The Schutz American School Students' Newspaper
Vol. II, Issue No. 6, June 2010

الأحد، 12 أكتوبر 2008

The Egyptian-American Fusion


The Meleks fit right in with the “Schutz Family”


By Alaa El Damaty

The Meleks are newcomers to Schutz. Mr. Tamer Makram Melek and Mrs. Jean Marie Melek have been married since 2002, and they have a son named Noah attending PreK4. Coach, as Mr. Melek likes to be called, is the Physical Education teacher and is coaching volleyball and soccer this year. Mrs. Melek, on the other hand, teaches High School English.

In entering the covered court, you would find Coach coaching the volleyball team and Noah clinging to him, with Mrs. Melek watching from upstairs. It appears that all three have a very close relationship together. When asked what achievements are you really proud of, Mrs. Melek replied, "Being a good mom", while Mr. Melek said "Getting married and having a son".
The Meleks had many reasons why they wanted to live and work in Egypt. Mrs. Melek explains, "Coach's family lives in Cairo and does not see Noah a lot. This way, they get to see him more often". She added that they especially chose Alexandria because she loves the sea and has always lived near bodies of water.

Mrs. Melek is originally from New York while Coach is originally from Cairo. They are "diversity to the fullest"! The couple has lived together in North Carolina and New York in the past. Now they are experiencing life in Egypt. "So far so good", Coach Mel replies when asked how life has been in Egypt so far. The Meleks claim that Schutz is truly "family". "Noah has been truly embraced by teachers and kids."

Although very close, the couple is very different. Mr. Melek spends his time playing sports, watching movies, eating, going out, and smoking Shisha. In contrast, Mrs. Melek spends her time reading, writing, playing the guitar, working, and playing with Noah. She plans to start a blog about traveling and "living the Egyptian adventure", possibly expanding it to a book.

Mrs. Melek attended high school and university in New York. She graduated with Bachelor's degrees in English and History. She later pursued her Master's degree in English on the topic of African American women writers. She has been teaching for thirteen years, and this is her first year of international teaching. One quality she would like her students to take from her is hard work. "Whatever is worth doing is worth doing well" is her motto.

Mr. Melek attended school in Cairo, and he graduated from the University of Helwan, majoring in Physical Education. He has been teaching for eleven years.

Mr. Melek’s favorite stage in life is his college life, while Mrs. Melek states that her favorite stage is now: being a mother, and living the experience of life abroad the United States.

The Meleks’ personalities fit perfectly with the Schutz family atmosphere. Hopefully, they will have a great and enjoyable time at Schutz!

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