“Are you willing to teach history?” the school recruiter asked at the other end of the line. After a moment of hesitation, I firmly replied: “Yes, of course!” I thought to myself: “This is it, woohoo! I’m staying in Egypt!” A few days later, I boarded a taxi and headed to a private international school on the eastern side of town. I was told the job interview would include a chat with the school authorities and a class demonstration on the subject of “the Enlightenment.” After the formalities, I walked into the classroom for my teaching demonstration and saw a student wearing an Argentine football jersey. It was the one with three stars, updated after Argentina’s victory in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. I looked at the boy, pointed to the jersey, and made an approving hand gesture. He looked confused, but a smile crawling from the corner of my mouth comforted him. Was it maktub (fate) or chance? Right there and then, I started to wonder about Egyptians and football. Are Egyptians passionate about football? I wondered whether Egyptians too associated defeat with distress and victory with ecstasy and…
The Day Messi Almost Got Me a Job: Bonding with Egyptians Over Football
October 9, 2023
