Running Head: REFLECTING ON THE EXPERIENCE OF MIGRATING 1

Reflecting on the Experience of Migrating

SAMPLE 1

American University in Cairo (AUC)

Author Note

This paper was prepared for Core 1010, Section 3, taught by Mr. Matthew Hendershot
REFLECTING ON THE EXPERIENCE OF MIGRATING 2

Reflecting on the Experience of Migrating

Immigration is a hotly debated topic in our world today. With an increasing trend in migration

all over the world, people start discussing the advantages, disadvantages and difficulties of

immigrating to another country. Interviewing eight different people with eight different stories

gave me an insight on how it really feels to leave your country of origin to move to another

country. It gave me the opportunity to think about the situation of these people, who had to leave

everything they were used to behind in order to start a new life in a totally different culture. I

learned many things from this experience that helped me understand why these people decide to

leave and how their life changes afterwards.

As I’m reflecting on the topic and on the stories I got the chance the listen to, I notice that

each immigrant/refugee has his/her own individual story. Of course there are many similarities in

the experiences they share, however it strongly depends on the person and how he observes the

situation. In this case it also doesn’t depend on the classification of refugee or immigrant as both

can have a positive or negative experience. I also perceived that the purpose of each person was

different and this affected his/her experience in many ways. The purposes varied between

education, sports scholarships, work, love or even fleeing from war and suppression. Although at

first the experiences might seem easy because the immigrant was accepted by the society from

the beginning, you have to listen closely to understand that everyone faced difficulties of some

sort, whether minor or major ones.

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Importance of Having the Right Motivation

One of the most important things I learned is that leaving your home country is a very

challenging process where people face many issues and problems and therefore it is of utmost

importance that they have a strong motivation to leave their country of origin in the first place.

These motives can be falling in love, aiming for a better education or receiving a scholarship.

When you leave your country with one of these motivations you will make the best out of it and

you will try to overcome the difficulties as soon as possible. Anisa and Grethe for example

showed me that their strongest motivation was their love for their husbands which led them to

adapt to the changes. Although they had a very hard time at first as they didn’t know anything or

anyone and they felt like strangers in the place they considered “home”, they had a certain reason

to stay. A reason that promised them that things will get better and that they made the right

choice. However a refugee who is forced to leave his/her country of origin will consider the new

country a temporary escape from the bad circumstances he had to encounter. From his point of

view the new country is just a transitional place which he wants to escape as soon as he gets the

chance to. Accordingly he is not trying to outlive the difficulties; in fact he is just trying to

survive. Salah said “If the government changes and I were allowed to return, I would leave Egypt

tomorrow”. This sentence made me realize how weak or even non-existent his motivation is, as

he is desperately longing to return to Sudan as soon as he gets the opportunity.

While listening to the different stories I also noticed that in many of the cases when the reason

for the migration disappears (e.g. passing away of your husband, end of scholarship/education)

some people decide to return to their country. Even though Anisa feels accepted from the society

and is happy to be in Egypt, she feels that after her husband passed away she does no longer

belong here. Her statement “I came to Egypt for my husband, now I have no one” made me
REFLECTING ON THE EXPERIENCE OF MIGRATING 4

realize how important it is to have a motivation in order to be able to continue living far away

from your home country. Also Mahmoud and Hind were very confident about the fact that they

will return as soon as they complete their education as there is no other factor that connects them

to the country emotionally. However when you are strongly rooted in the new country (e.g. have

kids and a family there) you will want stay. When I asked Grethe whether she thought about

returning to Denmark, she said that she would never leave her children and grandchildren. This

showed me that it doesn’t depend on the country itself but rather on your connection to it. When

you have built a home and family there like Laila and Grethe have you wouldn’t want to return,

however if you view your new country as a temporary solution then you would be happy to leave

when the time has come.

Factors that Affect Integration

I also gained that the most important factor in order to feel at home is to be accepted by the

society and the people around you. Some of the people I interviewed shared very positive

perceptions of the new society. My grandmother emphasized that she felt welcomed from the

beginning as the Egyptians “loved her because she was a foreigner”. Also Laila and Hind argued

that the Egyptian society was very familiar to their own which made it easier to adapt. “Egypt

was a diverse society so we didn’t feel odd at all” was a remarkable sentence Laila used.

