to achieve language fluency and deepen their cultural understanding of the countries where these languages are spoken. The NSLI-Y program aims to guide American youth toward using language in their university and professional careers. It hopes to encourage young Americans to dedicate themselves to a lifetime of learning languages, and inspire future generations to be active participants in the international community by pursuing active roles in the private, academic, and government sectors. Ultimately, NSLI-Y is about people and language – young Americans speaking the languages of other cultures to advance the security of the United States and the global community through person-to-person relationships.

NSLI-Y Goals
1. Improve the ability of Americans to engage with the people of Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, and Turkish-speaking countries through shared language;

2. Develop a cadre of Americans with advanced linguistic skills and related cultural understanding who are able to advance international dialogue, promote the security of the United States, and compete effectively in the global economy;

3. Provide a tangible incentive for the learning and use of foreign language by developing additional overseas language study opportunities for U.S. high school students;

4. Spark a lifetime interest in foreign cultures among American youth.

Once I received word that I had been accepted into this program, my thoughts immediately turned to my Senior Project. At Ross, one's Senior Project is a chance to both build on previous experience and passions and explore new interest and inquiries. I can't think of a better mixture of the two then the experience I will be having the next six weeks. As my plan stands now, I will be synthesizing what I learn and see in the form of short vignettes that reveal important themes and/or truths in Egyptian culture. Through my research and some experience while in the States (more on that in my next post), I have some nascent, nebulous ideas of what these may be, but I believe I need to wait until I'm actually there before I decide what I want to convey in my writing.