It was heartwrenching to leave Cairo, with all my friends, my family and the comfort of my home. Even though I was exposed to different cultures, whether through my German education or through my exposure to American culture through movies and television series, I still was approaching something that was foreign to me and did not know if I would fit in.

Two years later, I am thankful for studying at MSU, and most importantly thankful to my mum for encouraging me to. She always believed in the power of a good education.

“This is the one thing that nobody can ever take from you,” she explained. “Money comes and goes, but it’s your education that you can never lose.”

She described me as “her investment in life.”

Studying abroad changed me in a lot of ways. It helped me become more independent, and who can deny the fact that U.S. college education is one of the best worldwide?

Even if people say my personality has changed since high school in Cairo, one thing does not seem to have changed so far: my stubborn and strong bond to my home country, Egypt. In fact, I think it grows stronger with time, as cheesy as this sounds.

I have noticed that with a lot of my friends who are studying abroad, not only in the U.S., the more they stay in the country they’re studying in, the less they desire going back to Egypt after they graduate to work and live there.

Frankly, I don’t blame them for that. Life in Egypt can be tough and stressful, given the political turmoil, the chaos of its people and the impossibility of wearing shorts when it’s 90 degrees outside because sexual harassment haunts girls and women almost everywhere.

But within this chaos, I can’t help but see the beauty of my country that has been covered by the dust of a 7,000 year-old civilization. I cannot let go of my memories there. Nor can I ignore the signs of the various cultures that decorate the corners of Cairo, starting at the ancient Egyptian culture, followed by Roman, Greek and Arabic cultures, coming to an end at the obvious European influence on our architecture under imperialism.

When I go home, many people ask me the classic question: “Are you going to work and stay in the U.S. after you graduate?” It is interesting how a simple one-word answer can be that shocking and disappointing to some people.

“No.”

As much as I cherish my experience here in the U.S., and as much as life in general here can be easier than it is in Egypt because of the strict law system that people abide by, it is very difficult for me to live in a country other than Egypt. Not only am I part of it, but it is a significant part of me. It’s how I identify myself. It is the perspectives that makes me, in a way, different than someone from the U.S. or any other country.

My country is my country; good or bad, I love it. And it really hurts to see it deteriorating while I just observe its downfall in utter sorrow, unable to help. This is why I am planning on going back to Egypt after I graduate to work and live there.

I believe in Egypt and I believe that the future can be better, but I also believe that if I want to see things get better I need to work for it. “Brain drain” does exist. If all well-educated people decide to leave the country, the situation will only get worse.

I still need to find a plan on how to do that, but I know that when there’s a will, there’s a way. I am more than determined to make even the slightest contribution to see my country recover.

I guess what I want to say is that if you truly believe in something, you need to work for it. It might seem impossible, and a lot of people will tell you that you are utterly crazy and out of your mind. But if you truly believe in what you want and are aspiring for doing (or becoming) something you love, then go for it.

Sometimes taking the rougher path is how you will achieve happiness. Happiness doesn’t always come with comfort. For some people it’s the other way around.

Maybe I will make a huge and significant change in Egypt and inspire people to do the same, and maybe I will fail and regret that I didn’t choose a risk-free path. But it’s a chance that I am willing to take for the sake of something that I love dearly: Egypt, the place I call home.

Nolly Dakroury is the student government reporter at The State News. Reach her at ndakroury@statenews.com.