By Pam Johnson, Courier Senior Staff Writer:
This summer, Kiernan Norman trades the familiar streets of Guilford for the exotic sights of Cairo, Egypt,
where she’ll attend a different kind of “summer school.” Thanks to her
participation in the Guilford High School Arabic language studies program, and
a unique resume which includes traveling to Africa
to learn an ancient dialect, the GHS Class of 2008 graduate is one of just 30
students selected nationwide for an AFS Arabic Summer Language Institute
Scholarship.
“We’re really lucky to have the Arabic language program [at
GHS]. It really provoked my interest,” says Kiernan, who also took GHS courses
in Latin and Spanish, before trying Arabic her senior year.
She had to travel quite a bit further to learn Xhosa
(effectively pronounced no-sah), an African language punctuated by clicking
sounds. Last summer, Kiernan spent three weeks as a community service volunteer
in a South African village, one of 30 students from around the world participating
in the Global Leadership Adventures program.
“We took no formal lessons, but being there forced me to
learn. I think I really want to work in Africa
at some point. I could go to North Africa and speak Arabic, and Xhosa [in parts
of] South Africa.
I’ll just need to learn French and Swahili,” she says, smiling.
Kiernan surfed the web to find both the African volunteer
opportunity and the AFS Arabic Language scholarship program. While she had to
cover a good portion of expenses for her trip to Africa, AFS has awarded
Kiernan a full scholarship to underwrite her time in Egypt.
She was scheduled to leave for New York
on June 27, spending two days at a university in Queens
to learn more about the culture she entered this week. Kiernan will remain in Egypt for six
weeks.
“We’re representing America, so it’s important to act
in a certain way when we’re there,” Kiernan explains.
She’s already done her own research, picking up tips such as
planning for modest dress in the primarily Muslim culture, bringing sunglasses
to help avoid making direct eye contact, and keeping from crossing her legs or
otherwise inadvertently showing the bottom of her foot to anyone.
“I found out if I compliment someone on something, like a
shirt they’re wearing, then they’ll feel obligated to give it to me; so I’m
happy I know about that. I know they’ll ask me three times about things, like
if I liked my food. I have to absolutely promise them it’s delicious.”
Kiernan’s already tried some exotic foods on her trip to Africa, including ostrich meat, and says she’s looking
forward to tasting Egyptian cuisine, including goat and lamb. She’ll live with
a “host family” that includes “host siblings.”
“There are three girls and one boy. Their youngest girl is
going to be coming back from being in Wisconsin
through AFS, so it will be a transition for both of us.”
AFS (formerly the American Field Service) awards more than
$1.5 million in scholarships and financial aid to assist “the best and
brightest” students with studies abroad in more than 40 countries, according to
Keri Dooley, director of sponsored programs for AFS-USA. Students studying
abroad and their host families are an “important part of our public diplomacy
efforts,” Dooley adds.
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S.
Department of State is also affiliated with the AFS-USA program. Because of the
U.S. government ties,
Kiernan is spending the fourth of July as a guest of the U.S. Embassy in Egypt.
But on more ordinary days of the week, she’ll spend six
hours daily studying Arabic at a university in Cairo.
“It’s a world-renowned language school. One of the benefits
for the host family is that they can send their kids there to learn English,”
says Kiernan.
Kiernan also expects to get in plenty of sightseeing during
her trip. She’s scheduled to visit famed Egyptian places of antiquity, from
museums to the pyramids of Giza.
She’ll also visit Egyptian Parliament, as a member of an AFS diplomatic student
group.
A life-long Guilford
resident, Kiernan returns to her hometown briefly on Aug. 10, before leaving to
attend American University
in Washington, D.C. The 18-year-old chose the school
because its student body is “so international,” she says.
A past member of GHS STAND and GHS Students for Health and
Social Justice, Kiernan’s already joined the Southeastern Asian Student
Alliance at American
University. She plans to
find ways to continue to reach out to other cultures, she says, adding, “I
think I’m going to travel and volunteer throughout my life.”
For more information about AFS scholarships, financial aid,
or study abroad programs, visit www.afs.org/usa or call 1-800-AFS-INFO.