Submitted from Cairo, by Abigail Sylvester
Khalas…lakina liss; this is how I feel about my upcoming departure from my role as Director of Adult Education at St. Andrew’s in Cairo, Egypt. I hate goodbyes, I would much rather say “see you later.” But this time it isn’t a cop out. I truly believe there is a “not yet” part to this story. I’m not done with Cairo and I’m not done with the refugee community that has evolved into friends and family. I can’t give exact dates, career goals, or itineraries of when I’ll visit or see folks again, but I am genuine when I say, “I’ll see you later.”

Much has been happening this spring: President Barak Obama made a guest appearance in Cairo, a construction crew managed to build an extra classroom on the top of the gatehouse which will allow us to serve many more children and adult students (pictured), and just today I received a precious “I love you, Ms. Abigail” drawing from Yasmine whose father attends adult English classes. There is so much to process and analyze as I say goodbye (or, finish… but not yet), but for now I simply want to enjoy these last days with people.