We started talking haphazardly trying to catch up. Some of them have just graduated and others, like me, have been in the Egyptian job market for a while and know well how boring and frustrating finding a job could be. Jobs, post graduate studies, marriages, relationships and of course politics were some juicy topics that were a source of curiosity for most of us, that we even forgot all about why we met in the first place.
One of my friends "M", a Pharmacy graduate, who has been working as a Sales representative at a multinational pharmaceutical company for a year up till now and who also have been active in the Civil Society in Alexandria has been telling us about his achievements so far and rambling like any of us about life and other random stuff. You can tell just by looking at a guy like him belonging to the Middle class that he must be struggling like many others who are through the same conditions without good connections that would help him find a decent job and without family's money or inheritance that would support him when trying to start off a new life on his own. If you are a foreigner (non-Arab), all of what I said would not sound bizarre to you. Young people living independently away from their families and figuring out what they want in life on their own and also determining how to achieve their goals without anyone's help, all sound very mundane in any non-Arab country.
However, this has not been always the case in the Arab region. Some, who have always criticized the youth's life style in the region, would claim that this is a good change believing that this is a sort of incentive for young people to grow up out of the small circles of dependence upon family and friends. True! But, is this the case in Egypt, a country where almost everything is a challenge starting with getting a proper education that is supposed to equip people with the adequate skills and knowledge needed for the job market?
Is this possible in a country where corruption has been prevailing for years and poverty is too widespread? I do believe that anything is possible, but when looking at things from a young person's perspective, why take the hard way? Why stay in a place so stifling with obstacles where there is always an easy way out represented by gateways to more prosperous countries where job opportunities are available and for bigger salaries? "Citizenship", "Sense of belonging" and many other noble terms could be a strong motive for Egyptians to stay in their beloved homeland and work for their own and for their country's benefit.
"M" was talking to us about his intention to leave Egypt and work in any country in the Gulf region. "Typical," I thought to myself when he uttered that sentence. However and to my greatest surprise, a friend of ours told me that he had just turned down a lucrative opportunity in Dubai for a big salary. When I asked about the reason, he told me that he wanted to get done with a project he's been working on. The nature of the project was the source of astonishment for me. It was a non-for-profit project. In other words, "M" was holding a volunteering position. So why on earth would he turn down a good opportunity? Yes, it was his commitment to the project which he truly believed in. I listened to the idea of the project and it was pretty good, but still not that juicy. The point is "M" believes in something and is trying very hard to make a change around him.
Like my friend did, once he found something that he truly believes in, he decided to stay no matter how much it is going to cost him. Socioeconomic or even political problems are not our issue in Egypt. I believe that we need to find something that urges us to stay and become partners in that little world of ours.
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