My Egyptian Odyssey Part 8: Concluding thoughts
Frankfurt, Germany. 20:50 11 Nov 2004
I am now sitting in my hotel room at the InterCity, Frankfurt across the strasse from the Hauptbahnhof listening to German pop music. I just
saw on CNN International that Yasser Arafat’s body has landed in Cairo,
in preparation for his funeral. It is interesting that just five hours ago, I
was there, where the news is being made. His funeral will be held in the Arab
League building, which is on the main square that is also home to the Egyptian
Museum and the American
University of Cairo.
CNN was advising people to avoid the area because of the huge crowds of both
fans, fanatics, and protesters, as well as the heightened security for all the
diplomats who will be paying their respects.
Flughafen Frankfurt Am Main, Germnay 11:45 12 Nov 2004
After meandering through various inefficient security lines
for almost an hour an a half, I am finally ready to board my flight to Dulles.
My passport was checked 5 times, my boarding pass 3 times, and I passed through
a metal detector and had my carry-on luggage x-rayed twice. While there is
something to be said about “protecting the homeland”, this is ridiculous. More
security does not make a country more secure. Smart, efficient security does.
X-raying my carry-on bags a second-time was a waste of everyone’s time and
money; anything would have been found the first time. Now that I am done
bitching, I will reflect upon my trip…
My trip to Cairo
was a wonderful, once in a lifetime opportunity. I was able to experience a
culture very different from my own, and one in which the policies of our
government have a great effect. I was able to see the ancient antiquities and monuments,
from the Pharonic Era to the Greco-Roman and Eastern-Orthodox Era, to the
Islamic Era. While I did many of the typical “touristy” things, I also
experienced many things the typical tourist would not. I ate at local
restaurants, where the menu was only in Arabic. While my trip was wonderful, I
am glad to be on my way home. I saw and experienced what I wanted to see and
experience, and now I’m ready to return to Western culture. I am looking
forward to fitting in, and not sticking out like a sore thumb, as a six foot
tall red head does in the Middle East. I am also looking
forward to breathing easier, as Cairo
was very, very dusty and polluted. Most importantly, I am looking forward to
not being constantly hassled or tried to sell some service or product I do not
really want to purchase.
Lastly, I wanted to say a special thank you to Chris. He was nice enough to allow me to stay with him for over a week, and to show me around. We all know how difficult this princess can be. I really appreciate it.
