Blog

March 27, 2009. The happy engaged couple, Omar and Shaimaa pose for a photo.

Huge, formal engagement parties are customary in Egypt - and followed by huge, formal weddings too. Its a lot of fun! Arab Academy students (standing in the back row) enjoyed the party, danced, and met relatives of Omar and Shaimaa.

Here we are closing the deal! Arab Academy has the pleasure of providing Arabic language training to the some of Lafarge’s most distinguished executives. Lafarge, the world leader in building materials, operates with an international staff in a global atmosphere. They are learning Arabic to improve their communications in Egypt, Middle East and North Africa. Just last week we started giving one-on-one lessons, on-site in their office.

   Arab Academy has a very delightful  occasion. The lightning day of engagement party of Ustaza Maha one of the outstanding teachers & Ahmed Oncy a professional graphic designer. On this pleasant occasion, congratulations to the fiancees looking forward to the happy wedding!.

                                         Congratulatios to you both
                                            On the joy you have found
                                         May all the years ahead
                                            with eternal love abound!..

On my way back from Washington, I could not resist taking a picture with President Obama!  That was a nice end to a pretty exciting short trip to Washington, D.C.  I stopped in London for 3 nights to visit my daughter who lives there, then returned happily to Cairo to resume my exciting work at Arab Academy.

It was wonderful to receive visitors to the Arab Academy booth then discover that some of them were my former students.  Nothing can be better than seeing your brilliant students, ever so intelligent and beautiful at MESA.  I was SO HAPPY TO MEET YOU ALL!!!  Thank you for passing by Arab Academy booth ya habaybi!!!  I hope we meet again soon!!! 

At the end of a long day, we went up to our room, and yes, visited the Arab Academy site to discuss some of its activities and screens.  We talked how teachers can prepare lesson plans using the Arab Academy site and Sanaa explaiend the new interface.  It was such fun to discuss the Arab Academy lessons with such highly motivated teachers.  The day ended with a dinner with Mona Sharaf's husband and son.  I was very happy to see Mona's husband recovered from the operation he had to undergo last summer.  alf salamah!

I was so happy to meet Mrs. Wissam Moula from Fairfax County, Virginia at MESA.  She had visited Arab Academy in Cairo, Egypt in the summer of 2008 to attend a Teacher Training Program.  She was so generous with her time and she and her daugther Judy, have graciously helped us prepare the Arab Academy booth at MESA and receive visitors. alf shukr ya wissam wa Judy!!!  Hope to see you again soon!

It was wonderful to meet Prof. Tawhida ElAskary from the University of Houston at MESA.  We had a meeting to discuss Arab Academy's program that is being used at U of H.  Tawhida is also in charge of alumni program of the American University in Cairo.  Being one of AUC's alumni we certainly had plenty to talk about.

On the first day of the MESA conference, Amideast held a meeting with universities on its consortium to discuss the study abroad program that it is organizing as of September 09.  Dr. Jerome Bookenweiner spoke about the program and Dr. Driss Ouaicha read the wonderful feedback that Ammideast got from one of its students.  Consortium members were all impressed and were eager to send their students to the Middle East to join the Amideast abroad program.  Arab Academy in Cairo, Egypt is certainly ready for them.