Home at last

It's been a few days since I have updated, and now I am back at home in Pennsylvania for a few days before heading to China next Thursday. Just wanted to write a bit about my last days in Cairo...

The Nile at sunset

The day before Marissa left we toured Coptic Cairo, a Christian area filled with many churches and even a synagogue. Coptic Christians represent a very small percentage of the population in Cairo, but it is still very significant that they exist. It is so interesting to tour this area of the city as it presents a completely different culture and history than the one so easily found everywhere else. The Hanging Church and the synagogue are definitely highlights in the area.

Outside of the Hanging Church

That night we took a felucca boat ride (most similar to a sailboat) down the Nile with a group of friends. It is one of the best activities to do in Cairo because you get a full view of the city while floating down the famous river.

Felucca on the Nile

It is also a sunset activity- there's just nothing like seeing the sun set behind the buildings with its reflection on the water!

The group on the felucca

Marissa and I parted ways on the 14th, she continued on to Morocco and I stayed in Cairo for a few days before returning back home on the 17th. During those last few days I visited with friends, took some time to finally relax, and managed to do one of my favorite things from home: go to concerts! I was lucky enough to see two in a row- the first was Yehia Khalil, an Egyptian Jazz performer at Al Sawy Cultural Wheel Center. The second was a group called Black Theama, more Egyptian reggae/jazz at Al Azhar Park. Even though I didn't know the music and couldn't understand the lyrics, they were still great concerts and I really enjoyed the music. It's an interesting experience doing something that would be normal in your everyday life (and something you even enjoy), and then doing the same thing in another country and culture- the difference you notice is really eye-opening.

Overall it was an amazing trip- long, exhausting, life-changing, educational, challenging, and of course FUN! I really learned to love the Middle East even more than I did before, and I appreciate the region and the culture for what it has shown and taught me. It is a not an easy place to live in, or even to travel in for some, but I love it.

Now I have just a few days at home and then I am off to China for 3 weeks starting next Thursday, July 29th. More tales to come from that adventure, of course!