Arrivals from Burkina Faso: Introducing the World of the Collins

By Ibrahim Fathelbab

The Collins have been to so many different places, seen so many different things and interacted with a diverse number of people and cultures around the world. I got a chance to better understand the “world” of the Collins. My experience was very fascinating, and I had a great time getting to know them much more.

Where are you from?
Mr. Collins: Philadelphia
Mrs. Collins: Tennessee, but Philadelphia is home for both of us.
Is this your first overseas assignment?
Mr. Collins: No, our first overseas assignment was in Burkina Faso.
What are some of your hobbies?
Mr. Collins: Traveling
Mrs. Collins: Reading, traveling and playing with our cat.
What do you do on your free time or weekend?
Mr. Collins: Though we are still exploring Alexandria, the place that we have been to so far has been the Opera house to watch Flamenco Dancing, which we really enjoyed.
Mrs. Collins: I go to the beach and watch television.
Do you have any favorite eat outs in Alexandria?
Mr. Collins: We have not eaten out that many times, but we really liked Zefirion in Abou Kir.
Mrs. Collins: My favorite restaurants so far are sea food restaurants.
Where have you traveled before, and how did you like where you went?
Mr. Collins: We have traveled to Morocco, Tunisia, Spain, France, Luxembourg, Gibraltar and Andorra. We like seeing new places and trying new things.
Why did you choose to teach in Egypt?
Mr. Collins: We like teaching internationally and traveling.
How do you like your so-called home away from home so far?
Mr. Collins: I enjoy it, plus we do not have to travel far to see Egypt. I love it!
Mrs. Collins: It is nice living on campus, and there is so much culture and opportunity in Egypt.
What were your worst and best subjects in school?
Mr. Collins: I did not like handwriting, and I had a hard time in chemistry. My best subject was history.
Mrs. Collins: I did not really like math all that much. I also did not like music because I had to play the bassoon. Well, it is not really what class I liked the most, it is just that I liked any class which involved much discussion.
Mrs. Collins, is this your first time being a Principal?
No, this is not my first time working as a Principal. I was working at the Ouagadougou International School as the Elementary Principal and K-12 Counselor.
How do you like being the Elementary/Middle School Principal at Schutz?
I like it very much. It is a very neat environment. The kids are warm and positive,and everyone knows everyone.
How do you like your classes so far Mr. Collins?
I enjoy most of them, and the students seem very interested.
Are you excited about the upcoming soccer season? Have you coached soccer before?
Yes, I am very excited and hope that we will do very well this season. No, I have not coached soccer before, but I did play first string “goalie” in high school.
How is Schutz different from the school(s) you have taught at before, and is there anything that you would like to see change at Schutz? If so, why?
Mr. Collins: Students in our old school would stay on campus much longer than students here because there were not really any hangouts or anything like that.
Mrs. Collins: It is somewhat different, I guess I could say, since Mr. Collins and I never really see each much of each other like we did in our old school. There is not much that we would like to change. We would just like to support students to be successful inside and out of school. Also, we would like to prepare students for their later years in life.