Read about 3.c's trip to Egypt

The class of 3.C visited Dr. Nermien Ismail Language School in September, a long time partner school of Rysensteen in Cairo, Egypt, where we as Danes were allowed in close to the lives of the school’s Egyptian students.

When travelling in Egypt as a tourist, you get a grasp of the country’s tremendously interesting cultural history, which extents several thousand years into the past. Of course we experienced the pyramids of Giza, but also a wide variety of temples and graves around the Nile in Upper Egypt during our three-day cruise on the Nile.

One thing is to travel in Egypt as a tourist, though. Another is to live with an Egyptian family, living with their rules and norms – Because it is here that the true cultural experience hides. As you find a way to overcome the language barrier (it will arise, sometimes), you will discover that it can be fairly easy to have a conversation with e.g. your host family. I had an experience with a cousin of my host brother who I had dinner with. Despite the fact that my knowledge about soccer is limited, we used a conversation about soccer and PlayStation to build a bridge – a common ground – between the two of us, which eventually paved the way for a longer conversation about school, family and friends. When having a very concrete conversation like this, with an Egyptian, it might not necessarily be all the cultural terms from the Global Citizenship Programme that sticks with you. But it is, after all, the essence of the Global Citizenship Programme – being open towards other people – that enriches the cultural experience.

By Felix Wohlert 3.C