This is because we must be able to interface the data we want to process, which are electronic signals, to the optical circuits at the transmission end and then back from optical to electrical at the receiving end. I can't stress enough the value of communications integrated circuits. Examples of these integrated circuits are driver, multiplexing, clock and date recovery, and amplifier circuits. Let's talk about your youth for a minute. Growing up in Cairo is certainly different from growing up in the West.
Family ties are very strong.
I do not recall a week that passed without seeing all my aunts and uncles. I also remember that I used to walk the 2 miles to the primary school with my sister, who was in the same class. He used to train our memories and our skills in using numbers by asking us to remember the license plates of cars, the telephone numbers of relatives, and by giving us quizzes on a regular basis. He used to make games based on numbers and test us all. He was a master with numbers.