Egyptaland

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Egypt is said to be the cradle of human history, and all peoples are its children.

It is a nation whose name is derived from an Akkadian noun meaning ‘frontier’. It was home to one of the world’s oldest civilisations, with its own language and religion, and this civilisation lasted for three millennia. After 343 BCE, Egypt fell under a series of foreign dominations, each of which left its mark on the local culture. Over these two millennia, Egyptian identity evolved by adopting two new religions (Christianity and Islam) and a new language: Arabic and its oral descendant, Egyptian Arabic.

Culture

Egypt is a multilingual country where Modern Standard Arabic is the official language used in education, media, and formal settings. However, Egyptian Arabic (Masri) is the most widely spoken dialect in daily life, alongside other regional varieties like Sa‘idi Arabic in Upper Egypt. Minority languages such as Nubian, Siwi Berber, Beja, and Coptic are spoken by smaller communities, though many are endangered. English is widely taught and used in business and tourism, while French and other European languages have a limited presence in education and cultural circles. The country experiences strong diglossia, with people shifting between formal and colloquial Arabic depending on context.

High-School program with AFS

Host families with AFS are voluntarily hosting, come from all kinds of socio-economic backgrounds and can be very different from each other. Where they live can also vary; some of them live in cities, while others live in more rural or suburban areas.

Depending on where the host family lives, AFS students may be placed in private or international schools.

Family life plays a key role in Egyptian society. It is considered the core of society and includes not only parents and siblings, but also grandparents, uncles and cousins. Within the household, the father is often the breadwinner, while the mother is seen as the heart of family life, responsible for raising and educating the children. Children’s behaviour is seen as a reflection of their mother’s education.

Children show great respect to their parents, and responding to or disobeying family rules is generally considered irreverent.

Typically, Egyptian families spend a lot of time together, both at home and outside. A central part of this is the main meal of the day, lunch, which is usually eaten in the afternoon once everyone has returned from work or school. Food is shared among all family members and eating alone is generally considered rude.

When they are not with their families, Egyptian teenagers like to go out shopping, or go to the cinema. Boy/girl relationships are viewed much more restrictively than in Western culture.

Skoða skiptinám í Egyptaland