American Mom Of 4 Shares Her Living Experience In Egypt

An American, mom, Sarah Seefeldt, begins her essay by explaining the reason they came to Egypt,  “my husband took a job at a small international design firm in Cairo in 2012.”

She clarified how different life was in Cairo, “We couldn’t do many of the things I was used to doing with little children. There were no public parks with playgrounds or open streets to learn to ride a bike. We put up a swing in our living room and the kids used riding toys inside.”

How She Never Felt Unsafe In Egypt

She further explains the importance of the concept of community in Egypt, and how they co-exist in harmony and safety, “There was never a time I felt unsafe living in Egypt with my children. Egyptian culture is community-centered, which means that once we’d established ourselves in a particular block of town, we became part of their community.”

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She added “My kids enjoyed welcoming people into our home and our lives and sharing meals and stories. We shared book recommendations, played games, took group selfies, and made puppet shows.”

Egyptians’ Attachment And Love To Children

She explains in her essay the hold children have on Egyptians’ hearts, and how children’s feelings are sacred and to be protected at all costs, “The Egyptian people we encountered love babies and young children. They delighted in making my kids smile. It was a regular occurrence for the bakery to give my kids fresh cookies. The Egyptians we befriended hate to see babies cry and hate to say “no” to little children, and while I don’t have a similar parenting philosophy, I could appreciate the sweet aspects of living in a culture where the people encourage children to be children — loud, messy, and adorable. If a child is tired, let them sleep anywhere; if they’re hungry, feed them anywhere. The emphasis is always on keeping the children happy.”

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