Cairo Space: Finding Myself
In this heartfelt blog, one of our brilliant students, Marah, reflects on her journey at the Hands Up Educational Space in Cairo. From joining as a ninth-grade student to discovering new skills, friendships, confidence, and a stronger sense of herself, Marah shares what Cairo Space has come to mean to her — not just as a place of learning, but as a family, a community, and a place where she found the real version of herself.
Cairo Space…
Let me tell you about a place that tries to find your reality, your creativity, and the radiance within you.
It is a place where I feel like myself. I found myself there — the real MARAH.
Before being a school, it was a family.
Before having teachers, we had friends — big sisters.
Before having fellow students, we had friends, sisters, and brothers. We laughed without judgment, played, studied, and explored new things together.
For strangers, it may just be a school. But for us, it is something very special.
At first, we were strangers. Yes, we were from the same city, but we didn’t know each other. We came to this place from different backgrounds, and after some time, we realized that we had become a family — a family that cared about us as if we were their own children.
My first day was Donna’s last day at the place. She gave us a silver necklace featuring the map of Palestine, and I have kept it until today.
From that day until today, I never imagined that I would stay at this place for two years!
For example, I used to be a very solitary person. I hated having people around me. But with time, I don’t even know how, I became a social person. I became better at English and developed a stronger personality.
Ohh… the old Marah!
She would never stand in front of people, speak, and express herself!
And now, just a short while ago, I was the English Exhibition Host.“MC”
Do you imagine?!
We have been through a lot of things — hard times and difficult days — but I don’t remember a day when we gave up on each other.
What is Cairo Space to Marah?
It is my comfort zone.
It is where I found the real version of myself.
It is the place that witnessed a turning point in me and in my life.
Every time I go there, I feel absolutely thrilled. Now, I am in high school, so I can’t go there whenever I want. But every time I do go, I find love, affection, and warmth. I see happiness on my friends’ faces.
I tried to make friends who were different from them, but I couldn’t. I felt that nobody was like them. And I think the reason that makes them so special is the place itself.
So, what do we do there?
My firsts in everything.
My beginning in so many things started from this place.
I had a lot of courses and experiences that helped me improve my skills, and that wouldn’t have happened without the supportive people in the place.
My first course was with Peter. We created a book of poetry, “Cairo Writes Gaza’s Heart.”
Days I will never forget…
Then came the Public Speaking course, with the best teacher ever — Maryam.
And so many courses, conversations, link-ups, projects, pen pals, and activities.
All of them built a personality before teaching anything.
A lot of this happened on Zoom, but we did even more at school — face to face.
The people behind my journey
To my favorite teacher and manager, Ms. Rozan:
If I start to write about you and your kindness toward us, I think I will never stop. Thank you for all the effort you make to build a good place for learning and improving.
My teachers — Majd, Afnan, Doaa, and Ms. Mohammed — I am so grateful that I am your student.
And to all the team behind the scenes: I love you all, and warm thanks to every single one of you.
Nick , Haya , Zaina , Saher … and all the volunteers.
Everything I discovered there …
I came in my 9th grade, and now I am in 11th grade.
I have learned amazing things. I acted in theatre, wrote poetry, met people on Zoom and in person, and discovered things about myself that I didn’t know before.
I learned editing. I captured and made videos. And I discovered this side of myself in this place too!
Now I am learning Spanish with Tony too — one of the volunteers who came to the school — and his wife, Karen, who teaches us a conversation course.
I do many courses at the same time, but I never feel bored of them, even though I have a lot of studying because I am in the scientific field.
The memories🥹
We have achieved a lot: events, exhibitions, and so many memories.
I love to look at them when things get hard, and I see how connected they all are. 🥹
I remember the day of the exhibition — how stressed and worried we were, and then how amazing it turned out!
Everyone created something creative in their own way.
When I look back at everything I have done, I realize how much this place has been part of my journey.
I came here as a 9th-grade student, and now I am an 11th-grade student. Somewhere between those two years, I changed.
The things you can’t see in pictures…
The laughter.
Helping each other.
The funny conversations.
The small things.
The moments that never made it into a photo, but somehow stayed in my heart.
I don’t know how much longer I will be able to come to Cairo Space as a student. I don’t know where life will take me after high school.
But I know that what I learned there will stay with me.
To the best coincidence in my whole life…
Cairo Space.