Because I Believed in Me (My Egyptian Fantasy Came True)

The warm spirit of Egypt changes a woman’s life in this autobiographical adventure.

Randi Ward, a retired language arts teacher from Atlanta, Ga., never imagined she would come to see Egypt as a second home. However, during a vacation with her husband, she finds herself drawn to the culture and people of Cairo, and she stays in touch with some of her new friends on Facebook after returning to the U.S. She gets an unexpected offer from one—a three-month stint teaching English at a school in Cairo. Ward considers the idea for weeks; finally, despite speaking no Arabic, she decides to take a chance. Her life in Egypt is often frustrating: Her apartment is small and dingy, her Arabic never becomes strong enough for her to be fully independent, and her teaching schedule is taxing. Occasionally, life becomes frightening, as a wave of revolutionary protests sweeps through her neighborhood, forcing her to stay inside to avoid marches and tear gas. Ward makes it clear, however, that the warmth of her new life in Egypt far outweighs any challenges. Her students, who quickly become friends, invite her into their homes for family dinners and into their mosques for Friday prayers. Throughout the book, the author’s openness and curiosity about Egyptian food, customs, religious practices and history color all of her stories, although the nuts and bolts of teaching English as a second language could have been emphasized more. While the author praises her students’ intelligence and hard work, readers may want a bit more detail about her methods as well as the students’ progress over three months. However, moments like the anniversary of the 2011 Egyptian revolution more than make up for the lack of classroom scenes. Ms. Ward stands on the roof of the school with her students as a procession files through the streets below, carrying an immense Egyptian flag. Later, she and a student work their way through the throngs of people to join in the singing in Tahrir Square, which highlights the book’s main theme of how welcoming and inclusive Ward’s friends and students were to her, an outsider.

An Egyptian adventure illuminated by Ward’s bubbly, curious personality.