Welcome back to the fourth and final article about my trip to Egypt this summer. I wanted to close out this "series" by listing some things I will miss about being in the motherland.
1. The NOISE
No matter what time it is, there are always people in the streets, just living. You can go grocery shopping whenever you want. Literally. There is most likely a "farmer's market" right below your apartment waiting to sell you some cabbages if you are really craving them.
2. The helpfulness
Let me give an example. GPS is not really a thing in Egypt. Instead, you simply stop in the middle of the street and ask someone passing by how to get from point A to point B. The person will not hold anything from you and give you in-depth directions. Then you simply drive off without even saying thank you. The person is not offended because they are fulfilling their social duty of being a helpful citizen.
3. The hospitality
When you are visiting some family members, they tell you that they have prepared some small snacks for you. This turns out to be an eight-course meal that you are required to finish. People will literally throw food at you if they feel like you are not eating enough. It's an open buffet made just for you.
4 How respectful the kids are (usually)
Egyptian parents are kind of extreme when it comes to parenting. They keep their kids on their tip-top behavior outside of the house. Most kids will even call you "miss."
5. Cold showers
This is one is kind of odd, and not really something you would normally miss. BUT, it is the best feeling coming home from a long day in the 120-degree weather (not exaggerating...ok maybe slightly but that is pretty close to the usual temperatures) and taking a cold shower. It is phenomenal. I also just wanted to mention this so I can point out how much I won't miss the heat, but since we are trying to be positive here I tried to turn it around into a good thing lol.
6. The large numbers of Coptic people
Coptic Orthodox is a branch of Christianity originally from Egypt. However, due to persecution, almost 30% of us now live abroad. But the large majority are still in Egypt and it feels good to be surrounded by so many people who know exactly what it means to be part of a church that has so many rituals and traditions.
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