You might wanna grab a snack as you listen to this episode because Dina El Gohary has her Masters in Cultural Heritage Management with a focus on Egyptian food Heritage and currently works with Egyptian food tour company Bellies en-Route. So, you already know what this episode is going to be about.

But, before we dive into the food, we're following Dina's story from Saudi Arabia to Bahrain and getting to see yet another perspective on growing up in the Gulf that's perhaps a bit unexpected.

In this episode, Monica and Dina discuss lifestyles, privilege, and navigating where and how they fit into the day-to-day poetic chaos of life in Cairo. And food, obvs.

Ahmed Najeeb has changed his relationship status with Saudi Arabia to ‘It’s Complicated.’

Living there in peak morality police era against a backdrop of negative stereotypes about Egyptians, it’s no wonder young Najeeb was dying to come back to Egypt. When he did come back, he faced two very different culture shocks: life in Mansoura and life in Cairo.

In this episode, Najeeb reflects on how his parents tried their best to minimize the damage of life in Saudi by befriending like-minded people, switching school systems, and instilling his love for photography. Then, shifting the conversation to his transition to Egypt, Najeeb shares his stunned reactions to street fights, Cairenes’ satisfaction with subpar food, and the mere ability to casually exist outside his home past 11 PM.

Naj shoots people for a living and shares it on Instagram @najpictures.

While you’re there, follow The Foreign Local (@theforeignlocal) for more stories connecting the Egyptian diaspora with everyday life in Om el Donya. 

Acceptance letter to a Belgian university in hand, Mariam Hanno was a woman with a plan. Unfortunately, a mix of travel hurdles and souring political relations between Egypt and Qatar turned her life upside down.

Finding herself on a flight to Egypt instead, Mariam’s expulsion from the diaspora was sudden, unexpected, and painful. How do you even begin to deal with that?

In this episode, Mariam gets vulnerable about grappling with social isolation, struggling to understand the local lingo, and the grief she experienced while saying goodbye not to a person but to an entire lifetime left behind.

So, yes, this episode is basically the therapy session Monica and Mariam didn't know they needed. And, despite talking about her language barrier, Mariam does it all with a flawless Egyptian accent.

Join in on this therapy session through Instagram @theforeignlocal.