Fayed Muhammad came to Orangeburg around a month ago.

Originally from a small town outside Alexandria, Egypt, Muhammad says he appreciates the close-knit nature of the Orangeburg community. The locals are diverse and friendly.

“I find Orangeburg is smaller, so quiet. ... People are related to each other. They know each other. They know everything about each other,” he said.

Muhammad is among seven Egyptian students taking classes at Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College for one year as part of a nationwide student exchange program. Additionally, seven Danish students are on campus for a month.

Back home, Muhammad works for a large agricultural firm. He is taking marketing and customer care classes at OCtech in hopes of becoming a business instructor.

He believes his American experience will give him the ability to excel in today’s global economy.

Muhammad and his countrymen are staying at a local apartment complex, but each student has a local family that is showing them the sights and sounds of American culture.

OCtech Vice President Retta Guthrie and her family recently took Muhammad to eat at Four Moons Restaurant. She plans to take him to the beach soon.

Before he leaves, Muhammad wants to visit Harvard University and see the U.S. Congress.

“I must learn everything,” said Sherif Hegazy, a native of Egypt’s largest city, Cairo.

So far, Hegazy has discovered the joy of eating boiled peanuts.

He says there are many differences between American and Egyptian culture.

For instance, Egyptians completely separate their business and personal lives, he said.

“When I do work, I focus on work. When I’m at home, I leave work behind,” Hegazy said.

Hegazy recently visited the Orangeburg County Fair. He said fairs in Egypt are larger, like Disneyland.

He is taking automotive courses at OCtech. He is an automotive instructor in Egypt.

OCtech Associate Vice President Donna Elmore said Hegazy will seek additional automotive certifications in Germany and France following his time in America.

Hegazy’s friend, Hany Abdo, works at a Subaru dealership in Egypt. Elmore said he is here to gain more exposure to different car models.

He hopes to improve his English skills and learn a new culture while here.

Abdo visited Boston for his orientation into the Community Colleges for International Development exchange program in August. OCtech and Greenville Technical College are the only colleges in South Carolina participating in the program.

So far, Abdo has observed American business relies heavily on technology.

Abdo said when he returns to the Middle East, he does expect quite an adjustment.

“I feel good here,” he says.

One of his friends back home was less than pleased he was coming to America. The friend said he wouldn’t speak to Abdo ever again because he opposes America’s military presence in the Middle East.

But Abdo says he loved America long before he came from overseas.

“I love the technology. Business is business here,” he says.

Orangeburg resident Janet Barrett took Hegazy and Abdo to the Edisto Memorial Gardens and the S.C. State Museum.

“That was a good experience for them,” Barrett said.

Elmore said the foreign students are discovering most Americans aren’t selfish and rich as Hollywood movies often show. She said many of the students didn’t realize some U.S. citizens live in poverty.

She noted the Egyptian students all have stellar academic records and are in their late twenties.

Elmore said the college took a group of their Egyptian and Danish students sailing in Charleston recently.

On the way back to Orangeburg, Elmore and the students had a conversation.

“They (the students) said maybe we are more alike than we are different,” she said.

T&D Staff Writer Lee Tant can be reached by e-mail at ltant@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-534-1060. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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