American Killed in Egypt Taught English to Children
The American student who was killed in Egypt on Friday during street protests in Alexandria was an idealist, an Arabist and a linguist, drawn to the Middle East, friends said, despite — or perhaps even because of — its political unrest.
The American, Andrew Pochter, 21, a student at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, was exuberant when he departed for Egypt on May 28 for a visit spanning three months, said a friend, Zoe Lyon, whom he called from the airport. The prospect of being in a country riven by political and religious conflict seemed to hold no fears for him, Ms. Lyon said. Like many other young people drawn to the world’s problems, she said, “he knew there was a possibility of trouble, but never thought that he could get caught up in it.”
“I am not shocked he was at a protest,” she said. It was not clear, she said, citing conversations with Mr. Pochter’s family, whether he was taking pictures or video of the scene in Alexandria.
He went to Egypt because he cared profoundly about the Middle East and he planned to live and work there in the pursuit of peace and understanding,” the family said in their statement. “Andrew was a wonderful young man looking for new experiences in the world and finding ways to share his talents while he learned.”
Mr. Pochter’s parents live in Chevy Chase, Md., just outside Washington. His father spoke briefly with a reporter at their home on Saturday, but only to say that the family preferred to speak with the news media on another day. Mr. Pochter’s mother, Elizabeth Driscoll Pochter, is the administrator for policy and program at the National Gallery of Art in Washington.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/30/world/middleeast/american-killed-in-egypt-taught-english-to-children.html?_r=0