On the other hand however I was shocked to hear the negative side of the story. According to

Zayt, Salah and Mohamed refugees in Egypt face discrimination, lack of social support and

sexual harassment on a daily basis. Whether it’s because of their race, color or religion, they are

mistreated every day. Sometimes they are even seen as tourists and as a result they frequently get

ripped off in the markets. Mohamed told us the story of how he was walking on the streets with

his friends when some people came and started throwing raw eggs at them. He said they couldn’t
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do anything about it except go home and ignore the incident. This story shocked me and drew me

to think that in order for you to feel at home in a new country you have to make the best out of it.

There are people who will accept you and others who will fail to consider you one of them, but

as long as you concentrate on the good parts you will be able to overcome the difficulties.

Sometimes even “ignoring” is a beneficial solution in order to outlive the struggle.

At this point it is also important to mention job opportunities. Although all the refugees were

well educated in their own country and had completed their bachelor degree there, they faced a

typical case of Brain Waste when they came to Egypt. The job market for refugees in Egypt as

Salah informed me is very limited. While females mostly work as babysitters, men can choose

between being a driver, a servant or “in the best case” (Salah) a worker in a factory. This made

me recognize how hard life must be for a refugee who will always be considered inferior to the

rest of the society and will never get the chance to achieve his goals and have satisfying future

prospects.

Furthermore it appeared to me that learning the language is a very important factor when

immigrating. People who come from an Arabic speaking country like Hind, Laila, Zayt,

Mohamed and Salah will find it easier to adapt as they only have to pick up a new accent.

However when people coming from Europe or Asia like Grethe and Anisa were asked what the

difficulties were they faced in the beginning they immediately replied “the language!”.

The Arabic language is very difficult to learn if you haven’t picked it up as a child, therefore the

language barrier is one of the major complications immigrants face. It does not only make

communication harder but it also builds barriers in the integration process. After 48 years in

Egypt Grethe is still considered a foreigner among the streets of Cairo as she remains to have a

very clear accent.

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The Role of Culture and Identity

Another thing I learned is that a person always remains to have a strong connection to his/her

home country, even though s/he lives so far away and managed to establish a happy and fulfilled

life there. Whether it is by visiting your family and friends in your vacations or by

communicating with them through phone calls and other social networks, you will always feel

the urge to connect to your old life in any way. Although I used to think that many people would

want to start a completely new life in a new place and leave everything behind, the stories I got

the chance to listen to illustrated the exact opposite. Mahmoud, Grethe and Anisa have visited

their home countries frequently ever since they immigrated, however also people like Salah,

Mohamed and Zayt who don’t get the chance to visit their countries of origin said that they

communicate with their families on a daily basis using Viber, Whatsapp and Skype. However the

connection to your home country is not only established through direct communication but also

through the strong attachment to your country’s traditions values and beliefs. Hind and

Mahmoud for example told me that the traditional food is one of the things they miss the most

about their home country and therefore they try to find restaurants that serve it. Also Grethe tries

to keep her country’s traditions by frequently cooking Danish food and celebrating Christmas

with her family ever year. Even though these are only small things, they are in fact the elements

that help maintain the relation to your old customs.

Through this experience I also determined that an essential part of migrating is integration,

adapting and changing your identity. Identity is a crucial topic which concerns many people

when talking about immigration. However I believe that the circumstances that you face affect

and shape your identity in different ways. In fact you are not the same person as you were when

you left even if you didn’t intend to change. Besides learning the language which is also a part
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of integration and identity change, the people I interviewed introduced me to different factors

that can affect your personality. My grandmother for example converted to Islam a few years

after she arrived here as she got affected by the culture and the country’s values and beliefs. Also

Mahmoud said that he adapted to the American life style very quickly.” When I first arrived in

the US, I lived the typical Egyptian life, I was very lazy and I always came late to class, but now

I am very productive and motivated” was what he said when I asked how his life style changed

when he moved to the States.

The Influence of Time on the Experience

Furthermore I noticed that the first weeks perhaps even months are the hardest in this

experience. Eventually however you get used to the change and you adapt to the new culture and

life style and the circumstances start getting easier. I was surprised to hear that most of the

interviewers said similar things when asked about their first impression and the difficulties they

faced. The typical answers were the language problem, homesickness, the different culture and

the difficulty of fitting in. Hind mentioned that she was “lost” when she first came to Egypt as

she had to learn and find out everything on her own. Laila evaluated her experience by saying

“In my first months in Egypt I was a refugee looking for an adequate living standard, today I’m

an Egyptian who considers this country her home”. Also Zayt mentioned that she is starting to

get used to the circumstances and that life is getting easier. These examples illustrated that when

you give it time your experience will turn out to be easier.

