Egypt: Take Two!

After a brief return to the states, I have once again found myself back in Egypt. I lasted only about two and a half weeks in America and was sick with strep throat the whole time. Home basically consisted of drinking too much with mom, being sick in bed, and paying a small fortune in medical bills. I've never had a cavity in my life, but after a year in Egypt, I came back with five. Most expensive day at the dentist ever.

People tried to warn me about the reverse culture shock I would experience upon returning home, but it didn't hit me in ways I was expecting it to. I was expecting to be shocked by women walking around in mini skirts and tank tops in the summer heat, and by the constant assault of advertising (although the latter wouldn't be too much different from Cairo). However, the first thing that struck me was all the English!! Granted, this should have been a bit obvious, but I really had trouble filtering it all out! People's conversations, music, television, airport announcements- I couldn't focus! On the other hand, in Cairo, the Arabic just sort of washed over me like beautiful background noise. Meaning usually only came to me if I was actively concentrating on the sounds. Another shocking thing was just how quiet it was on the drive home from the Charlotte airport. No honking, no call to prayer, no music, just me and my dad in the mountains. It was eerie how silent it was.

The first week or so being back was rough. I never really felt the effects of jet lag, but I couldn't get rid of this anxious sinking feeling in my stomach like I was not supposed to be there. It felt wrong. Deep down, even being surrounded by my beautiful mountains and loving family, I didn't know what I was doing out of Egypt. It was almost as if I had spent so much time being outside of my comfort zone, that I was more uncomfortable being in it. I was uncomfortable being comfortable.

So why did I come back? Well, there's an expression here that says Once you drink from the Nile, you have a passion to drink it again, and you will always long to return. Of course, if I literally drank from the Nile, I would probably die, but now I know what they mean. Even with all the traffic and pollution and constant cat-calls, I love Cairo. I love the nightlife, the call to prayer, the people I've met here, being able to have literally ANYTHING delivered right to my door, and the fact that I never have to drive. I also met someone amazing right before I left Cairo, so I guess I returned for a shot at Love. It's cheesy and I don't want to jinx it, so that's all I'll say for now.

I'm really happy to be back, but I'm sorry I didn't get to see many people while I was home. I miss everyone, and I'll probably be back in September or October.

Love!