The end of the story

The last few weeks after my trip through Israel and Palestine is a bit of a blur to me now. I was finishing up my classes and writing papers, and an issue with British Airways led to me leaving exactly a week earlier than I anticipated, with less than 12 hours notice. I had just begun to appreciate certain things in Cairo and it was time to go. I said bye to all my American friends from all over the US and my Egyptian roommate, packed up my stuff and left in the dark of the early morning. It was quite the sudden way to leave, but it was easier than watching everyone else leave one by one. At least I had been able to pick up gifts at Khan El Khalili, the biggest market in Cairo, which I had visited before but needed to improve my Arabic before purchasing anything from it. A friend from Westboro visited with her friends from her semester abroad in Italy, and I got to play tour guide for a few days, bringing them to the Khan and helping them make travel plans.

Now, having been back in the states for almost as long as I was in Cairo, I have a new perspective on my semester. I have been able to reflect on what was beneficial and what was unfortunate.
Cairo is a crazy, dirty city, and I will probably not choose to live there again. The Middle East, however, has been calling me back since I left. I tell everyone who asks that I will likely move again to the Middle East again in the future, probably to the Levant area--Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon or Syria. The food there is better and the cities are cleaner.
While my semester in Cairo was an incredible learning experience, the truly amazing times were mostly spent outside of the city while traveling. I know my Arabic improved, but it would have improved more in a city with fewer English-speakers. I do hope that my Arabic knowledge will be like muscle memory when I return to the Middle East. I have few opportunities to speak it now, especially Colloquial Arabic since my class is only in Modern Standard. This is the last semester that I can take Arabic at GW, so I truly hope that I do not lose it all.

I do not regret my decision to study in Cairo at all. Many days of my semester there were incredibly hard. One night about mid-semester, about 10 minutes of a call home were spent with me overwhelmed by emotion and unable to speak or explain why I was so upset. Being stuck in a place so far out of my comfort zone for four months was truly a character-building experience. Were I given the opportunity, I would change a little about my semester. I would likely attend a different university, as the American University in Cairo is really not conducive to a student who would like to be more immersed in the culture and actually learn the language. I might even choose a different city, although my knowledge of Egyptian Arabic will likely come in handy in the future.

I think I learned a lot from the semester that I will never be able to explain. I encourage everyone who asks to study abroad if they have the opportunity. It is an unparalleled experience. I have been told that I am different than I was before my semester abroad, but not in a tangible way. I believe that I am already using what I learned about myself and about the world in my daily life and hope that it will benefit me going forward.