egypt, pyramids, furry camels, sand, tourists, etc.

I now write to you from Cairo, Egypt.

Myself and some other students arrived here at about 4:00 on New Year’s Morning, and we quickly found slumber as we had not had much over the previous days of travel. The last few days we have been able to explore some of the sites around Cairo, which has proved to be quite interesting, beings as this is my first time in the Middle East.

Yesterday we went as a school to go visit the site of the Pyramids. I always imagined that the Pyramids would be far removed from anything even remotely modern, but they truly sit directly next to the sprawling metropolis that is Cairo. It was an amazing site to see structures that have been standing for literally thousands of years. It is hard for me to comprehend.

(sphinx and pyramid - from pizza hut?)

A couple days ago, I had the chance to go with a smaller group of people to a Camel Market, also on the outskirts of Cairo. Here I am told, people come from all over Africa to buy and sell Camels. It was one of the more interesting things I have experienced thus far in my life, probably mostly because I don’t recall having ever met a camel in person. I found the camels to be a bit unruly when they were being herded by their owners; but when they were left to themselves, the camels seemed to be very friendly. While I was taking photographs, I had a couple of them come behind me to sniff my ears. In camel language I think this must constitute some sort of friendship.

(bahi, my camel-dealing friend)

I also met some friendly camel dealers. As I was walking through the market, one of the men saw me with my camera, and began pointing to all his other camel-dealing friends, motioning for me to take their pictures. They had me come over to sit with them, where I tried to learn their names, which proved to be slightly difficult, beings as their names are Arabic. One man, Bahi (I’m not sure exactly how it is spelled in English) took me further into their group’s camel pen, where they kept more of their camels. He wanted to have his photo taken with a few specific camels, so I followed him and took his picture with many-a-camel. He soon had his friend bring me a cup of tea, and Bahi and I went over to sit on an upside-down bathtub by an old brick wall of the camel pen. We sat for a while, and I asked to learn the numbers in Arabic, which also proved to be difficult. (I will be able to keep practicing though, because I wrote down the sound of each number, 1-10.)

(bahi, and one of his many camels)

(bahi's friend)

(suprisingly they don't smoke camels at the camel market. i believe this is a marlboro.)

This time with Bahi was very new for me. I have never spent time with people from a culture such as this. For the most part, I didn’t understand anything they were saying throughout the time I was there, but I feel like just by sitting there with Bahi on an upside down bathtub, I was able to see a little piece of what their life is like.

...

Our friend here tells us about the different value systems of the Middle Eastern Culture. He says that where our western society values love, honesty (justice and fairplay), and cleanliness, the Middle Eastern culture for the most part values hospitality, relationships, and dignity (honor/shame). It would seem at first glance that this is no problem, it is just a difference in cultures. However, I have found that the differences in these values can prove to be quite a frustration, especially in regards to the justice aspect.

Growing up, I was always taught to be polite, waiting for my turn, and giving priority to others before myself. It makes sense to me to wait in line when I am needing to get food, go to see pyramids, or drive in traffic. Here though, I have quickly found that it doesn’t work to be a polite little American boy, at least in regards to waiting for my turn. It is hard for me; justice seems to make the most sense. I so often love how God is described as a God of justice.

But I often forget that this same God of justice is also The God of mercy. He has given me life through his son Jesus, when my actions, tainted with sin, condemned me to death. Through this I see that I must learn to have mercy for people, even when it does not seem to go along with my natural sentiments of justice. Can I afford to be ok when someone gets their food before me, even when I’ve been waiting for 15 minutes longer than they have? I think so.

And I will also have to learn the art of finding my way to the front of a crowd of people in order to get to the cashier.

As I learn to adjust to the people and the different things they value, please know that your prayers are a huge help. On my own strength things can be difficult, and it’s easy to get frustrated; but I believe and am trusting in God’s promises to come to our assistance where our abilities run out.