I was also very touched by the stories of the long term immigrants/refugees Laila and Grethe

who spend most of their lives here. Besides the change they had to endure when moving to Cairo

they also witnessed a drastic change in Egypt as a country over the past years. When Grethe first
REFLECTING ON THE EXPERIENCE OF MIGRATING 8

arrived here Mohandessin was a “dream” (Grethe) that only consisted of small houses with

gardens from where you could see the pyramids, but now the City is overpopulated and filled

with high buildings and shops. In 1966 Egypt didn’t have clothing shops, toys for children or

even supermarkets and she had to buy everything when she visited her family in Denmark.

Laila on the other hand said “It hurts me to see how the country that was a refuge for so many

years throughout history has become a country that many people flee for the lack of the very

characteristics that made my family come here”. This sentence made me become aware of the

crucial change in the generations in Egypt over the past decades. While in the past people would

come to Egypt with the hope for a better future, now everyone is afraid that Egypt will hinder us

from achieving our goals.

Positive Evaluation of Migration

While reflecting on the different stories I remarked that people always leave their country of

origin with the hope for something better. Hind and Mahmoud are a typical example for

International students who decide to immigrate in order to get the chance to preserve a better

education with better future prospects. Laila as another example was looking for an opportunity

to rebuild what she and her family had lost and to overcome the traumatizing events she

witnessed in her own country as she lost her home overnight. Even Zayt, Salah and Mohamed

who were forced to leave their country came to Cairo with the desire that they will be able to

establish a better life there. Although their lives can be seen as quite miserable, it is definitely

better than the repression they were confronted with in Sudan.

At last I was surprised but also happy to hear that no one regretted his/her decision of

migrating. The immigrants and refugees gave positive closing remarks saying “It was the best
REFLECTING ON THE EXPERIENCE OF MIGRATING 9

thing that ever happened to me” (Mahmoud) or “I am very happy to be here” (Anisa). Also

Salah’s answer touched me as he said that he doesn’t regret coming to Egypt however he regrets

the circumstances that forced him to leave his beloved country Sudan.

Conclusion

When I was reflecting on the different stories narrated in the interviews I came to the

conclusion that you will never know how it really feels to leave your country of origin whether

by choice or force unless you experience it yourself. The circumstances vary from one person to

another according to his/her personality and his/her will to adapt to the changes and therefore

you will never be able to decide whether it is an overall positive or negative experience.

However while listening to the different observations I came as close as I can get to understand

what life must be like for these people and it appeared to me that it is a very difficult step to take.

On the other hand I noticed that there are many factors that can help ease the situation for these

people which most importantly includes having a strong driving force to help you overcome the

challenges that you face. What the person makes out of the situation is what matters the most.

Nevertheless I hope that every person starts recognizing the importance of integrating migrants

and refugees in our society. Especially Egypt as a country should start taking action in order to

provide a healthier and safer environment for the millions of refugees who are mistreated in

every possible way. In the end they are just human beings who are desperately seeking for a safe

and loving home somewhere on this planet.

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Appendix A

Biographies:

Anisa:

Anisa is a 57 year old migrant who moved from Qatar to Egypt in 2004. Originally she’s from

the Philippines but she spent 16 years of her life working as a housekeeper abroad. She met her

Egyptian husband in Qatar and they were married for 4 years there until they decided to move to

Cairo. When she arrived in Egypt she motivated her little sister and some of her friends to come

work here as well. After her husband passed away this summer she considers returning to her

home country, however she never regretted her decision of moving to Cairo as she feels that it is

her second home.

Grethe XXXX:

Grethe XXXX (my grandmother) is a 71 year old, long term immigrant who moved from

Copenhagen, Denmark to Egypt on the 28th of November 1966. She met her husband a few years

earlier in Hanover, Germany and decided to come to Cairo to marry him. She has raised her three

daughters with Danish and Egyptian traditions here and she has seven grandchildren. Ever since

she moved to Cairo she has been visiting her family in Denmark frequently, however she never

thought about returning.

