Judging by my last post you might have gotten the impression that my enthusiasm for being in Cairo had been spent and all I was doing was counting the days until home. While this remains partially true, particularly the increased longing for home and loved ones, some of my past week's experiences have reaffirmed my affinity for Egypt. Two things have caused this drastic switch in my demeanor within the span of a week: friendships that I have developed here and a trip to the Black and White Deserts.
Of all the things that I will most miss about Cairo are the friends that I have made over the course of the past 4 months. These individuals, whom I could easily consume pages with describing their personalities, come from diverse backgrounds. Some Muslim, some Coptic, some atheist. The cliche of "variety is the spice of life" has never rung truer for me than being here. Provided my upbringing in the bastion of white, middle-class suburbia that is South Jersey, it may appear that I am simply experiencing the effects of living in a major city. Yes, there is no denying that I have grown more accustomed to "big city" life than I am used to. However, something is unique about life in Cairo and the people I have met here. Of all the people I have met while being here I find myself becoming closest with Arabs and Egyptians, especially my Palestinian friends. Their personalities seem to match mine much better than many Americans in that we share a more communal outlook on life and put greater emphasis on pursuing causes beyond our self-betterment, whether its secular or spiritual. It is not that I do not still appreciate my friendships back in the States, if anything my closest ones have been put to the test and seem to have withstood it. Rather I have begun to recognize that when I return that I will approach friendship in a different way. What that exactly entails and what are the repercussions, I have not the slightest idea. All I do know is that being abroad and meeting friends from diverse backgrounds has widen my outlook on life beyond the horizon of suburban New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Being abroad has been the culmination of my desire to experience life outside of Ocean City, and as a result, I may be different than before but I still hold dear my love for family and friends that helped mold me back home.
Additionally, over the past weekend I had the opportunity to travel for two days to the western deserts, specifically the Black and White deserts. Situated about 4 hours southwest of Cairo, small oases dot the otherwise arid and khaki landscape of the Western Desert region. My group, which consisted of fellow AUCers, were fortunate to avoid public transportation and hire a microbus to take us back and forth from Cairo. As we were leaving Cairo the surrounding environment quickly devolves from a sprawling metropolis to an endless sea of caramel colored sand. Having endured the 4 hour trip in the microbus we arrived in one of the oasis, whose name slips my mind at the moment, deep within the desert. In some ways the town reminded of the feeling you get when visiting the Outbanks, particularly Ocracoke Island, in that both areas were isolated geographically yet seemed busiling with tourist activities. The biggest attraction of the oasis was the neighbouring Black and White Deserts, which true to their names, are huge expanses of sulfur and limestone sand, respectively. To tour the area you transfer everything into old Land Cruisers 4 x 4's and head out of town with bedouin guides/drivers, who are among the coolest people in the Middle East. Having once been exclusively nomadic, the bedouin, who are found across North Africa, the Levant, and Arabia, have now settled into sedentary lifestyles on the fringes of industrialized communities. In this case, the bedouin population had become the custodians of the deserts' beautiful sights and developed successful tourist companies in the oases. It was clear from the outset that our guide, who was a man of about 40 years, enjoyed his profession, judging by him singing a lot and chatting with us. Not to scare everyone, but the best part of trekking in this way was the way in which the guides handle driving. Although we probably topped out at 80 mph going across the desert and 100 on the roadways, I felt like our guide was always in control and sensed that all of us enjoyed the thrill of driving this fast. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that we are used to being told to drive cautiously; well, out there what is there to really worry about.
After having driven for nearly 8 hours, touring various parts of the deserts along the way, we finally arrived in the rock formation fields of the White desert to pitch camp in traditional bedouin style. Some of these formations, like the one I have provided in my photos, resembled all kinds of animate objects, like chickens, rabbitts, and heads. More impressive than this was the night sky. I have never seen the sky so vividly at night - I actually got to see the Milky Way clearly, with its green tint and all. Also, the silence that accompanied being here allowed me to clear my head by taking in the awesomeness of nature without distractions. If you ever get the chance, please take the time to come here.
Ma'salaama for now,
Andrew
Currently Listening To:
Baroness "Wanderlust"
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