Dec 25, 2007 17:24
So I'm spending my first Christmas away from home in Luxor, Egypt. It is them most fantabulous place I can think of to spend Christmas or ANY time. I love it here so much that I can't even explain it. I felt this way the first time I set foot in Luxor. This is the hassle capital of Egypt and it is pretty annoying to have all the carriage drivers get off their horses and hassle tourists and the men in front of their shops hassling tourists to buy things. THANK GOD I've been living in Egypt for 3 months now and can handle the hassle. When I left Alexandria I knew that I knew some Arabic, but now that I'm here in a different place with different people I realize how much Arabic I've learned with no lessons, just listening & talking to people. When the men in Luxor hassle me, I hassle them back. It's awesome. The carriage drivers walk on the sidewalk and leave their horse & carriage to hassle people. When they would ask me to ride I would say, "Shoof! Fy wahed bi'iserah hosana!' which means "Look! Someone is stealing your horse!' The guys LOVE it and ask if I'm Egyptian. I tell them yes and that I live in Alexandria and they leave me alone! How cool is that? I'm just having fun with them, especially since I'm on vacation!
Well, Kiwi roommate couldn't handle the pressure...she buckled. We were traveling together & the first 2 days were good. She was actually quite fun to be with and then...I think the tiredness set in and she had a bad interview with a school in Korea. We had to catch a ferry to the West Bank of the Nile (where ALL the history is) and see the Valley of the Kings where all the kings & queens tombs are. It was two grueling days of bike riding up & down hills literally in the middle of BFE. We passed villages with people who live in houses with palm trees for roofs & dirt floors. We did a lot in the first 2 days, not to mention the 12 hour bus ride to get to Luxor. So one night Krazy Kiwi just snapped. I told her that I wanted to spend more time in Luxor and she wanted to go to Aswan & all the other places. I told her that I LOVE Luxor so much and the people on the West Bank are so kind. She went ballistic on me and said that she didn't want to travel with me anyway. I said "Fine, then we're finished." Then I told her that I love Luxor like I've never loved any other city. There is just something about this place and I felt it when I got here. I told her she doesn't give a shit about Egypt or its people. She wouldn't give the tome minders any baksheesh (tip) for letting us take photos. Those guys could lose their jobs for letting us take photos and I would tip 10 pounds ($5) and she would tip 50 piastres (.10). Come on! I told her these people are sooooo sooooo kind and the least she could do is give them a little money. Then I told her to look at the way these people live. They don't even have running water or a concrete floor. Give them some freaking money! I told her that I LOVE the people in Egypt and especially Luxor and I told her she doesn't give a shit about the people and she needs to leave Egypt ASAP. Then I reminded her that she hated France, she hates Egypt, and she will hate Korea, too. She was soooo mad at me. She went off on me & tried to hit me! Can you freaking believe it? She is freaking crazy! Crazy I tell you! She came at me with a fist and she just tapped my arm. I went off on her and started egging her on and telling her to go ahead & hit me. I dared her to do it. She calmed WAY down. I think she scared the shit out of herself and she realized just how dangerous she was. Then she packed up her stuff & said she hated the U.S. and she hated me and...helas. That was the end of that! Good! Now I can actually enjoy my vacation!
I did make it down to Aswan where there were sunsets like I've never seen before in my life. The moon was coming up in the horizon on one side and the sun was setting on the other side. The sky was a purple blue with a hint of pink and it was the cleanest sky...I really can't even describe the color and clarity of the sky that I saw. When I was there I went to a Nubian Village. I was with two people from the hotel and one was visiting friends in this village. I got to sit with the Bedouin men in their tent while they smoked hash and talked in Arabic. I don't smoke, but I sure as hell was stoned when I left there. Holy cow! hahahaha I didn't think about what the the second hand smoke would do to me! Then one of the guys told me to go with the women. So I met someone's wife and her daughter. Then the daughter (Yasmeen) took me to meet some other people. I wasn't ready for the sight I would see next. The little girl took me through a dirt street way and into a building with walls & no roof. There were a few doors but it was a place that looked like a bomb went off about 10 years ago and no on fixed anything up...this is just where people decided to habitate. Yasmeen opened a door and I couldn't believe my eyes. Eight people were sleeping in a room. This room had palm leaves for a roof, a dirt floor with mattresses on the floor. There were so many people under blankets & when I walked in some of them raised their heads and were soooo excited to see me. Then more people were popping up from under blankets. I was shocked & said "How many freaking people are in here?" It was sooo filthy & disgusting in there that I didn't want to sit down. They insisted that I sit. They room had one very small horrible flourescent light and a TV with cable (satellite) haha They live like animals but have satellite TV and watch American movies! There were roaches crawling on the walls and the walls looked like something from a prison. There were letters & numbers & grafitti like stuff etched into the walls. I really totally could not believe my eyes. When they saw me a bunch of them jumped out of bed and were sooo curious. They probably thought they were dreaming! hahaha It's a good thing I speak a little Arabic so I could tell them I'm a teacher & I live in Alexandria & I'm an American. They were so excited to talk to me & I actually learned a few Arabic words from them. They wanted me to take pics & they were playing with my camera taking photos of each other. Then the girls (between the ages of 8 - 15) took me to see their horse and donkey. They made me tea with milk and gave me bread. It was the best chai I've had in Egypt and I didn't want to eat the bread, but I did because that's there way of being hospitable...and I didn't want to waste it. These people have nothing & were giving me something. The girls were sooo funny and so excited to talk to me. There were 2 older women in the room with the kids (around 40 and 50 years old) and they were a riot. They were talking in Arabic with me & when the communications broke down they were soooo cool about it and laughed and were patient and so wonderful I can't even explain it. When I went back to my hotel I cried like a baby. I couldn't believe how HAPPY these people were with nothing. They have nothing, but they were giving me tea and bread and laughing and joking and being so kind to me. It made me ashamed that I have the things that I do. That's why I give lots of baksheesh(tips) to the nice men in the tombs who let me take pictures. They probably have families like the one I visited. This whole trip has been eye opening and life changing, but this experience with the Nubian village had the biggest impact on me.
One last story for now. The first day I got to Luxor was the first day of their feast (KIND OF like Thanksgiving that lasts for 3 days). My hotel is on a side street & there are locals who live on the street. Well, during this feast, families kill a sheep, eat it, and give away the left over meat to the poor. Well, when I walked out my hotel one morning there was blood everywhere and sheep heads on the ground. Two guys were skinning the sheep they had just slaughtered. They killed them, skinned them, and filetted (or whatever) right there in the alleyway! I have video & pictures of it. Coooool! hehehe Can you believe the culture shock?! I'm telling you! Just when I think the culture shock is over it rears its head again. It's been really bad since I've left Alexandria because I'm down here in the south with the REAL Egyptians & the Bedouins.