Summer School in Egypt

    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.