This is the second article of my series about my summer trip to Egypt.
Upon arriving in the motherland, I was greeted by the hot muggy air that is characteristic of the desert. The drive home from the airport welcomed me back into the buzz and life that is Egypt. It was 11 p.m. but people still filled the streets in cars and on foot. There were enough streetlights to make the night look like dawn. We, the Egyptian people, don't like to live in poor lighting.
After the 25 hour trip from the U.S. to Cairo, I was dead tired. Soon, I would realize, that sleep in this country is for the weak. People just do not sleep. By that time it was 1 in the morning and there were still people walking, shopping, and blasting music. The housing arrangements in the country don't help either -- these shops from which people are usually blasting music from, are usually on the first floor of apartment buildings. I was reminded of Coldplay's infamous song "Fix You" where it says "when you feel so tired but you can't sleep." I was SO tired but these people were not.
The night crept on. It was 2 a.m. Then 3 a.m. And nothing had changed. There was still music and people just living their lives. At one point I did fall asleep, only to be awakened by the same sounds a few hours later.
The busy streets contribute to the busy public transportation in the country, which is the most prevalent way of getting from point A to point B. In addition to the heat, using crowded public transportation made me want to shut down.
Despite the crowds and the heat and difficulty of getting to places, it felt good to be home. There is a certain vivaciousness to the country that I don't feel anywhere else. The people have such great national pride, even while acknowledging the problems of the country. There is an expectation that strangers help each other out, whether it be giving up a bus seat, or holding a screaming baby for an overwhelmed mother at a store. The atmosphere is filled with a family mentality (not to say that there are not any tensions or problems, which I will surely write about later).
Daily life outside of the U.S. is so different from what I have grown up seeing. I realize now though that each place has its own upsides and downsides.
Pray for Egypt, y'all.
