Project#1 Story corp.
Interviewer: Marwa Abdul Fattah
Interview transcript
Narrator: Nermine Ismeal
Date, 8, March 2011
Place: PVA Building, Room 1004
College: The American University In Cairo(AUC)
Prof: Dr, Kim Fox
Date completed: 9,March, 2011

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Marwa:Hello
Nermine:Hi,how are you?
Marwa:iam fine, how are you?
Nermine:iam good thank you
Marwa:iam actually happy to have you today , can you introduce yourself?
Nermine:Iam Nermine Ismeal, I am 21 years old, I am senior studying at the American
University In Cairo ,and I live in Masaken Sheraton.
Marwa:ok, Nermine, can you tell me at the time of the revolution, what exactly did u do?
Nermine: at the beginning of course I wasn’t able to do anything, because my parents wouldn’t let me leave the house, but then when things started to quite down and they were stable I wanted to go donate blood so I was allowed to do that, and as I was out I thought to myself well, maybe I wont be able to go out any like the flowing days so I thought about going to Tahrir so I did and that was the first time but I went again afterwards.
Marwa: ok and what did you see there?
Nermine: it was actually very amazing the different sorts of all kinds of people, girls, boys, old men, people of different backgrounds, everything there was all kinds of people.

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Marwa, ok and what did you do there?
Nermine: well the first time I didn’t because I didn’t know that I was going so I just walked around and I had a good idea of what is going on and then I started getting medical supplies and trying to help out like with medicine or cotton or whatever I can but then I realized that they don’t need anything, they all stocked up and even the blood donations, people I know tried to donate and they told them no we have lot of blood.
Marwa: ok so did you go there again or?
Nermine: yeah I went for like one week, I kept going, there was actually friends of mine from school they started this program with the street children they called Madraset El
Ahrar, which translated into English would be school of the free people I guess and basically what they are focusing on is teaching them science more like psychics, and chemistry and things like that but also like school in general, education in general, the kids that they started this thing with, they don’t even go to school at all, they don’t go to school at all , it is not that we are gonna help them or anything. So we asked them if we enroll you in a school would you go everyday and would you not like escape or skip school so they said no, we really really want to learn and they were very keen and very excised and the first day we gave them our phone numbers and we told them if you don’t call us we wont come again because how we to know that you want to learn. And we sort

Nermine Ismael Marwa Abdul Fattah 3/9 of have expected them that they wouldn’t call but they did and it was very amazing so we set an appointment the next day at 2 and we met there, that was our spot every day , we met at this place where we teach them how to write and stuff .
Marwa: So unlike what most people would think that they were children, they were just wasting their time, they were having fun; you found that they really wanted to learn something.
Nermine: yes At Tahrir you mean? The children, I mean they are children so it doesn’t matter if they were street children or not so I mean so what if they are going to play or they heard that there was food or something it is ok, but actually it is because of that , that they went to hear that there is like revolution or whatever there maybe we can go and grab some food or whatever but it is because of this that actually we met them and we talked to them so hadn’t not been for the revolutions we would have never known those kids and would have never known they are keen on learning.
Marwa: and you said that your parents were against the idea that you go out and you go to Tahrir, how did they react when they knew that you go like everyday to teach people there or children there?
Nermine: ( smiling) yeah I told my mother but later on like not even any time, not during the time I went and not after that it, just way after it like one week ago I told her. And she actually she took it very well, she told me it is a good thing you didn’t tell me because I never would have let you out .

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Marwa: Do you think they did that because they were as a matter of safety they were worried about you or they did that because they had different opinions about people inTahrir square?
Nermine: it was definitely a little bit of both, it was the safety and also the different opinions, ( smiling), but now we have the same opinion all the three of us but at the beginning my father was against the revulotion like really against it we would fight all the time on the phone because he doesn’t live in Egypt so he is not really aware of the situation in Egypt and that would really infuriate me and my sister we used to tell him no you don’t know what is going on and he would be like no I know what is going on, these kids who started the revolution they are foolish, they don’t know what they are doing and my mom , my mom didn’t really have fixed opinions she would change her mind all the time.
Marwa: So do you have grandparents?
Nermine : ( nodding her head), as Yes
Marwa: what did they think of the revolution and everything that was going on.
Nermine: My grandmother at the very beginning, she was really angry at what was going on because she is really loyal to Moubarak and she loves him a lot like he is her son or something, I don’t know like she really really loves him , so she was really upset and we

