Egyptian Native Looks at Long Road to Recovery for Homeland

Narges Ibrahim is back behind the counter, smiling and greeting customers at her shop,  at . She when she was set to close up shop and head to her native Egypt. In May, she left the business in the hands of a partner and returned to her homeland to help rebuild, following the recent revolution which forced President Hosni Mubarak out of office. After about a month, she realized post-revolution Egypt is still a long way from recovery, and decided to return to the United States. "I thought I'd give it a try and see, but I found that it's not the right time," she said.

While Ibrahim believes the country is better off without Mubarak, she says change will take time. "After 30 years of same regime and same corruption... it will not be overnight. I believe it will take another two years for everything to settle down." Ibrahim carries a burden for families left struggling, especially since tourists are no longer traveling to Egypt.

She's started a network with a handful of people there, mostly women, and counsels them on how to start their own business. "The people in Egypt, their businesses depends 95 percent on tourists," said Ibrahim. "Whenever I talk to anybody there, they say it's hell for us, we don't know what to do." She says Americans don't need to be afraid of going to the country. "The media shows stuff about people who steal, kill...that's everywhere," she said. "People in Egypt are only looking for how to manage their daily bread and get income to provide for their family."

Ibrahim left Egypt in 1972 and lived in Libya and Kuwait before coming to the United States in 1990. Ibrahim applauds Libyans who are now trying to force Muammar Gaddafi out of office. "It's not just Egypt or Libya, most of the Arab presidents or royals need to be changed," she said. "If I take an extra penny from a customer by mistake, I feel so bad...I don't know how these people sleep at night."

Ibrahim is doing her part to help her homeland by importing goods to sell in her store. She goes twice a year to Egypt and buys a six month supply, everything from clothes to colorful and intricate statues. Several of her more popular items-- hookahs-- were recently seized by agents who suspected they were being used to smoke illegal substances. "It's for smoking tobacco and tobacco flavor only," said Ibrahim. She says the loss is hurting her bottom line, and she is working with the Department of Homeland Security to get them back.

Ibrahim had the idea to start a business in 2003 after co-workers asked her to buy some of the trinkets she bought back from a trip to Egypt. She started selling a few items at a flea market. That later blossomed into a store. She's been selling her wares in for the past four years, and now hopes to get into wholesale.

She says she wants to teach women to become business savvy and make their own money. "I started with nothing. There are a lot of women that need the same thing," said Ibrahim. "We are all human beings. We have to help each other."