Advancing the Understanding of Women's Independence

In this episode Dr. Vilma Fuentes speaks with visiting Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour about her experiences in the United States over the past five months. 

Dr. Ashour discusses some of the fears and misconceptions she faced when she first arrived in the United States. And provides a comparison and contrast of cultural and religious factors influencing education and career advancement for women in the United States and Egypt.  

In addition, Dr. Ashour provides insight into the differences she sees in educational spaces and classrooms in the two countries and shares some of the methods she has learned and hopes to take back to her classrooms in Egypt. 

Transcript

Dr. Vilma Fuentes 

Welcome to Santa Fe College. My name is Dr. Vilma Fuentesand this is our podcast Developing Global Citizens. Today we are honored to have a very special guest for us. I feel like they are all special guests, but this is a super extra special guest. We are joined by Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour, who is a visiting Fulbright scholar in residence from Egypt. Mona, welcome to our program.

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour   

Thank you, Vilma.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

So good to have you here. So, you are coming from you know almost halfway around the world, certainly another continent, an area that is very different, from Ain Shams University, tell us a little bit about where you're from and what you do over there. And then I'll ask you a few more questions.

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour 

Thank you for this wonderful introduction. I'm from Egypt. I was born in Cairo and I have been graduated from faculty of education in Ain Shams University and Ain Shams University is also in Cairo in Egypt. And I got my PhD in English literature especially on eco feminism. And I'm also interested in many other fields and many other specializations like English language teaching and TESOL, ESB, teaching for a specific purpose, also many other fields which is related to English literature, like women's studies, like, Comparative Literature, and many others.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes 

Excellent. Well, we're so excited that you're here with us. For those of you joining us and listening, Dr. Ashour is here to teach at regular classes to give guest lectures, in class out of class, community lectures, visit neighboring community colleges and such and it's a real gift to the area. So um, I'm just curious. So, you've been here a few months about five months already. So, speaking about independence, this was so you mentioned that you were you're interested in Eco feminism and feminist literature. You're coming here was quite certainly not the thing that a normal Egyptian woman would do. Right? It's a big shout to independence. Because tell me what you left behind.

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour  

Okay, so coming here was a great challenge for me because I had to choose either to come here alone without my kids and to be separated from them for the first time, or to refuse or to reject the whole chance from the very beginning.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes 

How old are your children?

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour

I have three children. I have twin girls. They are about nine years old and Mazon, he is a three-year-old boy.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

And you left them with whom?

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour 

Yeah, I left them with their father, who actually was working in Saudi Arabia. And in order for me to come here. He just ended his contract with the Umm Al-Qura University in Saudi Arabia and he went, came back to Egypt, to just sit with them and to take care with them in order for me to come here.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

So right now, what you're describing in the U.S., I would be, I would be thinking, oh, so you were divorced. He was living in another.

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour 

No.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes 

No, no, no, you're not divorced. You're still married? 

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour

Yes, we are. 

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

But he was living in Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour 

Yes, it's some it's somehow normal in Egypt to for some men to go outside Egypt. To work, in order to maintain a good or a high-quality lifestyle for our family or for our children to get a good kind of education, and the good kind of a future for children. So, it's not bad, because he was working for the best of our family. And he was coming from Saudi Arabia every two or three months. And sitting with us, not for a long time, maybe for one or two weeks, but he was with us all the time.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes  

 Of course. I understand. So, but how common is it for an Egyptian woman to leave the country and leave the family?

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour

Yes, it's not common. It's not common. But let me tell you that in the in the last two decades, it became somehow common for Egyptian women to travel alone and to go for work and come back again. But let me, let me say, that not it's not so popular in the in the cultural and the ideological system of Egypt, to permit women to go outside a lot, outside of Egypt. I mean, but it's, it's it started to be normal and started to be and people and men in Egypt have started to, to just to get this kind of awareness of women rights and women should, should go and take their chance to accomplish themselves, and to actualize themselves.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

So how many international trips have you taken and how many of them have you taken by yourself?

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour

I just before coming to the U.S. and I had, I had one international trip to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage, but I have never been outside Egypt before coming to before going to Saudi Arabia and my second international trip is to U.S.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

So, what this is like, Ooh, you're going crazy and being really independent. How? So, your first few days in the United States, like when you first came here, and you had to get an apartment and you were all by yourself, and how did you feel? And, and let's, let's talk about like five months later, how do you feel you know, taking the bus alone and doing all these things?

