My parents' flight left from JFK headed directly for Cairo on Sunday night, and they were due to land around 12:15PM on Monday, Cairo time. I told them I had classes until 2:50PM on Mondays and would take the 3PM bus home from school, then head right over to their hotel, the Marriott in Zamalek, to greet them. Some of this was true; I did have class until 2:50PM on Monday, but because I had yet to miss a class, I decided to skip the day and meet them at the airport. This was partially because I wanted to surprise them and partially because I know how crazy the Cairo airport can be (even though there was a car that the hotel was providing for them). I remembered that my flight into Cairo landed about an hour early, so I planned to get to the airport around 11:30AM. I thought this would provide plenty of time, as my parents would need to pick up their luggage and go through Egyptian Immigration. So I planned to leave the Zamalek dorms around 10:45AM, possibly a little later. Around 10:15AM, just on a whim, I checked on my parents' flight status. For some reason, it said that the flight had already landed at 9:45AM. I didn't see how this was possible, but I ended up leaving for the airport as soon as I possibly could. Luckily there was minimal traffic and the taxi driver was able to sort out with the airport guards which terminal would receive a flight from New York (I probably would have found out and brought this information with me had I had more time) and I arrived to the airport just before 11AM. Not surprisingly, when I inquired about the status of the flight at information, I was told it would be landing at 11:37AM. Why it was listed as having landed two hours earlier, I have no idea. TIE. So I sat with multiple Egyptian families and drivers in the waiting area. The flight was announced to have landed just before noon, and at around 12:30PM, passengers began to stream into the waiting area. At around 1PM, my parents , led by their driver, walked through the doors. It was great to see them, and I called to them, but because of a twelve hour flight, the fact that they were not expecting to see me, and the mass amounts of Egyptian families gathering around, they did not hear me. So I ended up walking up to my mom from behind and tapping her shoulder. She was shocked to see me! We all hugged quickly and then followed the driver who was booking it out of the airport. It was a great surprise and well worth skipping class. I am glad I did it.
The drive to the hotel was a great introduction to Cairo, as midday traffic was horrendous. We got to the hotel a little after 2PM. It was a gorgeous hotel! My dad checked in and we went upstairs to the lounge before going into my parents' room on the fifteenth floor, where they unpacked a little. My dad, who hadn't slept on the plane, settled in for a nap, and my mom, who had slept a little, went with me to my dorm to pick up some things because I decided I would stay with them on the pullout couch in their room. The walk to my dorm was interesting. I had forgotten that my parents would not be used to navigating Cairo streets, where it is often easier to walk in the middle of the street then on the sidewalk and where there is constant, constant beeping from all vehicles. My mom kept grabbing me and pushing me away from the traffic. It was pretty funny. We also walked to my dorm past the Algerian embassy. That was interesting for my mom to see, and the riot police were still out in droves on Monday. (She was also able to see some of the broken glass that hadn't been cleaned up yet after the weekend riots). When we got to the dorms, I managed to sneak her up into my room. (My dad would definitely not be allowed up to my room because he is a man, and parents in general are not supposed to be in the rooms. Apparently, AUC does not want to deal with the complaints from parents about things like their children's dorm room views. I am sure I have mentioned before how affluent the majority of the students at AUC are). My mom liked my room. It is definitely bigger than my room in Lewis Hall at Notre Dame and with a lot more closet space! After finishing up in my dorm, we walked back to the hotel and woke my dad up for dinner. We ate at a small cafe in the hotel, and it was very good. I then went with my Dad to my dorm to grab a few more things and to show him around. Again, the walk there was pretty funny because my Dad kept grabbing me, nervous about the traffic. My parents are both very city-savvy, but it's a whole other breed of traffic here! We walked back to the hotel, and we sat downstairs for a while and then called it an early night. For the first time in months, I was able to watch Around the Horn, PTI, and SportsCenter before bed. I don't know if I have ever been happier in Cairo.
The next morning, I had breakfast with my mom and then took a taxi to my internship. I spent a few hours there, but told the rest of the staff I needed to leave early because my parents were visiting. They were fine with this. I arrived back to the hotel just before noon, and my parents and I set out for the pyramids. On the way down in the elevator, I explained to them that I thought the best way for us to do the pyramids was to get in a taxi and just walk around them on our own. They agreed, saying they really had no intention of riding camels or anything like that. This ended up being ironic because somehow we ended up on a Marriott tour which stopped at the Egyptian Papyrus Museum (which was very, very interesting) and then brought us to a small shop in a small village where we were given the choice "camels or horses." Being that things were already so far out of our hands, we went for it and said "camels." Riding a camel is definitely not easy. You mount them while they are lying down and then you lean back when they stand up (you need to lean back or you would fall forward off the camel, as it stands on its hind legs first and then its front legs). The ride is tough too. You definitely sway a lot. Side to side and forward and backward. After getting up on our camels, we headed toward the pyramids with our guide, Sam, who was on a horse. We climbed a mountain for a panoramic view of the site. It was unbelievable. I had been to the pyramids before, but this was definitely a much more amazing way to see them. We took some photos before we went travelled down the mountain to crawl inside one of the smaller pyramids and then continue on to see the Sphinx. We then headed back to the town to drop off our camels and head back to the hotel. Looking back, I am very glad we decided to do the pyramids this way. You can't really be in Egypt without riding a camel, and it was great to have a guide who was actually knowledgeable about the site. He told us some really interesting information. For example, he said the slaves who had built the pyramids were killed after they completed their work because the Pharaohs did not want anyone to know exactly how the pyramids had been built or where the gold was hidden within them. Considering it is still a mystery as to how the pyramids were built, this makes sense. I think my parents had a nice time. At least I hope they did, despite the fact that we were all definitely sore from our camel riding excursion the next day.
