Anne Elias- Blog Abroad
Blog #1
Hello UNM friends!! August 2026
Turn Up the Volume
Ahlan from Cairo, Egypt! :) My name is Anne Elias. I am a senior studying biochemistry at UNM. This semester, though, I am studying abroad in Egypt. There were many different factors that went into my decision to study abroad at the American University of Cairo. At the forefront of these reasons was the hope of better understanding where my family comes from.
My family immigrated to the US from Egypt when I was four years old. My memories of Egypt are blurry and disconnected, if not nonexistent. In coming here to Cairo, Egypt, I hope to better understand the culture that my family comes from and hopefully incorporate the good I find into my life in America.
I arrived a few weeks before school starts to visit family, and in this time, I have visited Hurghada, Alexandria, and Cairo. My first impression of Egypt is that life here is turned up to the highest volume. Whether it is the laughter, the streets, the driving (oh my goodness, the driving!!!), or the bargaining, life here makes sure it's heard. For my introverted, quiet personality, it sometimes feels overwhelming. There is no such thing as a personal bubble or quiet time. As much as it can sometimes be uncomfortable for me, I find myself learning to lean in and engage with all the senses that have been activated. To turn the music up and dance with the noise instead of covering my ears and escaping to my bubble!
Some of my favorite moments that I have gotten to lean into have been having grilled meat close to midnight, watching a light show in Alexandria, playing bumper cars with my cousins, and swimming in the Red Sea. Culture in Egypt is very communal, and it speeds up relationship building, as I have found out. Sometime in these two weeks, between all the cousins sleeping in the same room, walking the streets at midnight, and playing Spicy Uno in the one room with AC, I have found dear, lifelong friends in my cousins. It's crazy that I barely knew them for 21 years. I was definitely missing out on knowing some awesome people.
They have patiently put up with my broken Arabic and encouraged my every effort to speak in Arabic. They are talented musicians and chess players and have a wonderful sense of humor. I love them and have loved watching them dance to the music of Egyptian life with so much grace and vibrance. I can't wait to get to know them more over these months and see what else I can learn from them.
