Ma'a Sallema ya Baladi

So, after waiting about 45 minutes for a table, some friends and I finally sat down to eat at this great, tiny Sudanese restaurant downtown. It’s really authentic, the owners used to run a similar restaurant in south Sudan.

I had the same difficulty finding a seat at this fantastic Iraqi restaurant in Nasr City (Cairo) run by a friendly Sunni family from Falluja who used to be proud restaurant owners in their hometown, too.

Both these restaurants were jam-packed with patrons breaking the Ramadan fast, enjoying classic Sudanese kisra and Iraqi kibbeh with their families. These weren’t Egyptians, but Sudanese and Iraqis who have fled conflict at home to make a new life in Cairo.

Currently, some 2,000,000 Sudanese and 150,000 Iraqis call Cairo home. Think about that. That’s at least 2,150,000 people, roughly the state of Utah, crammed in to an already bursting city of 18,000,000 Egyptians. It’s easy to look at those huge numbers and move on, I still do it, it is just beyond comprehension.

I can’t help, however, and recall a great quote from the legendary Matt Morton. I’m sure we were discussing some noble cause when Matt said, “you know, Dave, behind every number there’s a face.” When I think about it that way, it brings those numbers down to the human level, rather than an insurmountable, unsolvable issue left to the “other” side of the world. 2,150,000 refugees, in Cairo alone, each living his or her life, paying the rent, hanging out with friends, listening to Bob Marley or whoever, watching TV, buying potatoes – doing about the same stuff we do every day.

I have the privilege of counting a few of these people as my friends here in Cairo, whom I largely met through my work with Student Action for Refugees (STAR). STAR is a student-led organization that provides support to the refugee community in Cairo by providing refugees with free education and opportunities for economic development. The biggest part of STAR is the English language program, imparting a real skill and educational outlet for Cairo’s refugee population.

It’s a tough life for refugees in Cairo, they face daily discrimination, a lack of opportunity, the constant threat of random arrest, deportation – the list goes on. With all this, most still manage to keep a positive attitude. As put by a Darfuri friend, “Yes, life is hard, but you know, ups and downs.” The courage and patience it takes to endure in the face of such circumstances is astounding.

Anyways, food for thought. Two million plus people, each one keepin’ on in Cairo.

As always, a big thanks to the Gilman Scholarship, I’m telling you, getting a big check to study abroad in exchange for a short essay is a good day. Check out their website at www.iie.org/gilman or head down to the ever-helpful Center for International Education.