Monday night, we had dinner with some of my friends here. It was really very nice. My parents liked everyone a lot and said they learned a lot about AUC and Egypt just by listening to us talk to each other. For the first time, I felt like my parents were understanding and relating to the fact the Egypt, and AUC especially, are not the most efficient places to be. It's hard to convey to someone who has not been in Egypt exactly what is meant by this. My parents said they could see why I've said again and again that if it was not for my friends here, I don't know how I could have done it. They thought it was great that this experience was something we were all undertaking together and said they were very impressed with everyone.
On Wednesday, we went to the Egyptian Museum in the morning. Even the second time there, it is overwhelming. We went pretty quickly through the first floor and spent some more time on the second floor. My mom was really interested in everything, and my dad thought the two mummy room and the animal mummies were very, very cool. We left the museum after a few hour and walked back to the Marriott, making a quick stop at Chili's on the Nile for a snack. My dad loves Chili's, and a Chili's lover in Egypt should definitely not leave before taking a trip to Chili's on the Nile. That night we went out to dinner at the Sushi restaurant in the Marriott. It was honestly the best Sushi I have ever tasted!
The next day was Thanksgiving, so we spent it in typical Egyptian fashion at Khan El Khalili. It was definitely less crowded during the day, but my parents were impressed by its sheer magnitude. They made some purchases and were pretty good bargainers. The funniest part of the whole day was that all the shop owners thought we were Spanish and spoke to us in Spanish. That never happens when I am with my friends. Sometimes we get German, but usually they think British or American. I guess my family is very Spanish looking. Just imagine if my sister, who looks the most European out of all of us, had been with us! After we shopped, we sat at a cafe for a while. My mom and I had lemon juices and my dad had a turkish coffee. Everything was very good, and we had a nice time talking with the cafe owner who told us about how he used to work in the US and his family. He was a smart guy and very nice. He showed us some famous Khan El Khalili sights and let us smell some perfumes from his friend's perfume shop before helping us take a taxi back to the hotel. My parents were struck by how nice he was and were pleased when I said many Egyptians were like this.
Thanksgiving dinner was not exactly everything I could have asked for, but it was pretty close. Turkey, cranberry sauce, sliced sweet potatoes, steamed veggies, bread, and apple pie (from an American restaurant in the Marriott). My parents and I all thought everything was delicious and I again told them how eternally grateful I was to them for allowing me to have my favorite holiday, even if it was with an Egyptian flair! After dinner, we sat outside for a while before turning in for bed. It was an overall great holiday.
The next day was the actual Islamic holiday. I had heard horror stories that there would be animals slaughtered in the streets on this day, as that is a traditional custom of the holiday, but it honestly was not that bad. Zamalek was actually the emptiest I have seen it. I think most families travel for this holiday. My mom and I walked to my dorm and did see some sheep pent up in the middle of the street across from a butcher shop where there was a small crowd gathered and it looked as if there was slaughtering occurring. Everything was clean and under control though and we kept our distance, so it really wasn't a problem. We spent the day packing things up and lounging by the pool, which was very relaxing. We had an early dinner and again called it an early night.
The next morning, Saturday, we all left for the airport early in the morning. My parents were headed home and I was headed to Istanbul to meet my friends who were spending the break there. (They had left from Cairo on Wednesday). It was good that I was leaving along with my parents, or I would have been much sadder to see them go. There is part of me that is shocked they made the trip to Cairo. As I said, it is not an easy trip to make. And neither one of my parents have ever traveled outside the US before (if you exclude resort destinations in Mexico, Jamaica, etc). Cairo as your first big trip is daunting! I can see why they were so astounded that I have survived as long as I have here. It's tough for me, and for all of us study abroad students, but we've adjusted because we've only been set in our American ways for about 20 years. My parents have been set in their ways for more than double this amount of time. So I do recognize how difficult it was for them to come here on so many levels, and I am so grateful that despite this, they still made the decision to visit me. It appreciate it, and it really means a lot to me when they tell me that they are proud of me. I miss them a lot and I can't wait to be home with them. The only downfall of the trip was that my sister could not have accompanied them because it would have been too much of a conflict with her schedule at ND. I think she would have gotten a lot out of Cairo and it would have been great to have someone my own age to relate to about it. I am sure she will get a vivid picture from my parents though. It would have been great to see her also, and I cannot wait to see her and the rest of my family in just about three weeks. It's unbelievable that that is all the time I have left in Cairo. And it is going to fly by. My few days in Turkey, which I will post about now, were a blur and I am sure the rest of the semester will go by just as quickly, if not more so!
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