CeeJay Scott knew he wanted to study abroad since freshman year. Then, COVID happened and for a moment he thought he wouldn’t actually be able to see the places that caught his attention earlier on—China, Australia, Brazil… “I was very patient and then COVID was kind of dying down a little bit, things started to open up and then that's when I said ‘OK, it might be kind of cool for me to start searching for opportunity or where I wanna go’.”
He knew Florence was not the choice for him, so he contacted an advisor to learn about all the options available “And I found Egypt, which stood out to me. One because it was in Africa and two, because Egypt is very rich for its history and civilizations.”
To Cairo, Egypt, CeeJay went, where he took filmmaking classes at the American University in Cairo (AUC), learned colloquial Arabic, tried the local food including camel and pigeon, and got to see those historical places that had made the North African country his number one study abroad choice. Talking about his favorite experiences in Cairo, CeeJay mentioned being on a bike and boat tour on the Nile River, “It was a surreal moment, when you look and you are on the Nile River. And there was also a time where I went to Hurghada, that is on the Red Sea and [we were] on the giant yacht for hours upon hours, just in the middle of the Red Sea.”
Aside from memories, CeeJay also experiences new ways of interacting with others. “I talked to new people every single second of my experience there and whether I was just casually at the grocery store, whether I was at the gym, I would always be talking to somebody and that love and appreciation for it for human interaction, translated back when I came over to the US,” he shares, adding it helped to “find that happiness that Egypt has to offer, because the people are so friendly, they're so excited. They're so loving and we just have to be open to it.”
The relationships also weaved into his career, or plot and character development, as the filmmaking student calls it. “I have more life to talk about because of what I have experienced in Egypt,” he says. CeeJay also believes the time in Egypt made him more aware of other opportunities he can pursue, which could include studying abroad again during graduate school. If he decides to do so, it might not be hard to secure letters of recommendation: CeeJay and one of his AUC professors are still in touch, sharing philosophy and film books with each other.
As for lessons learned, he shares an Egyptian saying an Uber driver told him: “Once you drink from the Nile you are destined to return.” So, no matter what you choose to do, step out of your comfort zone. “Go out on the adventure, it might seem scary, but it's well worth being uncomfortable for a few days.”
Learn more about the American University in Cairo program!