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour 

Yeah. So, let's make it clear from the very beginning, I was so much afraid, because I'm alone for the first time in a foreign country without my family. So, and I and although I am a professor in English literature, and I have taught American literature for many years and I know a lot about the American culture, but I was afraid because, because, because of the media because of the image of the American society that the American film actually transfer to our let's say, to our Middle East world. Because when we see that kind of high violence in American films, we, we, we are so much worried about how life is going on in the American society.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes  

So, I want to pick up on this a little bit. I distinctly remember you being scared when you realized you had an apartment. And that scared you. And then it wasn't only that, but there was a sliding glass door in the back, and that scared you? And then the COX cable man was coming to your house to set up the cable. You're like, no a man is coming, I remember these things.

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour 

 Yeah. 

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

Why did the COX cable man scare you?

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour 

Yes, because in Egypt, it's not so safe to let anybody especially if you are a woman and you're sitting alone at home, it's not very safe to get a man inside your house. And if something happened, if any kind of let me say harassment or violence is going to happen, that you should prove it in order to get your right in Egypt. It's, it's mainly about low in Egypt. It's not about culture, because culture may permit something like this to happen and people maybe earn and men likely from this kind, maybe not afraid to do something wrong. Because you have to prove it. And if you are not going to prove it or if you are not, if you are unable to prove it, it's, it's okay for them. So that's why I was so much afraid, but nowadays, I'm so much feeling safe. I just leave my, the door of my balcony, I just leave, I'm just leaving my windows open and go out no problem because I'm feeling safe. Okay, I'm feeling home.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

Wonderful. You should probably close the windows though and all when you leave the house but if you're inside the house sure open them up. It's beautiful weather outside. And, and the other thing is you went from Cairo like a city of millions of people to Gainesville. 

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour  

16 million. 

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

Yeah. So, wait 60? 

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour 

16. 

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

16. 

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour 

Yes. 

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

16 million people to Gainesville. And, Gainesville. The greater Gainesville area maybe has like 300,000 I'm somewhere around there. Some very big difference, right? Yes. So, when you're in the buses, for instance, compare riding the bus here to riding public transportation in Egypt. 

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour 

No comparison at all. Because buses in Egypt are so crowded and, and you can sometimes you cannot find a place to stand not to sit, to stand. But here sometimes, I'm the only one in the bus. For the, for the tram.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

So, so as a feminist, let's put your feminist hat on for a second. Let's talk about-- what impressions do you have about women in the United States compared to women in Egypt? Like what images did you have of women here in America before you came and has it changed at all? Just talk about that a little please. 

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour 

Before coming here, I had my image about the, the American women from literature,

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

Because you're a professor of literature, that makes sense. Okay.

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour 

When I came here, wow. Wow, I like I like how much you're financially independent, how much you are just struggling in life as much as men doing and you have are standing on the same ground and you have the same opportunities and you are not so much afraid to, to go and ask for more education and to ask for higher position. You are so independent and, and I like how do you manage your life between many things.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

I've heard you actually give some lectures and presentations about education in Egypt. And, and, and talk about how gendered it is. Also, can you talk about that? So, education in general and specifically focusing on women? Because I mean, here you are sitting with a PhD and maybe in a college campus in the US people wouldn't think twice about it. But how accessible is education? Do all families send their girls to school? Just talk to us about that.

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour 

Actually, nowadays, the educational opportunities are available for both men and women in Egypt. So, it's there is no kind of a difference between the opportunities which are available for both. So now girls and women in Egypt can go and take PhD and they can take whatever kind of employment they like to do. Maybe in the last century, it was not the same but I mean, in the previous century, but nowadays, they are standing on the same ground.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes 

Excellent. So, so maybe it's not that different. I mean, you're, cuz you said wow, things are so different women, you know, but it sounds like maybe it's a little similar.

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour

No, I'm talking about women who are actually after finishing. I'm talking about that, that age, or, or this period when you finish your education and you start your working career.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

Uh huh. That's where it's different?

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour

Yes. 

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

Why? Explain that to us. So, at the University in Ain Shams, you have men and women?

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour 

Yes, we have men and men and women. Of course, professors equal Yes, they are equal.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

So, but when the students graduate with their bachelor's or any other degree, yes, then it becomes different.

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour

Yes, the difference happens when they start getting married. Ha-ha, yeah. And everything is different after that.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes 

 Explain that to us. Please. 

