About Me
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I was born and raised in Egypt. In 1996, I got to join the United World College of the American West in New Mexico, USA. United World Colleges is an organization of thirteen international schools where young people from all over the world live and study together. High academic standards, extensive community service and a wide range of cultural activities are features of a UWC education. I received my International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma in August 1998.
 
I went back to Egypt and joined the Faculty of Al-Alsun (Languages) at Ain Shams University where I received my BA in English Language in 2002. As an undergrad, I worked as a freelance translator, journalist & editor and instructor for English and Arabic language courses. After graduation, I got a job as a computational linguist at Sakhr Software, the biggest software company in the Middle East, and continued to work as a freelance translator. I also worked shortly for the BBC World Service and Mango Languages.
Plitvice, Croatia
In 2004, I joined the masters program in English linguistics at the University of Tromsø, Norway (the world's northernmost university) and defended my MPhil with a specialization in phonology in 2006. Shortly after, I received an offer to work as a research fellow (aka. PhD student) at the same university, where I currently teach and do research in theoretical linguistics. I continue to enjoy the arctic weather of Tromsø (aka. the Paris of the North), especially the midnight sun and the spectacular aurora borealis.
 
I have a passion for languages. My native language is Arabic; I'm fluent in English; and I have some knowledge of Norwegian, French and Italian. I spend most of my pastime reading, particularly in literature, philosophy, religion, sociology and politics. Chess is my second favorite hobby and I have been a member of U.S. Chess Federation and Tromsø Chess Club. I also like basketball, cycling, swimming, badminton, cooking, movies, classical music, museums and spending time with family and friends. I love traveling and so far I've been to 28 countries. My plan is to tour the world bit by bit. Not that I plan my life all the time; I love to relax and float downstream whenever I have the chance.
 
©Islam Youssef, 2006–