As I have already stated in previous blogs and in my book, writing this book was an act of love for me. I fell in love with Egypt and the many Egyptians I met and befriended there. When I came home, I wrote this book to record my memories but also to use it as a platform to enable the rest of the world to get to know this amazing land—this ancient land of the pharaohs with its incredible antiquities and fascinating history.
This country is now struggling to become a democracy since the overthrow of President Mubarak. Over the past two plus years, the media has focused so much on the violence and unfortunate loss of lives there. However, another very different side of Egypt exists that the public has not always been privy to witness as I was able to do, and that is the everyday lives of the ordinary Egyptian citizens trying to recover from the effects of the revolution. Times are extremely hard for many people now. Once highly successful business people are facing financial difficulties, many have lost their jobs, and the young, highly qualified university graduates are unable to find employment worthy of their skills and abilities. Sadly, many of these young people are now leaving Egypt for jobs or are beginning to search for other international opportunities.
Being a world traveler and loving to meet new people all over the world, I have always been open minded to new ideas and new lifestyles. Thus, it was extremely easy for me to make the emotional move to Egypt, and the process of adapting physically was relatively easy over time with the assistance of my Egyptian friends. I thrive on challenges so this was simply another challenge in my life—one I gladly worked on every day to achieve. During this process my love and admiration for Egypt grew so rapidly and intensely that I knew without any doubts that I must find a way to help my struggling second home. I now devote many hours each day to exploring and finding new and unique ways to help.
Besides using my book as my platform as mentioned previously, I am using other media in my quest to make the world more educated about what is going on in Egypt now. I have created quite a few Youtube videos connected with Egypt. Two highlight my artist friend Ahmed Sami, the creator of my book cover, and my sculptor friend Khaled Elmahy. A video to promote an important project called WORLD PEACE FOREST (AFRICA) discusses the future plans to reforest Egypt and other parts of Africa. I have joined founder Mahmoud Max Hassouna in his dream to accomplish this. Being a teacher, education has always been a huge part of my life so I have partnered with two former Egyptian students and have recently opened a new adult English and German language school in Cairo called Rise Up. Finally the most recent project is called MUSLIMS AND CHRISTIANS UNITED IN EGYPT and will focus on the true friendships between the two religious groups that the press often neglects to portray. With the assistance of my Egyptian friends, this will be a series of mini-videos. The first one was posted on Youtube and Facebook on April 12, 2013. My one woman crusade (as I jokingly refer to it) will continue through the use of television and radio interviews, newspaper articles, book signing events, bloggings here in my website and in other sites, and the constant use of Facebook and Twitter. I am determined to fine new and creative ways to share my new insights and messages about my beloved Egypt and its great potential as a powerful democratic nation in the twenty-first century.
Randi D. Ward
April 19, 2013
