Lamie 1

Youssef Nagy Lamie

900113405
Instructor: Dr. Mariam El Wakeel

I Knew Her When!!

Since I was born, I have met numerous persons whose personalities differ substantially.
Some of whom were eccentric at first sight; others were completely conventional. Meeting such
many people throughout my life taught me how to analyze different personalities and how to
give precise description of the probable environment that this person came from. Although these
expectations are not always fulfilled, it helps in forming a general idea about an unknown
person. Besides, it aids in making new friends and socializing with people having compatible
personalities. However, judging too fast can cause an opposite effect. For instance, the analyzed
person may be out of mood or passing through special circumstances which distracts the whole
process. In general, analyzing is useful but it should not be credited as the only source to know a
person. The person I analyzed is a colleague taking the same bus. After watching and talking to
her, I concluded that she is conservative, active and studious.
Besides having many attributes, being conservative seems obvious in her actions. She
used to sit all alone and talk to strangers cautiously. As I was watching her, I found out that
whenever she takes the bus, she tends to sit alone reading or listening to songs from her mobile.
In addition, I realized that her few friends are of girls and whenever she sits in a class or in the
bus, she chooses a seat beside a girl unless there was not a vacant one. When I first talked to her
there was a bus delay and I asked her if she knew why it was late but she answered briefly with
no I dont know. This answer seemed abrupt but because I guessed from before that she is
shy, I ignored the response. Some days passed and I had another conversation with her. I asked
her about her major and courses she was taking but she seemed uptight. The last point to support
the idea of being conservative is when she walks. Her walk conveys a message of shyness and
conservatism as she walks silently and looks nowhere but her path.
Although being conservative, she showed unequivocal dynamism. She is always doing
activities besides having things to do. She usually takes the bus fifteen minutes before the bus
leaves. In addition, she once told me that she would arrive an hour and half before her midterm
time to feel safe. In addition, I saw her in the gym many times and knew she plays ping pong as
well. Moreover, I found her standing in a booth which shows a contradiction. She is a member
of a club although she is shy and conservative. Consequently, this is probably because of her
tendency to be more sociable and to make friends. I guessed that she was not an Egyptian and I
expected her to be from the gulf area and my expectations were true. She told me that she is from
Lamie 2

Saudi Arabia, has Egyptian parents and that she had problems adapting to the Egyptian
community which conflicted with the Saudi one.

In addition to being energetic, she is very studious and she cares about her academic level.
She seemed, from the first sight, keen on her studies as she passes her time in the bus either
studying or watching lectures on her laptop. In addition, I watched her go to the library in her
free time, reserve a study room and study. I became sure she is diligent when I knew that she
was enrolled in a math club. Indeed, she told me that she spends a couple of hours preparing for
her next classes. What actually made me think she is studious was when she told me that she
enrolled in AUC with a scholarship. In fact she succeeded in declaring her major from the first
semester. I watched her attitude in the class and what caught my attention was that she sat at the
front of the class, as studious people do, but she said nothing. She kept listening to the
instructor, writing notes and chatting on her cell phone. Surprisingly, she said she spends most
of her time visiting instructors in their offices asking their opinions about general topics in life.
Once, I asked her about the reason she told me that those professors are the best to be asked as
they have both experience in life and outstanding knowledge.
Taking everything into consideration, I found out that personalities may differ from a
person to another but there exists an impressive attribute in each person. This girl is suffering
from sudden change in the environment. Consequently, she is trying to adapt to the new one by
joining clubs, doing sport activities and sustaining her academic level. She seems conservative
because of the Saudi life but her personality will drive her to keep up with the Egyptian one.