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour  

Yes, because when men are married after finishing the university, they are they do not have any problems with continuing growing in I mean, on the level of employment. But after marriage for women, to keep work and to keep being upgraded in their work, it's not easy. And for many Egyptian women, it's, it's some kind of a greater challenge.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

So, would it be safe to say that most Egyptian women stop working and leave the labor market after having children?

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour

No, because it's not an, an option for, for Egyptian woman to leave work because the money that she is getting out of her work is is part is essential part of the income of any family in Egyptian family nowadays. Now, so for Egyptian women, they have to work but maybe they are not so much engaged with how to be upgraded.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

Uh huh. So the promotions at work are more for men. And is it because the women are more worried about taking care of the house and the job would be...

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour

Maybe yes, yes, maybe it's it engaged, the biggest part of their concentration? Yeah.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

So and so. Is there a difference between urban and rural areas? I mean, you're a city girl as what we would call it in the US like big, big, big city. Is there a difference in the way women behave in education and in the workforce in rural areas?

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour 

Yes. For a certain limit. Yes, it's there is still this difference between women in rural governates in Egypt and in this in the big cities, but it's, it's better now. Women in rural areas are getting education or under it they are searching for better opportunities for work but, but still, this culture conception about that women should be good wife and good mothers first, before being good in their work stem somehow implemented in our Egyptian cultural system.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes  

So, tell me about some of the more adventurous things you've done since you came to the United States. 

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour  

A lot of things.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

Yeah, tell us a little bit.

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour

So, when I came here, you took me to Gainesville Health and Fitness. So, I'm in a gym for the first time by the way in my life, because despite I'm going to the sporting club and I am taking my girls to their sporting classes, but I never tried to go myself to a gym. So, for the first time, I'm going to the gym and then I'm taking...

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

swimming classes. 

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour 

Yes. swimming classes with Lauren, whom I love so much and she's, she's making good work with me on swimming, and I also taking yoga classes with Kathy and what else? Yes, and I tried a horse riding classes with Dr. Sarah Cervone. And many things which, which were which are completely different from what I'm doing in Egypt and, and things I have never dreamed about doing.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

And actually, something I've been really impressed by how much you've done in five years. I mean, five months and how much you've come. You actually disappeared once and like, went for a few days to Cedar Key all by yourself.

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour

Yes, yes, either. It's a beautify island. Wonderful!  And it's so quiet and people are so friendly and I, I stayed in a writer's retreat. So, it's so quiet, a good weather and a good atmosphere. So, you can write whatever you want. You can do research work; you can go and see the Gulf and do some pull trips. And I visited many islands around Cedar Key.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

Excellent. Now I know you also recently visited Washington DC, which is it is a big city. It is our capitol. You're coming from the capitol of Egypt. So, you've visited the capitol of the United States. Essential. How is it the same or different from Gainesville?

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour

Yes, it's completely different. It's so much like Cairo. It's, it's about it's all about business. And people there are just so much engaged with just business and working. And, and I, I mean, here in Gainesville, there is a great space of human relationships and people are so passionate and so friendly. Maybe in Washington people are so much engaged with business.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

So, you mentioned something to me about that when you're in Cairo you don't look at people in the eyes. And that and the You were saying something like that to me about Cairo and about Washington and Gainesville. Compare what your experience is please. 

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour

Yes. Hi. My experience in Cairo when I when I go in, let's say in public places in in some public streets in Cairo. For me as Mona I do not like to do to look at the eyes of everyone around me because... it's not, it's not bad. It's not good. But, but for me, it's better because, because it's not popular in Egypt to say hi for everyone. Yes, but here, everyone is saying hi, to everyone which is good by the way. And there is something which is wonderful about Gainesville. Yeah, when they when they see someone who is beautiful, or when they see you wearing a beautiful play clothes. They say I like your jacket. I like how you do your eyeliner. I like your score. I and the art just giving me this kind of happiness. That's how much you are so faithful and so and so much. Feeling your own inner beauty. To the to the limit that you are able to tell others that they are beautiful, because if you are not feeling your inner beauty, you can never reach the limit of telling others you are beauty. You are beautiful and I like what you are wearing. I like how you are talking, which is wonderful.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

So, I don't know what would you want to tell your Egyptians students about the United States? That, you know, if all they ever see is what's on TV, or in the movies?

