Final Thoughts from Cairo

As I sit here on my balcony looking out over the busy, noisy street that has become so familiar, I find it hard to believe this is one of my last days in this city—at least for a while. This semester has been a crazy, enlightening, and all-too-short adventure. Looking at my past blogs amazes even me. Did I really do that?!

I'm currently finishing up my last two papers--one on obstacles to peace in the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the other on concepts from the book Exclusion and Embrace by Miroslav Volf. Both are intimidating, but by tomorrow afternoon I will be done! I'm going to visit my homestay family for the last time tomorrow evening and then Saturday the group is going to Anafora (the retreat center where we once held Coptic-American day) for a few days of debriefing. After 2 more days to soak in the last of Cairo and say my sad goodbyes, I'll be off to my homeland.

As I think of going back to the States, I am making a list of important things for myself to remember upon my return. Here’s what I have so far. Hope you enjoy them.

-It is no longer acceptable to walk within inches of a moving vehicle. There is a thing called “J-walking”. It’s illegal. Also…when driving, remember that there are traffic laws you are supposed to abide by.

-When you go buy a $5 meal at a fast food place (which for your stomach’s sake, I would recommend waiting a while before tyring), try not to think about that fact that you could buy over 10 bowls of koshery or 20 falafel sandwhiches for the same price. $5 really isn’t as much money as you think it is.

-When you walk past a crowd of men (and don’t be surprised when you actually see women walking the streets as well!) and you don’t hear comments like “Wow!”, “O my God!”, and “I am single!”…don’t start to think that something must be wrong with you.

-When you get home, don’t freak out about that strange, mysterious sound you don’t recognize. It’s called quiet. It’s a good thing.

-It’s summer. Girls will probably be wearing shorts and tank-tops. Don’t judge. It’s acceptable here and not necessarily immodest or skanky. In fact, you should do it too. It’s okay.

-Don’t bargain with store owners. There’s a thing called a fixed price.

-You live on an isolated hill in West Virginia. If you need something, you actually have to drive somewhere instead of just walking out your door. And here's the kicker...there is no public transportation! :O

-There is a giant piece of equipment next to the washing machine. It’s called a dryer. You can stick your clothes in there instead of hanging them, but don’t be surprised if they no longer fit afterward.

That's all that currently comes to mind, but I'm sure I'll be finding more once I'm home. Sometimes you don't notice how much you've changed until you go back to the beginning. But I am excited to be home again! It'll be good to be with my family and to process.

Thank you to everyone who I know has blessed me with prayers. I cannot tell you how much I've appreciated it. I hope you've enjoyed the blog! I love you all! And I would absolutely love to grab coffee and swap stories with anyone interested upon my soon return :).