Picking up where I left off...

I am happier than ever to be back in Egypt!! I've been anxious to return ever since I was evacuated from Cairo to Paris when the revolution began. This is about the fifth time I've planned a return trip to Egypt since then, and up until now, I've had to postpone my plans every time because of the continued political unrest in Egypt. If the outcome of the elections last week had differed, and there had been more violent demonstrations, I would have had to cancel my trip again. Thankfully, the security situation is stable enough (relative to the new norm) that I was able to arrive as planned last Tuesday.

I have spent the last week with my family, romping around Cairo and passing the time with my cousins.  I've been able to pick up where I left off a year and a half ago - that is, in terms of the progress I was making with my family relations at the time, as well as with my Arabic. Before my last trip, in which I lived in Cairo for a month while participating in a new UChicago study abroad program (we ended up spending the second month in Paris), I had always traveled to Egypt with my parents to visit my family. This was my first time in Egypt without them, and it made a big difference in the way I engaged with my relatives. I had to overcome my shyness about speaking Arabic, and I had to challenge myself to understand the Egyptian lifestyle, culture, and mentality with patience and a holistic approach. After three short weeks, I felt I had made a lot of progress, and my Arabic was improving every day. I was comfortable making my way from one end of Cairo to another, competent at haggling prices, and I felt completely at home in Egypt. Witnessing the first week of the revolution reinforced my newfound Egyptian identity and pride all the more - which made leaving the country all the more difficult. Aside from the stress of the situation, I felt I was in the middle of a critical phase that I didn't want to interrupt.

It took me a year to work up the confidence and initiative to resume studying Egyptian Arabic in earnest. Since February 2012, I have been studying Egyptian Arabic for an hour every night with my dad. He is a fantastic tutor, and I'm grateful to have had the study time with him that I did, while I also regret that I didn't start sooner. In addition to studying from a book, we've been reading "The Adventures of Tintin" in Arabic every night - very useful for picking up common expressions (and handy words like "danger," "rescue," and "pirates"), and a fun way to relive both of our childhoods. We also spoke in Arabic as much as possible, though that too I feel I did not do enough prior to this trip. Nonetheless, I felt well prepared when I arrived in Egypt. I had exceeded my previous level of competency in Arabic, and within a week of returning, I have already far exceeded my previous level of fluency.

Now, my Arabic is again improving by the day, and I seem to have reached a threshold by which many of my thoughts occur spontaneously in Arabic. Even my recent dreams have been largely in Arabic. Sometimes my brain is so amped from the constant translating that by the end of the day I have to consciously force myself to stop thinking in Arabic so I can fall asleep. But I'm elated: speaking Arabic fluently has been my sincere wish for my entire life, and while I would hardly claim to be fluent yet, I think I'm well on my way. After another month here, my competency will multiply, and I am determined to continue speaking Arabic with my parents after I leave Egypt. We've already hardly exchanged any words in English since they arrived yesterday. I hope the sense of Arabic occurring more naturally than English at home will endure.