Christine Sedky's love story with Egypt began when she was visiting from California at the ripe old age of eight. Fast forward to 2011 and she's relocated to Egypt and working hands-on with Egypt's artisans and entrepreneurs. But of course, as is the case when any female from the diaspora moves back to Egypt, people bombarded her with rhetoric of danger and fear. But as Christine's story proves, people can be incredibly kind and Egypt is surreally beautiful – you just have to choose to see it. 

On this episode of The Foreign Local, Monica and Christine talk startup ecosystem, making a tangible impact, and challenging people's misperceptions about Egypt and Egyptians. 

Christine shares her love of Egypt through her lens on Instagram at @withlovefromcairo.

Make sure to follow The Foreign Local on Instagram @theforeignlocal and visit our website for more content connecting the Egyptian diaspora with everyday life in Om el Donya.

Hashem El Garhy grew up in New York where people called him just about anything but Hashem – there’s Hasheem, there’s Hashbrown, and then there was also… Mitch. He wasn’t raised in a thriving Egyptian community, but Hashem learned to roll with the punches. Then 9/11 happened and he wound up getting uprooted from the States and tossed into life in Cairo where maybe – just maybe - people would actually call him by his name.

Spoiler alert: they didn’t.

On this episode of The Foreign Local, Monica talks to comedianpreneur Hashem El Garhy – standup comedian and founder of El Hezb El Comedy – about identity growing up, owning his Egyptianness after the move, and why he insists on doing his standup in Arabic.

You can find Hashem on Instagram @hashemelgarhy.

Make sure to follow The Foreign Local on Instagram @theforeignlocal and visit our website for more content connecting the Egyptian diaspora with everyday life in Om el Donya.

Sarah Moussa grew up in a thriving Egyptian diaspora community in California, which meant she thoroughly embraced her Egyptian culture – especially the Egyptian pop culture that so consumed the diaspora yet somehow stopped updating itself after the early millennium so we’d all just quote the exact same effehat on loop. Fast forward to November 2015 and Sarah’s suddenly living in Egypt, trying to navigate the chaos and have as much fun as she possibly can.

On this episode of The Foreign Local, Monica and Sarah discover that they moved to Egypt at the same time and talk expectations versus reality, the diaspora’s take on Egyptian culture, and the privileges of doing life in the bubble.

…and they have a ton of fun.

You can find Sarah on Instagram @samoussa87.

Make sure to follow The Foreign Local on Instagram @theforeignlocal and visit our website for more content connecting the Egyptian diaspora with everyday life in Om el Donya.

Eric Assaad is a Canadian with Egyptian parents – at least that's how he's identified for most of his life. Eric and Monica both grew up in Mississauga, Ontario where there's a huge Egyptian diaspora population. But while Monica grew up immersed in this Egyptian community, Eric grew up playing street hockey and – in his words – in a rather whitewashed home. He was the last person anyone expected to move to Egypt yet now we're finding him sitting at ahwas in Imbaba. But it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that Eric wrestled with and began to identify as Egyptian.

Less than a year after his move, Eric talks growing up Canadian, wrestling with his Egyptian identity, and finding solace somewhere amid the alleyways of 7ay el zabbaleen.

Make sure to follow The Foreign Local on Instagram @theforeignlocal and visit our website for more content connecting the Egyptian diaspora with everyday life in Om el Donya.

Welcome to The Foreign Local!

In this kickoff episode, you get to know your host and get a feel for what you can expect around here for season one.

Monica Gerges grew up as part of the Egyptian diaspora community that began their takeover of Mississauga in the mid-90s. After 20 years of Canada and of being referred to as “el bent el masreya fashkh,” she picked up her life and got on a one-way flight to Cairo. Seven years later, she shares the story of what prompted her to make the decision, what the process looked like, and her reverse culture shock after she arrived.

You can find Monica on Instagram @monicagerges.

Make sure to follow The Foreign Local on Instagram @theforeignlocal and visit The Foreign Local website for more content connecting the Egyptian diaspora with everyday life in Om el Donya.