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour 

Yes, I will tell them what I have told my Egyptian students before doing the virtual exchange lectures. I will tell them that when I came here, I found that one of the main foundations of the American culture is respect to respect the other whatever his or her religion, cultural, cultural perspective, whatever your background is. Here, it's all about how do you how do you respect the other? How do you respect your limits? How do you work and exert efforts in your work? So here, there's a system and there is a discipline. And that's what I'm going to tell my kids and my students in Egypt. What we really miss in Egypt is to have some kind of a discipline, that key that keeps respect over all kinds of relationships. So here, I'm feeling respect and everyone is eyes. And I never met anyone who's not was not feeling good with my scarf or who's not feeling good with, with talking with me as an Arab or as a Muslim. That never happened, actually.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes 

So, so what would you tell someone here in the US about why are you wearing the hijab? You know, why? Why are you why? What message would you give them about Islamic society or Egyptian society?

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour

I want to say that wearing a hijab in Islam is also about respect, about respecting my religion, about respecting my behavior. So, because it's not about wearing a piece of clothes. It's, it's about doing certain behaviors and, and respecting my religion and my background according to a certain limits. So, Islam is mainly about respect, respect and respecting women, in particular because women are so much appreciated and respected in Islam. And according to the Islamic law, women are so much encouraged to, to get education and to get all kinds of opportunities of employment. So Islam never negate any kind of development for women.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes 

Excellent. Thank you. So, explain to me, help me understand, I've never been in a in an Egyptian university teaching. What is it like to teach in an Egyptian University aside from its being really large, I mean to students talk to you to the what are the tests like and how might you return a different professor?

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour

Okay, so do teaching in a university in Egypt you are going to have--if it's going to be a faculty with a lot of students--this means that you are going to have--especially if it is not practical or not medical faculty--you are going to have a lot of students at the same room. So, we are talking about 100 and more at the same class. So, for me as Mona, to manage a class of 100 students I have no other choice but dividing them into groups. And those groups are not going to be small groups. I'm talking about maybe 15 members at the same at one group in order to manage this speak class, especially if I'm going to teach language skills, or I'm going to teach writing or I'm trying to teach creative writing or, or English literature. So in order to manage that class, we I have to work in groups I have no other choice. This is one point. Another point is that we do not have a lot of time or a lot of chances to be engaged with the students directly. Or give them space to come out and do presentations. I'm doing this. But if every student has just one, one opportunity to come out and present for, for one or two minutes, this is going to be a miracle. During, during the same syllabus, I'm talking about just one syllabus or one class or...

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

 One semester.

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour

one semester. So, this is going to be, Wow. For them just for any students to come for one, one or two minutes to present. 

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

Do they speak in class like when you're lecturing? Do they raise their hand do they ask questions? Do they engage you? 

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour 

Yes, they do that but not all of them. Because of the big the big numbers.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

 Right.

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour

 Many people who are sitting in the back they are not engaged with me. But the group work is going to get them engaged. 

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

Right. 

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour

That's why I'm all the time making group work. But if we are going to move to the teaching methodologies. One thing I want to tell you about my Egyptian classes is that if you if, if we are going to do some discussion or a debate activity, I have to teach them first how to do a debate. So, we have to take a class before the activity talking about the ethics of debate, because I'm not expecting that they know everything about debating and, and how can we organize it and how can we stick to the ethics of debates. So, I have to do it first and then we can do the activity. This is another thing about teaching methodologies. For the testing, this is a big problem in Egypt. Because in Egypt students are accustomed to memorizing since primary stage. So now, when I go back to Egypt, I will make a revolutionary change in in my teaching strategies and in my testing strategies, because I will start to doing quizzes just as you like as you make here, weekly quizzes so we can students can be tested every week about what they have done what they have understood from the lecture of that week. So, I'm also going to do some MCU questions and some reflective questions, some pairing questions, more, more, more of

Dr. Vilma Fuentes 

This because higher order thinking.

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour 

Yes, yes. So, I'm doing usually I'm trying to push I'm struggling with my Egyptian students to do that. But not a lot. And I don't have a lot of, of those who can support me to do that. But when I go back, this is going to be a lot of this.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

Wonderful, thank you. It's gonna look at you more now or just this week so that all of you know I've heard her give two lectures to two community groups. About the first one was gender and education. And then today you were talking about women in Egypt to Altrusa club and the message that I got there, I mean, you said it quite clearly is here in the US we're used to as women standing on the same footing as men, but it's not the same in Egypt. But what you told me so far, isn't that right? You've made it sound like if it's all equal, it's equal in the schools they have access to eat, you know, I don't understand I maybe

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour

I'm still in the outro. So, clovers lecture m two m two, I have talked about the women rights in different historical eras. So, women rights actually go for them back and, and they either change it a lot by the passage of time. But if I'm, if I'm going to take about the last century in the history of Egypt, no women are so much empowered, especially after the Arab Spring revolution. Tell me about that. Were women involved in the Arab Spring? Yes, sure. A lot of women actually were they respected in the Arab Spring somehow respected and somehow because of the crowd Ness? Yes, somehow, many violations actually happened. But, but the persisted and they will so much deserved that we are going to share and we are going to have voice and because of that we have won many rights in the in the following years.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

So, when you say they had many violations and techie riskware I think is maybe what we would call rape. No, no, no, not right. No. No, not right. Okay. But they were sexually harassed is what you're saying something?

