preview

An Essay About My Partner

Better Essays

“There is a concept in Egypt called hamdullah, which means ‘thank God.’ Even if you are poor, you still thank God”. It is a funny concept, to thank God when you are poor. It creates a sort of tension within someone - why would anyone want to be poor? And more than that, why would anyone want to thank God for being poor? This is one of the many ways that my partner, Nouran (Noonoo) Ghannam has portrayed to me the tension that is so evident among young people in Cairo, Egypt. Noonoo is 22 years old, graduated from the American University in Cairo with a degree in political science, and lives in Cairo with her family. She lived in Cairo for her entire life, except when she had to move to other countries around the Middle East for her …show more content…

Even though her family may disagree with her political stances, she fosters discussion with them and is able to make them think more critically and make better informed decisions by majoring in political science. Second, I portray how her family’s tension influences her internally, by strongly aligning with Nasser but voting for the Muslim Brotherhood in the 2012 Elections - which she participated in and thus helped move along the outcome. And third, I show how Noonoo tries to separate her private life from her public life - creating more tension in wanting to be involved in politics, but not allowing herself to pursue a career in it as well. Nouran has lived her whole live in Cairo, except for the years when she moved around the Middle East to accommodate for her father’s job. She studied at the American University in Cairo and majored in political science. She still lives with her family and loves going to the beach. It is important to recognize one of the first leaders of Egypt, Nasser, when exploring the tensions that are prevalent in Egypt. Nasser regained control of the Suez Canal, which was “previously under the control of [France and Britain]” in 1956. Regaining the Suez Canal and nationalising it was a mark of his power, and he was thereafter an influential figure in Egypt’s history. As stated before, Noonoo strongly aligns with Nasser because she is in awe of him for standing up to the colonial powers and fighting for the

Get Access