The Things We Miss - Ibrahim's Integral Role

In a follow-up to the second meeting, so much has developed since my last post.

As previously mentioned, three more students joined our group; O, Ya and S. These young men are current students of the American University in Cairo's branch of STAR - an international organiztion called Student Action for Refugees. Ibrahim, my research partner and translator had been working with them in this program prior to thier involvement in our focus group. They met A and Y, the two students from St. Andrew's during this session.

From my perspective, the 3 1/2 hour session went very well. Each student focused on thier work and the general atmosphere was one of sincere desire to learn. The class ended with an introduction essay, so as to share with the group a little personal information to get to know each other.

Following class, however, it was brought to my attention by Ibrahim that things were quite different from my perception as a non-Arabic speaker. The following is a synopsis of each student and their behavior during and after class:

A-

A is a native Baghdadi with fair skin and soft features. A had been kidnapped with his father, and was physically tortured. Knowing that he could be persecuted to death, he left Iraq with his brother and mother when his father was tortured and killed with "screwdriver." This experience had caused a psychological trauma which we still do not know anything about. In Egypt, he currently does not go to college but will be applying next semester. His goal is to travel to England where his aunt lives. A does not have any Egyptian friends and is not well assimilated into the community.

Y-

Y is A's younger brother who does not seem as interested/grateful as his older brother. Physically, he is fair just like his brother and quite conscious of his appearance. Unlike his brother, however, he goes to school and therefore his social life is not bleak or limited. He is rather stylish and acts like a typical teenager with obsessed about football and talking to his friends using his expensive cell-phone.

COMMENT:

A & Y are from St. Andrews group, separate from O, Ya & S who came from STAR program.

Although the well-being of the family seems rather jeopardized especially that the mother suffers from epilepsy and currently in Iraq trying to solve some legal problems, leaving her two sons living alone, their aunt who lives in England takes care financially of the household and anything they need.

O-

O is the youngest from STAR group. His English skills are not as good as the others which probably the reason why he tends not to talk too since we tend to conduct our classes mainly in English. O, generally speaking, is a shy person even when I speak to him in Arabic. We know that he wants to work in police force in future and dreams to travel to Australia but we do not know anything about his situation in Egypt.

Ya-

Ya is the most advanced in terms of the language. He is currently taking level 5 with STAR, which is the highest and hopes to travel soon to Canada. He is married and his wife, an Iraqi, lives in Canada with no children. In the mean time, he lives here with his family while his father who lives in Iraq comes to visit from time to time. Ya enjoys being in the spotlight and usually has a critical attitude about others.

S-

S is also a student in the STAR program. He lives here in Egypt with his mother and sister, and occasionally works as a model. E hopes to travel to the United States in two months with his family for better future. He is very optimistic which makes him always in a good mood. He also is one of the most hard-working students in my class. He enjoys working out and usually hangs out with his friend Ya in the bar.

So much of what is said in Arabic and communicated through body language is lost to me since I have no cultural understanding and cannot speak Arabic. Because of this, Ibrahim brings so much more to the table in terms of research that I as an American white woman would never understand even if given far larger period of time to conduct these focus groups.

Ending and Beginning - Shift in Demographic

As of yesterday, my Sudanese class has been reorganized. St. Andrews has instituted the true Sudanese curriculum, rescheduling classes to mimic those students attend in Sudan. My class has been broken up into respective age groups and education levels, effectively ending the interim volunteer teaching that had been in place this semester. I will be saying good-bye and good luck to my students tomorrow.

My Iraqi focus group had its second session this past Friday for 3 1/2 hours. We now have 5 members ranging from age 15 to age 25. This is not the initial demographic my research was intended to work with, but is none-the-less integral in understanding the youth that will one day return to Iraq. I find these students all have a very particular problem wherein they have not been able to access post-secondary education and are not allowed to work, leaving them in the midst of attending volunteer education sessions offered by refugee services, or working illegally to get by.

Whereas the initial group of Iraqi boys was to be grammar and high school aged, I have found that meeting with them was very difficult, given their formal school schedules and exam study-sessions already under way. I think this is a good sign. It means that the group whom was thought to be 'at risk' is actually doing better than I had hoped. It means that parents are doing all they can to keep their young boys in school.

The downside to this discovery is the light being shed on the lack of opportunity for young men following secondary education. Vouchers and monetary aid are given primarily to students whose education is dire, not necessarily to those wishing to attend the more expensive colleges an universities. Even if Iraqi young men wished to attend University, they are not at the same level of English and other subjects as their Egyptian counterparts, making it difficult to pass the entrance exam. This is why my 5 students are eager to work towards a better command of English, and our hope is to assist them as much as we can in the coming weeks.

Debate over UNHCR and other Topics- April 28th

Today in class with my Sudanese students, we went over a questionnaire that covered several topics. Of particular importance was a question concerning UNHCR. Students were asked to rate how well they have been helped from 1 to 5. Students rated it very low, one commented about the need for a level 0 to rate it. Many gave their opinions and stories involving seeking help from UNHCR.

A second debate revolved around having many friends and doing what they do, even if their family's would not approve. Most agreed that having many of friends was good, but that choices about what to do and not do revolved around the fact that their parents cared more for their safety and future than their friends. They believed that they would have to make their own opinions about what to do and not do based on their own beliefs of right and wrong.

A third discussion focused on yesterday's topics of rights, government and policy. We talked about the right to an education, and if Egypt should work harder to educate Sudanese and Iraqi refugees. Their was a comment focused on the perception of Iraqis that they would not attend public school if given the choice. Also that Iraqi's had an easier time fitting in with Egyptians.

Iraqi Students

This past Friday, I met two Iraqi refugee students. Our meetings from this point on will be held in my apartment and at the local park, due to timing issues with the previous location.

A is a 20 year old Iraqi refugee currently living in New Cairo. He is legally in Egypt on an Investment Visa in connection with a company loosely related to the family. He has no true ties to the company, only to be able to live in Egypt. His father was murdered in Iraq. A is a survivor of torture and kidnap. He lives with his brother J. Thier mother lived in Egypt with them until Jan 09, when she travelled back to claim property rights to their stolen house and collect her dead husbands pension. She is currently still in Iraq. A's Aunt lives in London (since 1993) is paying for A and his brother's living expenses. Thier Aunt notified A that she will only be able to afford to help them until September of this year. A is in the process of applying for a Yellow card from UNHCR. He has already been denied once.

Y is A brother. He is 16 years old and attends the equivalent of 9th grade high school. Y was a few grades above this in Iraq, but was placed lower in Egypt due to his level in English. (Iraqis start learning English in 5th grade, whereas Egyptians learn from the start of formal education.) Y's writing abilities are very good, but struggles to understand spoken English. He is in the midst of studying for exams, and his attendance for tutoring may not be as reliable as his brother, A.

A and Y are very eager and excited to learn. We spent the first hour getting to know each other and what thier level of English was. The second hour was spent discussing how and when the next few meetings would be held.