I'm really bummed that this blog didn't exist back in 2007, when I went to visit my friend Kristen, who was living in Cairo at the time. I started the blog in May of that year and I went to Egypt in March. That's too bad because I have so many awesome memories from that trip and trust me, there would have been several really cool blog posts from back then. I feel like I've blogged a little about Egypt before but I can't find it in the archives. So bear with me if you have already read this and just treat me like the little old lady who can't remember anything and tells the same story over and over.
Anyway, fast forward to now, and I'm watching the coverage of the crisis in Egypt through a totally different lens than normal. I actually recognize (or at least I think so) many of the places where those the historical protests are taking place. And even if it's not the exact same place that I have in my mind, it's similar enough.
I absolutely loved being in Egypt for my vacation. My friend Kristen was such a gracious host and we had THE BEST TIME! We took in all the tourist attractions which provided lifelong memories and quite possibly the top of the list of cool things I've done in my life. Of course we saw the pyramids and climbed all over them. Saw the Sphinx. It was all surreal. I felt like I was on some movie set and had to keep reminding myself that it was real. We rode camels around the pyramids which was quite honestly perhaps the coolest thing I have ever done!
We went to the Egyptian Museum which was exceptionally cool. The stuff in there is OLD. I mean ANCIENT. There were rooms and rooms of things from 2000 BC or 2 AD. I'm used to going to a museum where the "old" things are from the 1700s and this place didn't have anything so new! This stuff was around when Moses was alive. It's almost too much for me to really grasp!! To be honest, at first glance, it seemed like an unorganized garage. Huge sarcophagi all around mixed with some other artifacts. And you could touch the stuff. Very few glass barriers. In fact, one family was having a picnic on some old tomb from B.C. It was crazy!!
They have an exhibit there that we paid a couple of extra Egyptian pounds to see which was well worth it. They have a dark room with a dozen or so mummies in there. Not only are we talking old but old and famous. Like the kings from the Old Testament. I was so saddened to hear that there was some looting in the museum over this weekend due to a handful of protesters and they cut the heads off of two mummies. I mean, it obviously didn't kill the mummies and I'm guessing you can just glue them back on but it just made me sooo sad that this treasure chest of history wasn't respected.
As Egyptians gather for the protests, I think I know where they are. I got to see real Egypt while I was there. I rode the subway in an all female car, shopped at their bazaar, went to their fast food restaurants, had coffee at their cafes. I thoroughly enjoyed their culture and would have never come close to seeing all of that had I been on some type of tour and even more so, had I been there for work.
More than the tourist attractions and doing every day normal things like Egyptians, the thing that stood out to me the most were the people. While I stood out from the crowd with my blond hair and received several stares in my travels, the majority of people were really friendly. These people I met represent the real people of Egypt. Many of whom are protesting for real change.*
I floated down the Nile on a felucca (Egyptian boat) on two different occasions. The sun setting on the Nile was breathtaking!! But on one of those trips, it was just Kristen and me and man running the boat. I don't remember much about him or quite frankly having a long conversation with him (there was obviously a language barrier!) but I talked to him long enough to hear about his family and his many kids. I saw families like his living in a small boat on the Nile, washing out their clothes. Clearly this man was doing his best to provide for his family.
I also met a young woman (I can't remember her name since it's been almost 4 years!) who Kristen had known during her time living there. We were invited up to her apartment for Kristen to say good-bye to (she was moving back to the States the same day I was ending my vacation.) Since we were inside her home, she didn't have to cover her head and her beautiful hair flowed all the way down her back. She was married and I believe her mother lived with them or nearby or something. It was clear that she and her husband were fairly well-off and they lived a rather comfortable life. I got to hear about her life and some of the challenges she faced. I realized how different her life was from mine even though we were roughly the same age. She couldn't understand how I wasn't married because basically everyone her age is married in Egypt (and let's face it, pretty much around the world!!!). I remember she served me some awesome fruit juice while we talked and it was a really neat visit learning more about their culture.
Right after that, as we were leaving the building, Kristen said we had one more stop. We went to basically what can be described as the crawl space under the building. Under the building is where the building superintendent and his wife and several small children lived. It was dark, dirty, and dusty and frankly not a place where one would want to spend a lot of time. But the family was happy and so nice. The wife even fixed us tea and gave us a snack and we sat and talked for a while. They were so hospitable and the kids were running around playing. But it was definitely less than sanity living conditions. The father worked hard to provide what little his family had. It was a touching experience to say the least.
These people were just examples of those hard-working Egyptian people that I had the honor of meeting. And they are likely the kinds of people who are out on the streets protesting for a new form of government. I won't express an opinion on what the US government should or shouldn't do but watching it does make me thankful for being able to live in the United States where I am thankful for true democracy and the rights that we have. It also makes me long for the same for the people of Egypt.
