Cairo
I’m not sorry for being that girl. I will be that annoying girl who is going to tell you about her trip abroad. Did you ever meet that person in college or high school who went on one trip out of the country and all the sudden returned “so cultured”, and “so changed?” More or less, they actually just came back more annoying then ever and wouldn’t stop talking about x, y, and z? Welp, prepare yourselves for that nightmare, because I’m about to dish it out.
The privilege alone of visiting Egypt still stuns me. If you don’t know, my roommate got invited to the most epic wedding ever in Cairo, and she asked me to be her plus one. A plane ride that long warranted a vacation. I think most people growing up have memories learning about the ancient Egyptians and I still am trying to wrap my head around the fact that I actually was there. It was different than I expected —WAY different. Before I left, I was given many warnings. Many serious warnings. I knew it was a Muslim country. I also was well aware of the fact that Egypt is a bit of a hot spot when it comes to political unrest. I knew Egypt is listed on the “do not travel to” list on the US State Department website. I felt almost too informed of the Egypt Air plane crash that happened two weeks before leaving. Despite all this, it never crossed my mind to not go. I happily turned a blind eye to the news, and as terrible as this sounds, ignorance was going to be my coat of armor.
The travel abroad was lovely. Turkish Airlines is the most luxurious airline I have ever flown on. It was kinda funny to walk on the airplane and see fresh flowers and eat with real silverware for every meal. Do you need some hand lotion? Do you need a toothbrush? Chapstick? Muffin? Booze? They had it all. 10 hours in a germ tube was a very pleasant experience.
So then, we arrive and suddenly we were a minority. Not only two women, but two non Muslim women. It’s interesting to transition into a society like that. I didn’t realize how comfortable I was with my predominantly white, middle class existence in America. It felt like putting on a new pair of shoes that aren’t broken in yet. Cairo certainly provided a shock to the system, even though I knew women aren’t treated as equals there, and the majority of citizens are Muslim. The level of “busy” in the city is like no other. It is not like New York busy. It is true chaos. Every major American city I have been to feels organized in comparison. Driving lanes? A mere suggestion in Cairo. Don’t be alarmed if your taxi driver makes a u-turn on the one way highway and drives facing traffic for a seemingly longer than appropriate without dying length of time. Farming? Sure, why not heard the goats on the sidewalk? I also wouldn’t necessarily assume that the trash on the streets was in preparation for curbside pickup. It was just there. Looking around the city you realize quickly that Egypt is a developing nation. Its dirty, and confusing. It stimulated my brain in all sorts of places it wasn’t used to. Yes, you have to push through a line like a bull to get to where you want to go. Yes, you have to just say NO when someone is trying to haggle you. “
No, thank you” doesn’t really exist. Ready to pay your bill at the restaurant? Prepare to wait 30 minutes before you can catch a server. Don’t have exact cash? Doesn’t matter, they don’t have change anyways. After being there a week, I started to accept most of these things. Its just the way life is there. I realized, I don’t have to be so polite because the people here aren’t going to be offended like in America. It’s necessary to get a little aggressive when responding to sellers on the street, otherwise they’ll just keep bothering you. They’re not about to go cry to their HR manager about it. I got used to carrying around small bills, so that when I did need to buy something, I had exact change. Pushing through the lines reminds me of how in elementary school were trained to walk in straight quiet lines to get from class to class. If I kept that mindset in Cairo, I’d still be there waiting.
Seeing the Pyramids brought me to tears. Smoking shisha in the market was unbelievable relaxing. Watching the Whirling Dervishes was incredibly enchanting. I realized though that there is so much more travel than doing those things. It’s finding out how people live, and how society works differently in other places. It puts your life into perspective. There is no right way to live, but I believe it is always right to put yourself in a new pair of shoes.