2023-06-02 20:04:09
The American Paul Wolfsberg did not know that when he decided twenty years ago to live with an Egyptian family on the outskirts of Giza, that this coexistence would benefit him now in his official mission in Cairo as a diplomat and turn into an important interface for the United States Department of State.
Paul Wolfsberg, whose name changed to (Khaled) following living with the Egyptian family, is currently the acting spokesperson for the US Embassy in Cairo.
And he had lived for a whole year a full life with an Egyptian family in the village of Abu Sir in the Badrashin Center in Giza, south of Cairo, and despite the passage of 20 years since that experience, but a few months following he assumed his current position, he decided to restore his memories with that family and visited them suddenly to confirm that he He did not forget them and did not forget their embrace.
The US Embassy in Cairo posted on its Facebook page a video clip of Khaled’s visit to that family, and it achieved great interaction.
Khaled or Paul’s experience benefited him a lot in his professional future, and thanks to it, he became proficient in his work as an American diplomat, producing content directed to Arabs, especially Egyptians, and even became one of the most famous foreigners who conduct daily cohabitation experiences with Egyptians on the street, and it is published on American platforms and received a warm welcome from followers.
Why did he decide to live with an Egyptian family?
Khaled Wolfsberg spoke to “Sky News Arabia” regarding his story, saying:
- My name is Paul Wolfsberg as it appears on my US passport, but I like my Arabic name, Khaled.
- I chose my Arabic name to be Khaled because the letter P in Paul’s name does not exist in Arabic.
- She holds a master’s degree in Arab Studies from Georgetown University, USA.
- I started learning the Arabic language 22 years ago in Jordan, where I was studying Arabic there, but at that time I was not able to communicate in Arabic, so I went to Egypt to delve deeper into the Arabic language and learn the Egyptian slang.
- When I came to Egypt in 2003, I went to the streets automatically, without coordination with the American embassy or any other party, and searched for a family to host me in their home.
- It took me some time to find a family that accepted the idea because it is a bit alien to Egyptian society.
- I lived in an apartment on the top floor and the family of 6 lived on the ground floor. I ate breakfast and dinner with them, and went to Cairo during the day to work as a journalist for Al-Ahram Weekly, and I spent the entire weekend with this family.
A love story with Mahshi
And regarding the best Egyptian foods that Khaled loved during his life with the Egyptian family, he said: “Stuffed cabbage is the most Egyptian meal that I loved during my stay with that family, as the head of the family, Umm Ahmed, was keen to prepare this meal on Friday.”
He explained that his wife is Iraqi, and she is the one who prepares this meal for him now whenever he misses it, adding: “My living with that family benefited me a lot, and I learned from them in addition to the Arabic language and the Egyptian slang, as well as Arab and Egyptian traditions and values.”
Regarding the difference between life in America and Egypt, Khaled said: “Unlike my life in the United States, in Egypt I feel the warmth, friendliness, and great interaction on the part of Egyptians on the street.”
The path of diplomacy started from Abusir
Regarding the reason for his employment in the diplomatic corps despite his interest mainly in studying and teaching the Arabic language, Wolfsberg said: “My life in the village of Abu Sir in Giza prompted me to think regarding working in the diplomatic corps as a future profession because I was already representing my country, as I was the only foreigner in the village and the people there were asking me On American Society and Western Cultures.
Nevertheless he said:
- I did not join the US State Department until ten years following this experience, when I returned to the United States and obtained a master’s degree in Arabic at Georgetown University.
- I taught Arabic at several American universities, and then moved to Alexandria, Egypt, for two years, where I managed a program for American students at Alexandria University.
- My main work at the American Embassy in Cairo is related to creating media content in Arabic on social networks, and my life with the Egyptian family is the reason I know the nature of the society for which I produce this content.
- The beginning of my path in producing Arabic content was in 2016 when I worked as a deputy to the US Consul in Jordan, where I was responsible for communicating with the public and I was producing Arabic content for consular issues, as well as I worked for a period at the US Embassy in Iraq.
- I recently made sure to visit this family when I returned to Cairo in my current job, and I found the children of this family became men and women and they had children, and the head of the family, Abu Ahmed, died, but Umm Ahmed welcomed me very much and prepared my favorite food for me, as well as the rest of the family welcomed me.
And regarding the lesson learned from that experience, Wolfsberg concluded: “What I can confirm is that learning comes with coexistence, and therefore I advise every foreigner who wants to learn Arabic to coexist and coexist with an Arab people, because whoever lives with a people for 40 days becomes one of them, and I became one of the Egyptians.”
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