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How Bassem Youssef Reinvented Himself in Exile

How Bassem Youssef Reinvented Himself in Exile
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How has being exiled from Egypt changed you and your plans for life? originally appeared on Quora - the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights.

Answer by Bassem Youssef, The Democracy Handbook with Bassem Youssef, former host of Al-Bernameg, on Quora.

It's been very interesting because at the age of 42 I had to start all over again. I had a change of career when I was 37, when I was a heart surgeon moving into media. I thought, "Oh my god, that's late." At 42, though, I am not just in a new country, but changing a whole career. It's still in media, but in a different country, in a different language, not my native language, and I'm doing material that is directed at Americans from an Arab who is making fun of some of the aspects of their policies. It's quite challenging because you worry that people will reject you, will tell you "who are you to tell us about democracy." I'm not telling people about democracy though, but satirists around the world are equal-opportunity offenders for everything.

On a social level, I live in California. I have a Prius and I'm already a vegan, so I am fitting right in. Right now I'm juicing, not like testosterone / steroids, but I'm on a green juice regimen for 8 days now. No solid foods for 8 days. I was inspired by the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. I did this because after a long flight from Dubai to New York, I kind of cheated a little bit on the airlines, because it was 15 hours and I didn't have anything to do, but I felt terrible when I landed. So I fasted one day and then I did two days, and then 3 ... oh, how does 5 days sound? Now it's been about a week. This has been my life in exile.

For my future plans I hope I will be accepted in American media and create a foothold as a different voice.

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