Although she considers Egypt her home country she doesn’t have the Egyptian citizenship.
REFLECTING ON THE EXPERIENCE OF MIGRATING 11

Hind XXXX:

Hind XXXX is an 18 year old international student at the American University in Cairo. She

moved from Damaskus, Syria to Egypt on the 15th of September, 2014 and she is planning on

staying in Cairo for the coming 4 years to finish her bachelor degree. She received a full

scholarship that includes that she has to return to her home country after 4 years to be a leader

there. She is a freshman and she lives on campus in the University dorms. Hind wanted to major

in biology but she changed her mind due to the bad circumstances in her country. Now she

intends to major in Media and Mass communication as she blames the corrupt media for what

has been going on since the Arab Spring. She hopes that she can eventually change how the

world views her country.

Laila XXXX:

Laila XXXX is 75 year old Palestinian refugee who was forced to come to Egypt in 1950. Her

family lost their home because of war and therefore they decided to flee to Egypt in order to

rebuild what they had lost and start a new life here. She went to an international school in Cairo

and she married an Egyptian after graduating from University. Today she lives in Maadi with her

daughter and son and her five grandchildren. She has the Egyptian citizenship and she never

returned to Palestine after moving here, as her whole family lives in Egypt now.
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Mahmoud XXXX:

Mahmoud XXXX is an 18 year old Egyptian squash player who moved to the United States in

2012. In Cairo he visited the French School (Lycee Balzac) and now he is a student in a boarding

school in Road Island. He received a sports scholarship and therefore he decided to move.

Mahmoud is planning on returning to Egypt after her graduates from University. He is now a

senior and he hopes to be accepted in Colombia University next fall.

His family still lives in Egypt and therefore he visits Egypt three times a year.

(Farida XXXX and I with Zayt, Salah, Mohamed and other African refugees at the Tadamon

Communication Center for Refugees in Cairo)

Mohamed XXXX:

Mohamed XXXX is a Sudanese refugee who has forced to come to Egypt due to personal

problems. He studied Psychology at Khartoum University in Sudan and he is now active as a

volunteer at the Tadamon Communication Center for Refugees. He lives together with seven of

his friends in an apartment. Mohamed was registered as a refugee and he received a UN yellow

card when he first came to Egypt. This indicates however that he had to hand in his passport and

he is no longer able to leave the country without permission. Now he has to wait five years for

an interview appointment with the UNHCR that will decide upon his future.
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Salah:

Salah is a 29 year old Sudanese refugee who moved to Egypt two years ago. He was forced to

leave his country due to a political issue and problems with the regime. Salah lives together with

his cousin in Mohandessin. He graduated from the translation department in Nilein University in

Khartoum, Sudan however he couldn’t be employed in a job that suited his degree when he came

to Egypt. In the beginning he worked in a medical center and now he’s a volunteer at the

Tadamon Communication Center for Refugees where he teaches children and adults. He loves

the concept of helping others and therefore he enjoys working at the Center.

Zayt:

Zayt is a 21 year old Eritrean refugee who was forced to move to Egypt due to a personal issue

two and half years ago. She was however born in Sudan and she lived most of her life there. She

studied Statistics and worked with the government in the Statistics field. Yet she also took some

first aid courses as she dreams of studying medicine in order to be able to help refugees in need

(especially refugees in Sinai who are Victims of Torture). In Cairo she is a volunteer at the

Tadamon Communication Center for Refugees where she teaches English for children and

adults, however she is not happy with her life in Egypt.

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Appendix B

Interview Questions:

1. What is your name?

2. Where are you from?

3. When did you move to Egypt (other country)?

4. How long have you been here and how long are you planning on staying here?

5. What were the main reasons for your immigration?

6. What was your biggest surprise/shock when you first came to Egypt (other country)?

7. What were the difficulties you faced at the beginning?

8. Did you feel welcomed by the society from the start?

9. Did you feel that you had to change who you were in order to fit in?

10. Do you think that it is eventually possible to be seen as “one of them”?

11. How would you compare your first weeks/months in Egypt (other country) to your life

now?

12. What are the things you miss the most about your country of origin which you don’t find

in Egypt (other country)?

13. What are the things you like the most about Egypt (other country)?

14. Did you receive the country’s citizenship?

15. Did you ever regret your decision of migrating?