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour   

Yes, something like this, but we shall not generalize under started happened. Yes.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

Okay. But they persisted, and they were part of the revolution. 

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour

Yes. 

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

And the revolution has continued. 

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour  

Yes.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

 Excellent. So, Mona you say you're so impressed about American women and this and that. And I have to tell you, I think that for a lot of a lot of Americans when they think of the Arab world, and specifically Muslim women, they, they associate hijab with restrictions, you have no freedoms, you can't move and, and they might be thinking, oh, yes, you never left your home. How is that how you see yourself? You always wear a hijab?

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour 

Yes. I'm always wearing hijab and just look at me, I'm here in the US, riding a horse. And I have a PhD I mean, I'm a university professor. So, there is no problem with a hijab because hijab is no more a restriction. And in the historical eras, where, when hijab was a restriction, it was mainly a cultural component. 

Dr. Vilma Fuentes  

Do all Muslim women in Egypt veil?

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour 

 No, many are not, and many are veiled. And it's okay. No problem with that. 

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

It's a religious choice. 

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour  

Yes, it's a religious choice. Yes.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes 

So, I know this has been difficult for you just having to leave your children. How are you managing now in the U.S.? How do you communicate with them? Do you think just tell us about that? Okay.

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour 

Okay. So let me tell me tell you that from the very beginning, I knew very well that this is going to be the hardest thing in the in this journey, just leaving them alone for the first time to be away from me. That never happened before. And yes, I know they that they are with their father and they taking care of them very well. But just say and sometimes I just woke up in the morning and I want to hold them.  I want to kiss them but and I'm we are talking every day over Zoom,  over messenger and Video calls all the time. But what is most difficult is what happens with my son with my little son because he cannot understand where am I? And I just want them to share that experience with me. That was a dream. I hope that I can get them, even for just one month to share my experience of the American culture. Just to have some fun, and to just regain, the bad times they’ve passed with. 

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

So if it makes you feel better when I was a little girl my mother was a stewardess for an airline and she was gone a lot and I used to worry when she was gone, you know which will she come back? Will she will she get hurt will the plane fall? And I distinctly remember I was 10 years old when she went to Egypt. And here's my mother visiting the pyramids and on a camel and all those images that every student that or every person that's not from Egypt imagines. And I just thought wow, someday, maybe and years later when I was in my 40s I had the opportunity to travel to Cairo for a week. And it was to me a dream come true. And suddenly I was on the camera and I was taking the pictures and sending it to my girls said, ”Okay, I want you here,” but leave that little grain of thought in their minds that, you know someday it'll be you. 

I want to thank you for sharing your story with us sharing your life for being here with us. It's been an absolute delight. It's been a gift to us to our students, to our faculty we continue to grow. You are helping us develop more globally competent and conscious citizens. And I know that your children your students are learning from you just by seeing you here. And I I'm confident that when you return you will help advance mutual friendship and understanding between our two countries and help create a future generation of global citizens so thank you.

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour 

You're welcome. It's a pleasure and an honor to won this scholarship from the Fulbright Commission. So thanks to Fulbright and to the U.S. Department of State that funds them.Thank you so much for giving me this wonderful chance to get in touch with the American society with the American education system and to develop myself and, and to just transfer my cultural perspectives to, to everyone here in Santa Fe College and even outside Santa Fe College. And I hope I'm struggling every day that I should be a good ambassador of my country, Egypt or my cultural background as an Egyptian Muslim, and I hope that I can give you a good model image about my background and when I go back I will be so careful about, about just giving the real image about the American society and how the Americans are dealing with Islam and how us you are accepting and respecting the other and how there is a some kind of discipline here that that just maintain respect to everyone who thank you so much.

Dr. Vilma Fuentes

Thank you for being a citizen ambassador. 

Dr. Mona Ahmed Ashour 

Thank you. It's a pleasur