Ma'a salama Egypt

As we bid farewell to our home in Egypt, it really is a strange feeling to move from a place where I most likely will never return.  As we have done all of our "lasts" I have felt a mixture of emotions.  I am thrilled to be going "home" to the southwest United States where I have family and I am familiar with the area.  I am a little sad to say good-bye to this stage in my life with my children home all day with me.  I have really enjoyed home-schooling them.  Next year they will go to school.  I am also excited about this new chapter for us.  I am relieved to be leaving Egypt at a time when terrorism is AGAIN getting to be more prevalent.  It used to be that only the police were the targets of attacks but lately it has been tourist areas (Temple of Karnak), senior government officials (Public Prosecutor), and foreign diplomatic posts (Italian Consulate).  I am ready to no longer check reports for whether or not an area is safe before leaving my home.  And I am ready to not be on high alert for potential danger.  I will miss some of the conveniences here like home delivery service from the markets and restaurants and especially the local prices.  But I will not miss wondering whether or not I cleaned my fruits and vegetables sufficiently enough to get rid of parasites or whether a meal will give us "mummy tummy."  I will miss having part-time help in keeping my home clean, clothes ironed, and a babysitter (when needed).  I look forward to being able to drive freely wherever I please and where there are laws that are enforced - unless I get a ticket, then I will miss the lack of law enforcement. :-)  I look forward to being in the "land of Target" and having pretty much unlimited choices of grocery stores and restaurants.  I especially look forward to being near our families and for our children to develop deeper relationships with our relatives.  I talk to my mom almost daily on the phone and I am looking forward to having the option to see her whenever I want!  Overall, I have enjoyed being the wife of a diplomat.  Here's a fun graphic that helps describe my life:

I read an article today that I could relate to in a few ways.  It is written by a western woman expat who lives in Africa; she struggles with the western attitude toward the developing world.  I agree with her disappointment when she writes, "the rich westerner who comes away after spending a week or a month in a country and claims cultural competency, and is now an expert because they have eaten that food! Danced in that festival! Worn a headscarf! These things are merely the tip of the cultural iceberg. It is often said that the longer an expatriate lives in a place the less competent they feel to write about it, I can attest to the truth of this. The longer I am here the more I know how much I do not know, the more I need locals to correct me, clarify, the more (and deeper) questions I ask."  

I feel the same way about Egypt.  After 19 months of living in Cairo, I feel like I am still at the tip of the iceberg.  At times I have found myself going deeper but the language barrier has made it very difficult for me.  I still feel like such an outsider looking in.  And we still get the constant stares from the locals wherever we go.  I do know that my time here has given me an appreciation and understanding for this culture that I would not have had I not lived here.

I am grateful to have experienced this fascinating culture for the history.  The sights have been AMAZING.  I loved to study the Old Testament as I lived in this great land.  It was humbling to visit areas where Moses and even Jesus Christ sojourned.  I loved to teach my daughters about the Egyptian culture while living here.  We studied about mummies and the pyramids, then we would see mummies and even climb inside The Great Pyramid.  One of my daughters has developed such a love for the Egyptian culture; she loves watching all the National Geographic shows about Egypt with her dad.  She was even an Egyptian princess for Halloween.  I am glad that my children could experience a culture different from their own.  I hope they will always remember their experience and if they don't, then heaven knows we have enough pictures to remind them of their time here.  I hope that they will always have a desire to learn about different cultures as well as have an open mind as they experience new ways of doing things.  I hope that my family and I will always have cultural humility. 

I have a greater appreciation for and understanding of a culture that was very foreign to me two years ago.  I wish more Americans would realize that ISIS (and other Islamic terrorist groups) are to Islam what the KKK is to Christianity (you may remember this being talked about on the American television show The West Wing).  I think that some Americans think Islam is bad, but it's not.  The good people that I have come to know who practice Islam are faithful and devoted to Allah.  They pray five times a day and fast for a month during Ramadan.  They give to the poor.  They dress modestly and show respect for their bodies.   They love their children and only want the best for them.  People have been very polite and welcoming to my family and me.  Yes, there are extremists, just like in every faith, but they are only a small percentage of the people.  Of course that small percentage is what we hear about in the news.  I have always thought of Egypt as a male-dominated society because of some of the norms here.  A lot of times, American culture tends to focus on the Muslim women's oppression, perhaps due to her dress (as well as some of the laws here that give men more privilege).  Unlike other Arab countries, Egypt does not have strict rules regulating women's dress.  The women here are diverse in their opinions, dress, occupations and devotions.  This makes me smile:

I have always enjoyed studying and experiencing new cultures.  In college I loved my classes on race and cultural relations.  It has been a choice experience to apply my book knowledge as I have lived here.  I have learned that it is not my place to judge and that my culture is not better than another.  When I first arrived I would find myself comparing a lot and wondering why "they didn't do things the American way."  It has been a humbling experience.  It has been good for me to try and see myself and America through the eyes of the people here.  This graphic is sobering:

 

I still have so much to learn about this culture...like I said, I feel like I have just hit the tip of the iceberg.  I wonder if I will ever have an opportunity to live in the Middle East again.  I never anticipated living here, so who knows?!  I hope that through this blog I have been able to give you a little glimpse of the Egypt I have come to know.

Thank you for reading my blog and sharing your comments.  It's been a fun way to journal our adventures.  Now onto another adventure in a culture that I have always known, but it will now be viewed through new eyes.  I am not the same person that practically had a panic attack in the airport before boarding our flight to Egypt.  I have learned to adapt with only a few Arabic words and some clever charades.  If you are reading this and telling yourself that you could never live in a foreign country without knowing the language, think again.  If you smile and learn "hello" and  "thank you" then you will be fine - frustrated and lost at times - but you will be just fine!

My last Egyptian meal of koshari, ful (fava beans) and eish baladi (flat bread).