So I'm going to tell a couple quick stories from our Egyptian adventures.
First off, we had a free day in Luxor the second day that we were there. A group of us decided that we didn't want to go shopping, so instead, we wandered through the streets of Luxor in order to actually interact with the people. The construction in Egypt often consists of cement slabs laid in an upward tic-tac-toe formation, then the sides of this structure lined with red bricks. The tops of buildings aren't often finished, so that children can build their homes on top. In this manner, skyscrapers slowly (and illegally) grow upwards. You have to remember though, it can sometimes be easy to make something such as an illegal building code legal by bribing the inspectors.
It was in those streets that we came across a group of children no older than 10 playing soccer. The eight of us joined in and played with them, laughing and having a great time. A man came out from one of the houses nearby and played with us too, then told us "come back next week!" with a smile on his face.
So, we continued on our galavanting down the street and came across teenagers playing. Round two of soccer began. They could move their feet so well...I couldn't keep up with them very well, except for blocking a key shot with my face once...that was intentional, I assure you.
The crowded streets with mismatched homes piled on top of each other were lined with mothers and children watching us play. It was an amazing sight, really, to see the community so close and so willing to accept us for even a quick game of soccer. I'm sure our loud cries of "GOOOOOOAL!" and other things also assisted in attracting attention and bringing new children and friends to our midst.
It was also funny, because we often had to pause the game in order to let carts driven by donkeys through. I never would have had that happen back home, but in Egypt it's a common occurence - just another mode of transportation.
This hour and a half of soccer helped me to fall in love with the Egyptian people. I know that the media is excited with everything going on there now, but we need to remember that they are people just like us - they have families, homes, and livelihoods in Egypt. Remember that this type of near-anarchy situation that has escalated since our presence in Egypt brings out the absolute best and the absolute worst in people. Sure, you have those who will desecrate antiquities such as the Pyramids at Giza or the Egyptian Museum when they get the chance, but on the flip side, you have communities banding together to defend places like the Karnak temple. We had a tour guide that left us after our curfew one night, drove as far into Cairo as roadblocks would allow, walked an hour and a half, and stood to defend the Egyptian Museum with others in the chaos between Police occupation and Military presence. He took two rubber bullets in this endeavor - one that ricocheted and one that hit him directly in the leg. Those are the type of people the media often fails to show. The ones who understand the necessity of striving for an intrinsically good nature at all costs. Those are the people we got to interact with on a daily basis there. Those are the people we forget about when we hear about lootings and chaos and madness.
Leaving Egypt was bittersweet - it was neat to parallel with the Exodus of Moses and the Children of Israel (we drove under the Suez Canal...or Red Sea...on dry ground, stopped at a couple of oases traditionally assumed to be mentioned in the Bible, and reinacted the battle of Rephidim in Exodus 17 at Rephidim), but it was sad to be leaving a place where we had learned so much so quickly. At the same time, it was comforting to know we were coming to a safer place. One of the greatest lessons I learned from this trip was to appreciate my freedom. I've always had a good life and plenty of opportunities before me, but many of these people do not. They are fighting for freedom from the lifestyle they've lived for 30 years. As we watch the turmoil progress, we have to remember that freedom should never be taken for granted. It becomes much more real as you see Bedouin children run up to you asking for food, and when you can supply only a few sandwiches, watching them struggle to get a piece. For them, even the lifestyle of a poor college student would be more than these kids have ever seen. It's hard to see the homes people live in and to think about my own community at home that is ignorant of this way of life. Pondering how much I've been given, and how much I've always taken for granted, is a difficult thing. I'm increasingly grateful for my eyes being opened at this experience, and am praying for the safety of my new Egyptian friends.
First off, we had a free day in Luxor the second day that we were there. A group of us decided that we didn't want to go shopping, so instead, we wandered through the streets of Luxor in order to actually interact with the people. The construction in Egypt often consists of cement slabs laid in an upward tic-tac-toe formation, then the sides of this structure lined with red bricks. The tops of buildings aren't often finished, so that children can build their homes on top. In this manner, skyscrapers slowly (and illegally) grow upwards. You have to remember though, it can sometimes be easy to make something such as an illegal building code legal by bribing the inspectors.
It was in those streets that we came across a group of children no older than 10 playing soccer. The eight of us joined in and played with them, laughing and having a great time. A man came out from one of the houses nearby and played with us too, then told us "come back next week!" with a smile on his face.
So, we continued on our galavanting down the street and came across teenagers playing. Round two of soccer began. They could move their feet so well...I couldn't keep up with them very well, except for blocking a key shot with my face once...that was intentional, I assure you.
The crowded streets with mismatched homes piled on top of each other were lined with mothers and children watching us play. It was an amazing sight, really, to see the community so close and so willing to accept us for even a quick game of soccer. I'm sure our loud cries of "GOOOOOOAL!" and other things also assisted in attracting attention and bringing new children and friends to our midst.
It was also funny, because we often had to pause the game in order to let carts driven by donkeys through. I never would have had that happen back home, but in Egypt it's a common occurence - just another mode of transportation.
This hour and a half of soccer helped me to fall in love with the Egyptian people. I know that the media is excited with everything going on there now, but we need to remember that they are people just like us - they have families, homes, and livelihoods in Egypt. Remember that this type of near-anarchy situation that has escalated since our presence in Egypt brings out the absolute best and the absolute worst in people. Sure, you have those who will desecrate antiquities such as the Pyramids at Giza or the Egyptian Museum when they get the chance, but on the flip side, you have communities banding together to defend places like the Karnak temple. We had a tour guide that left us after our curfew one night, drove as far into Cairo as roadblocks would allow, walked an hour and a half, and stood to defend the Egyptian Museum with others in the chaos between Police occupation and Military presence. He took two rubber bullets in this endeavor - one that ricocheted and one that hit him directly in the leg. Those are the type of people the media often fails to show. The ones who understand the necessity of striving for an intrinsically good nature at all costs. Those are the people we got to interact with on a daily basis there. Those are the people we forget about when we hear about lootings and chaos and madness.
Leaving Egypt was bittersweet - it was neat to parallel with the Exodus of Moses and the Children of Israel (we drove under the Suez Canal...or Red Sea...on dry ground, stopped at a couple of oases traditionally assumed to be mentioned in the Bible, and reinacted the battle of Rephidim in Exodus 17 at Rephidim), but it was sad to be leaving a place where we had learned so much so quickly. At the same time, it was comforting to know we were coming to a safer place. One of the greatest lessons I learned from this trip was to appreciate my freedom. I've always had a good life and plenty of opportunities before me, but many of these people do not. They are fighting for freedom from the lifestyle they've lived for 30 years. As we watch the turmoil progress, we have to remember that freedom should never be taken for granted. It becomes much more real as you see Bedouin children run up to you asking for food, and when you can supply only a few sandwiches, watching them struggle to get a piece. For them, even the lifestyle of a poor college student would be more than these kids have ever seen. It's hard to see the homes people live in and to think about my own community at home that is ignorant of this way of life. Pondering how much I've been given, and how much I've always taken for granted, is a difficult thing. I'm increasingly grateful for my eyes being opened at this experience, and am praying for the safety of my new Egyptian friends.
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