When Hailey first chose Egypt to be the case study for her PhD thesis on tourism at the end of 2010, little could she have imagined what was about to happen. She was certainly taken aback by the revolution. Like many non-Egyptians currently living in the country and who have witnessed the political developments since the January 2011 Revolution, Hailey Carter, a 29-year-old Canadian researcher, sees things differently from her Egyptian friends. "It isn't only a political change, but people's personalities have also altered throughout the past two years," Hailey told the Mail in an interview. "They have gone through a number of phases and I have watched their development closely." A first remarkable phase was that of pride and optimism, in which Egyptians were clearly hopeful. “They wanted to talk about the revolution to everyone all the time," Hailey said, adding that foreigners were seen to be just as trusted as fellow Egyptians. But this changed around June last year, with State TV broadcasting a series of ads urging citizens to be wary of non-Egyptians. These ads, which were subsequently withdrawn after critics accused the channel of encouraging xenophobia, implied that foreigners could be spies and talking to them might threaten national security. This campaign triggered another change in the personality of post-revolution Egyptians. It unleashed a wave of skepticism against foreigners, causing a number of non-Egyptians a lot of nightmares. "I felt like a possible suspect for a while," says Julian Brito, a Spanish teacher at an upmarket school. "The attitude of some people around me became very weird. It was nerve-racking." Julian, 36, who has been living in Egypt for four years now, has developed a passion for photography. At weekends, he likes wandering around the alleys of Cairo, snapping the places and people. Unfortunately, he had to give up on his passion for a while. "It became very chaotic. People started to approach me, asking to see my identity and interrogating me, especially as I had a camera hanging around my neck," he explains. “I felt like an alien." When asked if he ever thought of leaving Egypt at that point, Julian insisted that the idea didn't cross his mind, although it seems that many other expats think otherwise. The number of foreign workers registered to work in the Government and public sector in the country decreased by 22.4 per cent from 870 to 675 between 2010 and 2011, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics. European countries account for the biggest number of foreign workers in Egypt, followed by the Arab, then Asian countries. Kristine Farrell, 62, a Briton who has been living in Egypt for 10 years, is more optimistic now than ever before about this country. "People are ‘just vivid' and active," she says proudly. "In the area where I live, we didn't wait for the Government to deal with the garbage problem; we just dealt with it ourselves. It's the same with many other problems." Kristine is impressed by the positive attitude of the Egyptians since the revolution. She thinks that this big event has left people yearning for change and believing they can do it. Unlike Julian, she hasn't met the slightest problem for being distinctly non-Egyptian. "People don't seem to mind anymore," she explains. "I live in a very traditional district in Old Cairo but it seems that no one notices my presence at all. I just feel part of the scene." Some might argue that Kristine is bound to feel at home after spending a decade here, but some people who've only been here for a couple of months feel the same. "Since the January 25, 2011 Revolution, I have visited Cairo nine times," Sebastian Fischer, a 30-year-old German event Manager, told this newspaper. "Every time, there have been visible changes. I can tell that people are now feeling frustrated, while they have many different opinions." Sebastian is not afraid of ‘the chaos'; indeed, he has taken part in a number of demos, most recently the ones in Mohamed Mahmoud Street last November. But still he describes the scene in Egypt now as ‘polarised', referring to the clashes that erupted near el-Etihadya Palace between anti- and pro-President Mohamed Morsi protesters, coinciding with one of his many visits to the country. “There is no conflict. It might look as if that people are divided among themselves, but I don't think that that is true," he says, adding that the conflict could be a kind of ‘camouflage' to distract the people. “I'm still optimistic," Sebastian stresses. “I love Egypt and I believe it's on the right track."
