Life in Egypt

An introduction to Young Voices’ newest bloggers

March 13, 2013 | Young Voices
Emily Loewen | Young Voices Co-editor

Young Voices is excited to welcome Isaac Friesen and Wanda Wall-Bergen as our newest bloggers. Isaac and Wanda are currently serving in Egypt with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) as foreign-language instructors and peacebuilders. They have been writing about their experiences on their own personal blog, Life in Egypt, and have given Young Voices permission to re-post their work on our site. To serve as an introduction, Isaac answered some questions about their experience to date.

EL: Why did you decide to serve with MCC?

IF: We grew up hearing the exciting stories of various friends and family members who had served abroad with MCC. Years later, we had graduated and married, and the time just felt right. We wanted adventure and challenge, and to participate in a meaningful cultural exchange. And to be able to serve in an organization that focused on relationship-building; this was more of a draw than anything.

EL: What have been some of the highlights of your term so far?

IF: The first few months were like one long honeymoon, where we were suddenly immersed in a place so different from home. With many thousand years of history and many millions of people, Egypt is a place of supreme depth and character. The walls, the fruit vendors, the donkeys, they all seem to have interesting stories. Indeed, I have never been bored here.

A second highlight has been the people. I like to tell friends back home that Egypt is not camels, protests or pyramids; rather, Egypt is people. Crowded along the narrow Nile River, Egypt is simply bursting with warm handshakes and smiling faces. Many Egyptians face great hardship, yet, judging by their patience, kindness and generosity, you would almost never know it.

EL: What about some of the struggles or challenges?

IF: Personally, the greatest challenge has been the near-constant attention we receive while out in public. Egyptians are generally not shy, and are easily excited by foreigners. Even though remarks are rarely negative, the shouts can be grating after a while. Oh, to go for an evening walk without feeling self-conscious!

On a broader level, it has been a struggle to live in a place with so many problems: poverty, unemployment, lack of access to healthcare. It is all probably worse than you imagine. Millions of students graduate with dreams, but few find real options.

Indeed, it is sometimes hard not to feel depressed. And as relatively wealthy North Americans, we often feel a sense of guilt creeping in. That said, the Egyptian people are famously good-humoured and resilient.

EL: How has your faith, or your perspective on it, changed since you’ve been in Egypt?

IF: It is difficult to say. Perhaps we will be better able to answer this question in a few years. No doubt, our perspective on faith has changed a lot in Egypt. Religion is very central to life here. We have been inspired by the faith of our Coptic brothers and sisters in Christ.

Yet practices are very different from our North American Mennonite traditions. And to be frank, the cultural divide has been somewhat spiritual as well. At times, our perpetual curiosity and questions are not altogether spiritually satisfying. I think we have learned how valuable a faith community of relatively similar, critical-minded individuals can be.

EL: Tell me about the experience of living in Egypt during a time of so much political change?

IF: It has been a crazy couple of years politically. Protests, strikes and elections have become the norm, along with the odd outbreak of violence. Many people’s nerves are frayed. Yet Egypt is not the war zone world news sometimes makes it out to be.

In contrast to before the revolution, these days Egyptians are always talking politics. It has been fascinating to listen to the currents and shifts in opinions. Sadly, many people have become completely disillusioned. A revolution which once held such promise has thus far borne so little fruit.

EL: What are some of the funny or different cultural practices that you’ve had to adjust to?

IF: The first thing people often notice is the driving. Basically, the only rule is that there are no rules, which can make things fun and frightening! And while in North America drivers communicate with lights, here it is horns, which make it loud and clear where someone is going.

Egyptians are an incredibly generous people. You best not compliment someone on their shirt or sunglasses because you will likely have to spend the next 20 minutes fighting off their attempts to give it to you. Shopkeepers and taxi drivers will almost always tell you your items are free when you first try to pay. We soon learned that these types of offers are a formality more than anything. From cups of coffee to half-eaten sandwiches, you should always offer to those around you first!

Share this page: Twitter Instagram

Add new comment

Canadian Mennonite invites comments and encourages constructive discussion about our content. Actual full names (first and last) are required. Comments are moderated and may be edited. They will not appear online until approved and will be posted during business hours. Some comments may be reproduced in print.