to take us somewhere and not overcharge us. I felt protected at all times, and I feel so much gratitude, it will take me a long time to feel like I’ve repaid.
Not everything was beautiful and perfect, and of course there were some not so pretty moments, like when a couple of men very rudely told me not to take any photos when we were walking in front of a governmental building in Cairo, the way traffic policemen unkindly dismissed my questions, or when some tried to take advantage of us tourists by charging more than it was due for coffee or after touring riding a horse cart. Also, Egypt is very dirty, there is trash everywhere and no one seems to mind or worry. The streets are filled with permanently honking drivers who are excessively aggressive and won’t stop even if the person crossing the street is an old crippled man or a woman carrying a baby. At times I felt Mexico was such an organized and civilized place in comparison! But, on the other hand, most of the times I asked for help, if the person I asked didn’t know any English, he or she would find someone who did; also, people of all ages would approach me, asking to take a selfie with me, or for me to take a photo of them. I felt like an oddity, but understood their interest. Specially the girls seemed very respectful and apologetic. I wished I could talk more with them, I had a hundred questions! For now, I had nothing else to offer except my otherness.
didn’t know any English, he or she would find someone who did; also, people of all ages would approach me, asking to take a selfie with me, or for me to take a photo of them. I felt like an oddity, but understood their interest. Specially the girls seemed very respectful and apologetic. I wished I could talk more with them, I had a hundred questions! For now, I had nothing else to offer except my otherness.
I would not hesitate to go back, specially now that I’ve been there and I know what to expect, and what I missed. In fact, as fate might have it, I am becoming involved with an NGO focused on migration from a cultural perspective, creating a link between not only Mexico and the US (represented by the cities of Tijuana and Los Angeles), but with Cairo, and therefore, Egypt as well. I can’t ignore the signs, and the Arabic world is now and forever part of my life. It is now my “job” to continue in this path, starting to reweave the bridges which may allow me and others to connect between us, or rather, to reconnect, as we all come from the same stardust. I believe our work as poets and artists is to bring out the shine and infinite wordless beauty those celestial bodies have imbued in our finite earthly ones; to remind the others we are not so different, that in fact, we are all the same.