Veronica Merlo

Born in Italy, Veronica completed her university studies in France, at SciencesPo Paris. She arrived in Egypt in 2017 to study Arabic. She has ever since desired to build a life there, driven by a desire to learn deeper Arabic and to explore the internal variety of that country. While completing her Master degree in Paris, she continued travelling to Egypt, for short visits and for a journalism internship. Veronica started sharing her experience, through her journalistic work, a conference in her hometown, and, particularly, through social media platforms. Her Instagram and Facebook pages “almuhit_theocean” constitute the main tools that she uses on a daily basis to expose the beauty of what she has the chance to experience. There, she combines pictures from the everyday life in Egypt with Arabic and Egyptian expressions. After graduation, she moved to Sinai. During the process of writing a book on her first experience in Egypt, she has reaffirmed her passion to deepen her knowledge of Arabic and Egypt and then share it. She enthusiastically continues travelling around the country, expanding her Arabic vocabulary, participating in local projects, reporting on conferences in Cairo, developing her network in Egypt, and learning new practices such as the art of Arabic Calligraphy. Thus, Veronica is committed to dedicate her life to share what she has learned in Egypt, in an attempt to offer an alternative image of the country from the one presented in the media, while promoting intercultural and interreligious exchange.