When Aisha Meteg and her husband, Salem Egzait moved to Shaker Heights two years ago, they spoke very little English. The couple came to the States so that Ms. Meteg, who had been a lawyer in their native Libya for 13 years, could study English and law.
Today, Ms. Meteg is not only fluent, but taking classes at the Case Western Reserve University Law School. And the couple’s children—sixth grade son Badreddin and their two daughters, third-grader Hend and Kindergartener Haya—speak English as though they were native citizens.
“We came to the United States to study because the people are friendly and they don’t care about your religion,” says Ms. Meteg. “The U.S. is the first in the world for education and I want to give my children everything I missed.” What Ms. Meteg missed in Libya was the opportunity to learn English when she was a young student. Libyan revolutionary and politician Muammar Gaddafi was in power throughout her childhood and forbade that English was taught in Libya’s public schools.
All three Egzait children have attended Boulevard School and worked with the school’s English Language Learners tutors. “They’ve received so much help from them and the teachers are so understanding when something happens,” Ms. Meteg says. In fact, Badreddin has some ideas of his own to add to the curriculum. “I think they should teach Arabic as a language,” he says. Hend agrees. “I want to start an Arabic club at Boulevard,” she says.
While the Egzaits have enjoyed Shaker, they plan to return to Libya in two years when Aisha completes her studies. “My children love school here. They can learn and play here while at other places, it’s just study, study study,” Ms. Meteg explains. “We’ve made a lot of friends here and the people have been so helpful. They all understand that I’m a student and a mother. I’ll have so many happy memories.”