Nermine Ismael Marwa Abdul Fattah 5/9 used to like clash all the time me and her and so I decided not to talk about this with her because it might lead to family problems because you know she is my grandmother she is older I can’t get into a debate with her but actually after the resignation, she told me that you know what, if I was your age I would have definitely joined and I would have done something for the country.
Marwa: So people change like at the beginning everyone had different opinion from each others but after that they all had the same opinion that they were happy and celebrating that Moubarak resigned or stepped down and they were all happy right?
Nermine: Yes definetly,even my own father like he was against it like from the beginning until the day of the resignation but after the resignation we went out in the streets me and him and we celebrated ( smiling) , it was a lot of fun.
Marwa: And what did you see the day you went out to celebrate, how happy people were
, what kind of things they did?
Nermine: they were basically, they were , the thing I remember was that they were celebrating the martyrs that they gave their lives away, they were like now you can rest in peace, what you fought for has been achieved so this was the one thing that really stocked into my mind on the day of the resignation it was all I could think of actually

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Marwa: and the porgame for children, did you keep up after that , I mean what are you doing, your plans for the future to help those children again, were you done with what you did in Tahrir for three or four days?
Nermine : No actually I work with children, and I do lots of a lot of community service with children like I was in the junior development program in Volunteers in actions where we teach children from meet okba, it is an underdeveloped area in zamalek and now iam teaching in the children’s program, also in volunteers in actions where we teach children in orphanages also I do weekly visits to the children at the national cancer institute so children have always been a point of like something like i`ve been passionate about so when I saw these kids atTahrir I thought that definitely I have to be part of it, but unfortunately I haven’t been able to continue what I did in Tahrir because I have been really busy but my friends are continuing and very very soon iam going to join them isA.
Marwa: Nermine can you tell me what did you notice that changed in people, their attitudes , the way they think, they way they behave in the streets right now, did you feel like there was a change or things are just the same?
Nermine: No there is definitely a very positive change, every one is motivated to go out even very tiny things like to clean the streets like people my friends who have never been into community service or anything, they went out themselves , they cleaned the streets , they are painting the pavements, like my driver he always used to throw things out of the car and that was a problem and now he is like no I am not gonna throw anything, this is

Nermine Ismael Marwa Abdul Fattah 7/9 my country I should keep it clean, so definitely there is a very big amount of positive energy that should really be channeled into something useful and I think it will be isA.
Marwa: and I know that because I worked with you for two years in charity work and doing something for the community, so what are your plans, you have been doing community service work before revolution so what are you gonna do after the revolution?
Nermine: like I already I haven’t stopped what I’ve been doing but my primary concern right now are those street children so iam really glad that my friends are continuing with them but I am gonna join like next week or something iam gonna continue what I did and hopefully they are already enrolled into schools, we enrolled them into schools and now we are helping them to study so I think this is a very very big step
Marwa: true true, and will you keep up with those kids, the results, if one of them was, if they lost their motivation to go to school again, will you keep up with that or you may just like lose hoping and give it up?
Nermine: (smiling), I mean we have all lost motivation to go to school before so I don’t think it is a problem no of course we won’t give upon them I mean I think we’ve already invested too much and who knows maybe even we can give scholarship to them to study
,maybe even here why not
Marwa: that would be a good step
Nermine: yeah

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Marwa: Nermine you mentioned when you went to Tahrir square you aw different people from different ages and economic levels, most of the people were asking, they were poor asking for the basic needs, food, shelter, education and you I assume you have all that you are an AUCian student and you are have definitely a better life than that, they were fighting for those needs, what was the thing you were fighting for?
Nermine: I was , the thing I was fighting for was Egypt my country, maybe you are right, maybe I do have the basic rights and I never have to, never should have been part of the revolutions but actually this is very wrong , I do lot of community service and I’ve seen what it is like for those people I mean I have had hands on experience because in volunteers in actions we help orphans get married and we go first to assist their homes and where they live to see if we should help them or not, and the conditions are just very bad. They are not even suitable for humans to live in regardless of if they are poor or not so I’ve seen the injustice hands on like,i`ve seen it so of course I empathize with these people and also I was really concerned for the next generation like I wanted them to live in a country where there is democracy and where there is a chance, equal chance of education for every one so also my children , I want my children to grow up in an environment where they are not afraid to speak their mind and where there is no bribery,
I don’t want them to learn these bad habits you know I want them to live in a clean place where they can breathe clean air so, it was mostly for the future of Egypt and for Egypt as a whole, not things that I am asking for.

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Marwa: Nermine we have been friends since two years and we worked in community service together so I know that u took an advantage of what happened at the revolution u saw children there and you tried to do something for them so I was really happy to have you with me in the interview and thank you so much for your time .
Nermine: (smiling), thank you I am really glad to be here.
Marwa: Thank you so much