Stagnant Sands

One major aspect of Cyprus that made it such a priority to ancient conquerors was the fact that she is at the center or a cultural crossroads. Lying between 3 important areas, Europe, the Fertile Crescent, and Africa, Cyprus became a bridge, connecting major areas of the world. To put this to the test to see how easy it is to travel to other places from Cyprus, our group decided to take a boat trip to Egypt.

It was an adventure of sorts. How many people get to sail across the ocean from an island? For me, I was looking forward to it's comfort since everyone would be speaking Arabic, which is a nice change from the Greek that I can’t understand. It took us all night sailing on the blue waters of the Mediterranean for us to land in Egypt. Egypt is one of those far away places that I always hear about but never thought I’d have the opportunity to travel to. When you actually approach it's shores, you can’t help but be overwhelmed by a surreal feeling of not actually seeing what is in front of you.

The instant that we at first landed in Port Said, we stepped into a bustling world with a mind of it's own. It takes about a 2 ½ hour drive to get to Cairo, so, we had a long time leading up to it to take everything in. In between Port Said and Cairo is a mixture of green to desert and back to green again. Vendors line the streets with melons, carts, and trinkets. Clotheslines litter the horizon for miles and miles on end set up upon a background of desert.

I could tell we were getting closer to Cairo because the traffic was becoming an intricate maze. I couldn’t help but laugh because it reminded me so much of Beirut. There is only one road rule, which is that there are no road rules. A lot of my classmates were overwhelmed by the taxis competing with our tour bus to get ahead. For me, it was a return to normalcy. I love how the traffic pushes you to where it wants you to go instead of the driver getting to choose.

Cairo is an explosion of frenetic energy that is hard to ignore because the city has a way of making you watch it’s every move. So much is going on, yet at the same time nothing new is happening. When watching the people, I realized that the lifestyle is one of tradition. As I have learned from my Arab family, tradition is your core. Your roots define you. The vendors on the street have been doing that for centuries. The boaters on the Nile have always been there. One guarantee about this city is that you could leave and come back 30 years later only to experience the people right where you left them. From a westerner’s point of view, I think a lot of people would look down upon it, but, for me, it is one of the things that I love the most about Middle Eastern culture.; the Arab security net.

One aspect about my life that I find extremely important is the emphasis on the people that surround you. People define and make up whatever space you inhabit. Their actions and attitudes are what define a country. I feel like to truly immerse myself; I have to pay attention to the people because they are the truest reflection of the region. One little Egyptian boy that I met really stuck close to my heart and he showed the harsher reality that a majority of people in the west are shielded from.

While in front of the Sphinx, in a swarm of aggressive vendors, I noticed a little boy falling behind his fellow sellers. Since he was so little, I’d say he was about six, he was failing to communicate with the tourists to make his sell. After a short while, he approached my group and asked if we wanted to buy some postcards. In Arabic I asked him “why are you out here selling trinkets in this heat?” He answered me with “I need the money but I’m tired and no one is listening to me”. Then I told him that I would give him one American dollar but that I didn’t want anything in return. I also told him that that he would have to promise me he would keep it for himself and not give it to anyone because he deserves money for his hard work. He just stared at me while I grabbed my wallet and handed him a five-dollar bill. His eyes grew wide and he said “you’d do that for me?” Afterwards he was beaming, and told me he was so tired and appreciated it and then ran off. Five minutes later he came up and gave me some postcards and happily posed for a picture. Children are innocent everywhere and I find that innocence to be very inspiring. It saddens me to know that people use and abuse them for their own benefit.

(the one below is Annie's picture!)

Egypt's vibrancy and diversity definitely left it's mark on me. I promised myself I would go back as soon as possible. There is so much more there to see and experience. For me, the bus ride back to our boat was one of reflection. My trip to Egypt has given me gratitude. Gratitude for a life filled with opportunities that a lot of other people don't have. I hope that I can use this gratitude to give myself the inspiration and ability to help the people who need it most. I think by doing that, I can feel truly fulfilled.