*Obviously I have no way of knowing if any of these actual people actually have been protesting in the past few days. And clearly I have no idea what their feelings towards their government are and honestly I have no way of finding out.
Anyway, fast forward to now, and I'm watching the coverage of the crisis in Egypt through a totally different lens than normal. I actually recognize (or at least I think so) many of the places where those the historical protests are taking place. And even if it's not the exact same place that I have in my mind, it's similar enough.
I absolutely loved being in Egypt for my vacation. My friend Kristen was such a gracious host and we had THE BEST TIME! We took in all the tourist attractions which provided lifelong memories and quite possibly the top of the list of cool things I've done in my life. Of course we saw the pyramids and climbed all over them. Saw the Sphinx. It was all surreal. I felt like I was on some movie set and had to keep reminding myself that it was real. We rode camels around the pyramids which was quite honestly perhaps the coolest thing I have ever done!
We went to the Egyptian Museum which was exceptionally cool. The stuff in there is OLD. I mean ANCIENT. There were rooms and rooms of things from 2000 BC or 2 AD. I'm used to going to a museum where the "old" things are from the 1700s and this place didn't have anything so new! This stuff was around when Moses was alive. It's almost too much for me to really grasp!! To be honest, at first glance, it seemed like an unorganized garage. Huge sarcophagi all around mixed with some other artifacts. And you could touch the stuff. Very few glass barriers. In fact, one family was having a picnic on some old tomb from B.C. It was crazy!!They have an exhibit there that we paid a couple of extra Egyptian pounds to see which was well worth it. They have a dark room with a dozen or so mummies in there. Not only are we talking old but old and famous. Like the kings from the Old Testament. I was so saddened to hear that there was some looting in the museum over this weekend due to a handful of protesters and they cut the heads off of two mummies. I mean, it obviously didn't kill the mummies and I'm guessing you can just glue them back on but it just made me sooo sad that this treasure chest of history wasn't respected.As Egyptians gather for the protests, I think I know where they are. I got to see real Egypt while I was there. I rode the subway in an all female car, shopped at their bazaar, went to their fast food restaurants, had coffee at their cafes. I thoroughly enjoyed their culture and would have never come close to seeing all of that had I been on some type of tour and even more so, had I been there for work.
More than the tourist attractions and doing every day normal things like Egyptians, the thing that stood out to me the most were the people. While I stood out from the crowd with my blond hair and received several stares in my travels, the majority of people were really friendly. These people I met represent the real people of Egypt. Many of whom are protesting for real change.*
I floated down the Nile on a felucca (Egyptian boat) on two different occasions. The sun setting on the Nile was breathtaking!! But on one of those trips, it was just Kristen and me and man running the boat. I don't remember much about him or quite frankly having a long conversation with him (there was obviously a language barrier!) but I talked to him long enough to hear about his family and his many kids. I saw families like his living in a small boat on the Nile, washing out their clothes. Clearly this man was doing his best to provide for his family.
I also met a young woman (I can't remember her name since it's been almost 4 years!) who Kristen had known during her time living there. We were invited up to her apartment for Kristen to say good-bye to (she was moving back to the States the same day I was ending my vacation.) Since we were inside her home, she didn't have to cover her head and her beautiful hair flowed all the way down her back. She was married and I believe her mother lived with them or nearby or something. It was clear that she and her husband were fairly well-off and they lived a rather comfortable life. I got to hear about her life and some of the challenges she faced. I realized how different her life was from mine even though we were roughly the same age. She couldn't understand how I wasn't married because basically everyone her age is married in Egypt (and let's face it, pretty much around the world!!!). I remember she served me some awesome fruit juice while we talked and it was a really neat visit learning more about their culture.Right after that, as we were leaving the building, Kristen said we had one more stop. We went to basically what can be described as the crawl space under the building. Under the building is where the building superintendent and his wife and several small children lived. It was dark, dirty, and dusty and frankly not a place where one would want to spend a lot of time. But the family was happy and so nice. The wife even fixed us tea and gave us a snack and we sat and talked for a while. They were so hospitable and the kids were running around playing. But it was definitely less than sanity living conditions. The father worked hard to provide what little his family had. It was a touching experience to say the least.
These people were just examples of those hard-working Egyptian people that I had the honor of meeting. And they are likely the kinds of people who are out on the streets protesting for a new form of government. I won't express an opinion on what the US government should or shouldn't do but watching it does make me thankful for being able to live in the United States where I am thankful for true democracy and the rights that we have. It also makes me long for the same for the people of Egypt.
*Obviously I have no way of knowing if any of these actual people actually have been protesting in the past few days. And clearly I have no idea what their feelings towards their government are and honestly I have no way of finding out.
1 comment:
Becky, Thanks for this post. It puts such a human face on the phenomenal happenings in Egypt. Peg Warren.
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