Who am I?

Me as a baby

My tomboy phase

horseback riding

driving a boat in Zell am See
used to live nearby as a kid

 Hey Everyone! I am Jasmin :) . Well where do I begin?I am 23 years old. My father is Egyptian and my mother is Austrian so I went back and forth a lot between the two countries. I was born here. When I was a toddler we went to Egypt and I visited pre-school there.

After pre-school I came back and went to elementary school here in Gratwein (nearby Graz) and in Saalfelden (Salzburg). Then I went back to Egypt with my father and lived there until I was almost 19.
In Egypt we lived in Cairo. There I went to a school with the Egyptian system but with everything taught in English. In my last 3 years in high school I went to an American school. I even did the SAT's and all that. After graduation I went to the German University in Cairo (GUC) and studied engineering for two years. When I was 18 I decided to come back to Austria.

trying my first beer (non-alcoholic)

visiting family in upper Egypt
farm land

When i lived in Egypt I would go to the pyramids, museums, the opera, play the flute, hang out with friends, go to Alexandria and eat traditional Egyptian food like fool, falafel, shawerma, cactus fruit, sugar cane juice, guava, Egyptian flat bread ( you can see one of my family members baking it).

far extended family member baking
traditional Egyptian bread

When I was a kid and still in Austria, I was a tomboy, super crazy, and active. I did a lot of sports like ballet, horseback riding, gymnastics, skateboarding, mountain biking, hiking etc. I even looked like a boy as you can see from my third picture :). I wanted to be a super hero, an astronaut, detective, and witch.

dad, cousin and uncle 2nd degree in
upper Egypt

When I was a kid, moving back and forth wasn't a problem, but when I came back to Austria in 2010 it was a cultural shock for me. Everything was completely different than I expected. I thought that since Austria is a first world country there wouldn't be racism and life would be easier, but unfortunately that wasn't what I experienced.

at the conservatoire in Cairo
with my dad great aunt and uncle
who are famous there

First when I came back my high school diploma wasn't accredited so I had to take exams to be able to go to university. I initially wanted to continue engineering in Leoben, Montan University, but I hated the university. That is why I decided to come to Graz and study translation English, German, and Arabic. Life started getting better.

Sunset at the Mediterranean sea where
we would go often

So what do I do now? Well of course go to university, and study. I also have to work a lot. I take part in the ESN Buddy Program, I work in the student union (ÖH), so if anyone is having troubles you can come to me ;) ; I work with refugees helping them have a normal life again, interpret for a human rights organization, and I am a radio show host.

showing friends from Aswan, Egypt
the pyramids before they immigrated
to Canada

Other than that I try to keep my social life alive. I also have a small dog Leia (like star wars princess leia), watch a lot of series and movies, read a lot, like to travel, do some art, got o concerts, sing, write poetry, cook, and bake (if you want to try one of my delicious cupcakes or other baked goodies come to our STV Brunch on the 25th of March).

my dad, aunt and I at high school graduation

at my old university in Egypt

my mom and I on my 19th birthday

my dog Leia bigger and fluffier now

my copper art that I made

a cake I made

Who am I?

Extremely chatty, ambitious and cheeky. If you ask my close friends or family to describe me you will most probably hear one of those characteristics at some point. Let me introduce you to myself, my lovely friends!

I am Nora, an Egyptian girl who was born and raised in Austria. My grandfather first came to Austria in the 1970s to study chemistry in Vienna. After getting his doctor‘s degree and finding a job here, he decided to stay. As a result my mother and my two aunts were also born and raised here and even went to the same school I later went to. Let me tell you…it was pretty weird to have some teachers ask you about your mom and aunts, because they were once their students! :p

Despite having most of my family close to me, many of my friends and cousins still live in Egypt, which is why I travel back to my home-country at least once every two years to visit my loved ones.

Landing in Cairo, Egypt :)

But enough about my roots! Let me tell you more about my personality. As I already mentioned I am a very ambitious person. Ever since I was a little girl I have always known what I wanted and how to get it, not by convincing others to simply give it to me, no. But by working hard to achieve it. And quite frankly I can be a real pain in the neck when I set my mind on something. I will not only drive myself crazy in order to achieve it, but usually people around me as well…probably a reason why I’m not in everybody’s good books.

When things get a little too crazy, I usually have two ways to escape: watching matches of my favourite football club or listening to music. I absolutely adore music! You will never see me doing something without music in the background, except studying. Other than that I always like to have my favourite tunes - a mix of English and Arabic music and all kinds of genres - playing while I am doing something, be it preparing breakfast, doing my makeup or cleaning my apartment. I even sing along most of the time, which according to several friends doesn’t even sound so bad. However, I prefer not to claim that I can actually sing. :D

Well, and some of you are probably curious now: What is her favourite football team in the world? My Catalan friends, you won’t be too pleased to hear that, but my favourite team is Real Madrid. Ever since I was little I would sit next to my grandfather in front of the TV and watch them play and I guess my passion for them is just a family tradition he has passed down to me. Even though my love for Madrid started with their most famous football team, it has grown way beyond that over the course of time. Today, the Spanish capital is one of my favourite places to visit, although I have already been there twice. I just love the language, the people who are incredibly friendly and, of course, the food! ;)

I have even had the chance to watch my favourite team play at my favourite city! It was an unforgettable experience! And let me tell you…Madrid is definitely worth a trip! If you’re not a football fan, you will be amazed by at least another thousand things this wonderful city, abounding in art, music, architecture and dance can offer. 

Madrid, a place with a thousand things to discover

 Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, the pitch on which the best team in the world plays ;)

The beautiful Plaza de Cibeles in the heart of Spain's capital.

Who am I? من انا؟

Well, I am an half Egyptian – Austrian girl living in Graz. My parents named me Nora because it is a typical Arabic name, meaning light, but in the same time Nora is also known in Austria. Actually my dad is an Egyptian and my extended family still live in the heart of Cairo. That is the reason why I have become a traveler. At least once a year I go to Egypt to visit my family and friends. That allowed me to gain deep insight into the Arabic way of thinking and the lifestyle. These aspects differ greatly from the European ones.

 I grew up bilingual – Arabic and German- and I that’s why I was able to develop a sense of language. So I decided to study Arabic and English at the University of Graz.  My interest in other foreign cultures is another reason why I have chosen “transcultural communication”.  Besides languages I am a passionate musician and dancer. I have been playing the flute since I was a child and I am currently performing in an orchestra.

In terms of my personality I am a really open-minded person because of my cultural background. My attitude is a mix of European and Arabic ideas and ideologies, which makes it hard sometimes to come to a decision in particular things. However, I am really proud of my Arabic-Austrian descent even if it is not visible from my appearance. Another streak is that I am a peaceful person. I don’t like arguments or fights and I am always trying to solve problems in a diplomatic way. I think this is much more efficient than insulting and shouting at each other.