<p>My daughter didn't get in. We certainly appreciated hearing about this opportunity. I think she may reapply next year after she has some more arabic instruction. Good luck to your daughter mini and congratulations!</p>
<p>My d. didn't have ANY previous arabic instruction, so I'm not sure that is necessarily seen as a big plus. (What she did have was four years of involvement in Palestinian/Israeli peace issues, played benefit concerts for the Israeli-Palestinian Families of the Bereaved Peace Forum, the Atfaluna School for Deaf Children in Gaza, and worked for the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice - so she has immediate use for the Arabic once she learns it. Not particularly academic either - 3.6? homeschooled, and a competitive gymnast. We are in touch with the Egyptian Gymnastics Federation which has offered to help ensure she can continue to work out while there.)</p>
<p>gratefulparent -- could you give us an idea of your daughter and her stats?</p>
<p>from what I understand, they prefer older kids. this is not only because they tend to be more mature, but also -- they don't get as homesick or back out at the last minute. Younger kids are accepted -- but not as often.</p>
<p>My son was the only student who was selected last year who was not a graduating senior heading off to college the next year. </p>
<p>My son also noted (and the person who interviewed him also mentioned) that they also prefer kids who have travelled outside the country before. Again -- not a requirement (my son had never left the US) but they are looking for at least some time away from parents -- couple of weeks of summer camp, etc.</p>
<p>gratefulparent -- do you think this might have been the reason your D was not chosen? It might be helpful for kids applying next year to know what they are looking for.</p>
<p>I don't know if knowing Arabic is a factor -- my son had never taken any Arabic before he went. I do know that the commitment to continue in Arabic plays a big part.</p>
<p>Mine is a junior. But we have spent significant time in India (she is adopted from there), and visiting her sister in Italy. And she had spent two weeks in New York at an international keyboard institute (went with a 50-year-old friend.)</p>
<p>I expect that if they are only accepting 1 out of 8 or so, and they are already self-selected through the $75 fee and nomination, the competition is likely relatively fierce, and there are an awful lot of good candidates who didn't get accepted. I too got the sense that the commitment to continue Arabic, or to immediately make good use of it, played a role.</p>
<p>I also think that it was more selective this year. the ratio of applicants to those selected was about the same (135 applicants, 12 selected) but last year the announcement was late (early May, I believe) and the deadline for the application was only a few weeks after the announcement. Many top kids already had summer plans lined up. This year they announced the scholarship about a month earlier. Next year, I will post again in february or so just to remind kids that the scholarship is coming up. the later announcement is due to the government grant that funds the program -- they don't notify recipients until mid spring that they have the grant money.</p>
<p>So, an update. After spending three days in DC at the Dulles-Hilton, with visits at the State Department and dinners at the Egyptian Embassy, D. flew off to Cairo with 24 other U.S. students from around the country to study intensive Arabic.</p>
<p>Her classes take place at the Kalimat Center in Mohandessin:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.kalimategypt.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.kalimategypt.com/</a></p>
<p>Two hours a day of Modern Standard Arabic, and two plus hours of Egyptian Colloquial.</p>
<p>Her current host family, upper middle class, runs an upscale travel agency that does boats down the Nile, etc. Her "brother", 16, and who is coming to the U.S. for a year beginning in August, teaches karate and coaches basketball; her sister 13 also takes karate. The parents are very involved in the family, love music (they have a piano, which pleased my d.), and (being travel people), take her to all the sites that only insiders would know. They are Muslim. They are all helping her with her Arabic, which she says is very hard, but coming along. </p>
<p>At their invitation, D. has worked out with the Egyptian National Gymnastics Team at their Olympic Training Center, which is very modern (similar to the better centers here). The team, while obviously lacking the star gymnasts on the world stage, stacks up well against higher level gymnasts in the U.S., and, she says, the training is more intense than in her home gym (their coach is a former world champion from Bulgaria). They are currently training for the African National Championships, and a world meet in Germany. She gets there 2-3 times a week.</p>
<p>She's visited the usual - Pyramids, Sphinx, etc., taken a boat trip on the Nile, visited the bazaars and Old Islamic Cairo, and adapted to the heat (thougn her house and the school is air-conditioned.) One thing that is clearly different is that, in adjusting to the heat, families stay up very late at night - 1 or 2 is not uncommon, and kind of laze in the later afternoon. They also had a reception at the U.S. Embassy (and had to run around to find appropriate clothing for it.)</p>
<p>They are planning a service project for next week. Some of the students use the excellent underground transportation system. In her case, the travel agency is only several blocks from the school, so the parents drive her, and the son in. The daughter is going to London for two weeks to a camp. </p>
<p>She likes the food (that, for us, is somewhat of a surprise), though she hasn't told us what it is. She told us today that, the parents being financial managers, they helped her set up a spreadsheet for expenses, translating dollars into Egyptian pounds. They also live in an area that has a major "fair trade" coop (organized by garbage workers) that she hopes to visit.</p>
<p>Ah, to be 16 again.</p>
<p>Well, the program was spectacularly wonderful. Anyone thinking of applying next year is welcome to PM us.</p>