Talk like an Egyptian


The other day I was surprised (and very pleased) to hear from Yehia Ayman Saleh, one of my Year 5 students from The British School of Al Rehab. This school is a few miles out from the centre of Cairo, on the Suez Road. Yehia sent me a voice recording and I have transcribed it. Hearing Yehia's voice brought back some happy memories of our two years in the Land of the Nile, so I am going to include a few old photos.



Mr Hill, hello! This is Yehia. I used to be your student at the British School of Al Rehab in Cairo, some twenty-three or twenty-something years ago, in Year 5! I don’t know if you remember me, but I definitely remember you and I am so happy to have found you on Facebook. I have been looking for you for many, many, many years. I had asked also Mr. Cann about you and I am so happy to know that you are doing well that enjoying your life in Bulgaria with your wife and that you are having a good time. Again, I don’t know if you remember me, but I remember you very well and my family, everyone in my family, knows you very well because you because you had such a big influence on the person I have become, even though you were my teacher for one year only, but you had a big influence. I think that you are probably the one person who had the biggest influence on the person I became outside of my family. So, yes, I am happy to have found you. I hope you are doing well. I am actually getting married in May this year, inshallah, in Cairo. It would mean the world to me if you and your wife, Mrs Hill, can make it. I would be absolutely delighted! Take care and I hope to hear from you.


Dear Yehia, Yes, of course I remember you! The British School of Al Rehab, well, that was a few years ago. Occasionally I get an email from Mr. John Cann, but otherwise I do not have any contact with the school. After Al Rehab, we went back to the UK and then to Qatar, the UAE and China! We were in China for five years, in a huge city called Shenzhen, and that was a lot of fun. Yes, I would definitely recommend going to China, if you get the chance, as it is an amazing place. China is sometimes rather weird and peculiar, but it is never boring. Now I am retired and my wife and I live in Bulgaria. You and your wife-to-be would be most welcome, if you ever happen to be in Bulgaria.

I am very pleased to learn that you are getting married, as this is the best thing for a young man to do. I hope that she is a sweet and sensible girl. There are, alas, rather a lot of unhappy marriages, so I hope that yours will bring both of you a lot of joy and peace.

Unfortunately, an old Oxford friend of mine is coming to Bulgaria to stay with us in May, so I do not think that we can come to your wedding. So what are you doing in Berkeley? Have you just finished your PhD? Or are you teaching at the university? Of course, Americans are crazy, as I am sure you know by now, and the people from California are probably the craziest of them all. However, we Brits secretly admire the Yanks in lots of ways and actually Americans can be kind, generous and a lot of fun. A young married man is usually quite busy, but if you have nothing else to do you could always read my blog
www.bulgariawithnoodles.blogspot.com

I have been writing it for about ten years now and perhaps you might find it interesting. Bulgaria and China are very different to Egypt and America! Best wishes from your old teacher, Simon Hill

Best wishes from your old teacher,
Simon Hill


And this is a photo of me when I was in your class. In Design & Technology class, we built a bridge. I remember that we also made the guitar from cardboard and papier-mâché.



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