• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Chandler's Ford Today

  • Home
  • About
    • About Chandler’s Ford
    • Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research
  • Blog
    • Blogging Tips
  • Event
    • Upcoming Events
  • Community
    • Groups
    • Churches
    • Schools
    • GP Surgeries
    • Leisure
    • Library
    • Charities
      • Eastleigh Basics Bank
      • Cat & Kitten Rescue in Chandler’s Ford
    • Fair Trade
      • Traidcraft stalls in Chandler’s Ford
    • Chandler’s Ford Parish Council
  • Contact
    • Subscribe
  • Site Policies
  • Site Archive
    • Site Archive 2018
    • Site Archive 2017
    • Site Archive 2016
    • Site Archive 2015
You are here: Home / Community / Immigrants

Immigrants

May 29, 2014 By Mike Sedgwick 2 Comments

The head of my department at the University took on two foreign students but he did not have the patience to supervise them. He wondered how the young, green lecturer would cope. I came to be supervisor of two Egyptian men ‘of mature years’ as it is quaintly put. That is, older than most students reading for higher degrees.

It took them a while to overcome the culture shock and get their English up to a reasonable standard. It took me a while to get used to them and their ways. They were used to learning facts and looked to teacher (me) to provide them. It took some time to get them to understand that for a PhD you have to find out new facts for yourself and check that they are correct. How do you proceed when even the teacher does not know the answers to the questions he asks?

Israeli Tanks Cross the Suez Canal. Image by Israel Defense Forces via Flickr.
Israeli Tanks Cross the Suez Canal. Image by Israel Defense Forces via Flickr.

They were progressing well when the Yom Kippur War began in 1973. The Arab nations attacked Israel which was off guard as Yom Kippur is a religious holiday. The students were anxious about their families especially when, after a few days, the Israeli forces crossed the Suez Canal and began heading towards Cairo. A cousin of one of the students was a Colonel in the army and survived with a distinguished war record.

The students remained anxious because the overlying sympathy in this country lay with the Israelis. One day they made a formal arrangement to see me. This was unusual because they often came to my office and I was often in their laboratory. I guessed it must be something serious.

They were both nervous and behaving formally.

“It is about Professor X.” They said.“We think he is a Jew.”

“Yes, he is.” I confirmed.

They were confused. There was some conflict within them. Then they said with some incredulity:

“But… he is a very nice man. He helps us.”

Cairo Trio. Image by  Neil Hester via Flickr.
Cairo Trio. Image by Neil Hester via Flickr.

What they learned about other people at that time was more important than the body of knowledge that made up their degrees.

One became the Dean of the Department of Physical Therapy (physiotherapy) in Cairo and the other emigrated to Texas where he is a Professor in a university in Houston.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google
  • Email

Related posts:

Israel – Ancient And Modern (Part 1 of 4) Israel – Ancient And Modern (Part 2 of 4) Israel – Ancient And Modern (Part 3 of 4) Israel – Ancient And Modern (Part 4 of 4) My Poignant Visit to Auschwitz 30 Years Ago
Tags: education, history, memory, science, storytelling, travel, viewpoint

About Mike Sedgwick

Retired, almost. Lived in Chandler's Ford for 20 years. Like sitting in the garden with a beer on sunny days. Also reading, writing and flying a glider. Interested in promoting science.

I work hard as a Grandfather and have a part time job in Kandy, Sri Lanka for the winter months. Married to a beautiful woman and between us we have two beautiful daughters and 3 handsome sons.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Janet says

    May 29, 2014 at 10:40 pm

    It’s another thought-provoking story from you. Thank you for telling the story so well. I agree that learning about other people – their culture and their viewpoints etc. – is far more important and valuable. Mixing with different cultures could make us aware of our own prejudice and stereotyping. For the mature students in your story, I’m glad that their encounter in the west challenged and changed their views.

    Social integration is important. In education, there shouldn’t be racial segregation and religious ghettos.

    At a personal level, Arab–Israeli conflict is important for me to learn about, as its outcome also affects me. Due to restrictions imposed by the Malaysian government, my passport bears the inscription: “This passport is valid for all countries except Israel.”

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. The Poppies At The Tower Of London - Chandler's Ford Today says:
    November 25, 2014 at 1:33 pm

    […] I am sad that we seem to be drifting towards a greater polarisation of views in this country about immigration, multi-culturalism, our European neighbours […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Search

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to Chandler's Ford Today blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Archives

Top Posts & Pages

999, 111, 101, 112? Emergency Numbers You Must Know
Home
101 Things to Put into Room 101
Upcoming Events
101 Things to Put into Room 101 - Part 7 - The Final Leg
August Gardening Tips by Wellie
Cat & Kitten Rescue in Chandler's Ford
Travel
Montgomery Of Alamein School In Winchester: Astonishing Historical Pictures Revealed
Red Cross, St John Ambulance And Red Cross Parcel

Categories

Tags

arts and crafts books Chandler's Ford Chandler's Ford Today Chandler’s Ford community charity Christianity Christmas church community creative writing culture Eastleigh Eastleigh Borough Council education entertainment event family fundraising gardening gardening tips good neighbours Hiltingbury Hiltingbury Road history hobby how-to interview Joan Adamson Joan Adelaide Goater local businesses local interest memory Methodist Church music nature news reading review social storytelling theatre travel Winchester Road writing

Recent Comments

  • John Roberts on Gladly, the Cross-eyed Bear and Other Mondegreens
  • Allison Symes on Zest In Fiction
  • Mike Sedgwick on Zest In Fiction
  • Allison Symes on Zest In Fiction
  • Lynn Clement on Zest In Fiction
  • Bram van Reemst on Peculiar British House Numbering System

Regular Writers and Contributors

Janet Williams Allison Symes Mike Sedgwick Rick Goater Doug Clews chippy minton Martin Napier Roger White Andy Vining Gopi Chandroth Nicola Slade Wellie Roger Clark Ray Fishman Hazel Bateman SO53 News

Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal by Joan Adelaide Goater

Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal by Joan Adelaide Goater

Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s by Martin Napier

Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s by Martin Napier

My Memories of the War Years in Chandler’s Ford 1939 – 1945 by Doug Clews

My Memories of the War Years in Chandler’s Ford 1939 – 1945 by Doug Clews

Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research by Margaret Doores

Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research by Margaret Doores

History of Hiltonbury Farmhouse by Andy Vining

History of Hiltonbury Farmhouse by Andy Vining

My Family History in Chandler’s Ford and Hursley by Roger White

My Family History in Chandler’s Ford and Hursley by Roger White

Do You Remember The Hutments? By Nick John

Do You Remember The Hutments? By Nick John

Memory of Peter Green by Wendy Green

Memory of Peter Green by Wendy Green

History of Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) Hursley Park by Dave Key

History of Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) Hursley Park by Dave Key

Reviews of local performances and places

Reviews of local performances and places

Copyright © 2022 Chandler's Ford Today. WordPress. Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.