Egypt: Unexpected
Egypt 2006 August 14th, 2006 by GraceWell Gene and Brenda and the kids left for the beach on Friday so I’ve had Cairo all to myself the last few days. It has allowed a lot of time for thinking and introspection about what this experience has meant to me. Not that I have been idle; in fact the last few days have been filled with unexpected activity.
On Thursday I went to the orphanage to say goodbye to my students. It is always a blessing to go there and have fun with the boys and speak with the manager and supervisors. And of course, Ayman, Emad, George, and Ibrahim are fun as well. It is an interesting relationship in that we are all around the same age. I’m not so much their teacher, as their friend. I like to think we had a mutual exchange where I helped them with their English and they helped me by providing people my own age that I could relate to. Young people really are the same everywhere!
I also went because some of the kids like to make beaded bracelets. I had “commissioned” one to be done with my name written in Arabic. They said that whenever I came it would be ready. So sure enough, as soon as I arrived, I was dragged away and brought into the craft room where they presented me with not one, but two, with my Arabic name, Naama. The orphanage was also barbecuing when I arrived so I had a couple of culinary experiences as well. The meat was well-flavored but the dessert was not really to my liking. Anyway, while I was there I ran into Amir, who was there alone and surprised that I had not already left for the States. Amir works with Charlie so I had seen him at the orphanage a couple of times, but we had never really talked before. He invited me to a church retreat that was going on this weekend but I declined because I had to see the family off on Friday and take care of the pets. We rode back to Maadi together and that was that. Or so I thought.
On Friday, everyone left and I was relaxing at the house when a woman from my Arabic course called. We had thought to get together before I left and have coffee or lunch. But it had been awhile since I had heard from her. Anyway, she called and we arranged for me to go to her house and then we would go. She is from Gabon in West Africa and French is her first language, so I thought she said we would go to a cafe. I had some trouble finding her house, but once I arrived I learned that we were in fact going to a place called Katameya Heights. I accompanied her, her husband, and her one-year-old daughter. Katameya Heights was about a twenty-five minute drive from Maadi and turned out to be the nicest, private, country club in Cairo. Boy, was I surprised. They asked me if I had brought my swimsuit, and well, of course, I hadn’t. But it was wonderful nonetheless. What I thought would be a nice one hour of conversation over a cup of coffee turned out to be a whole afternoon extravaganza. Her husband is British but raised in the Caribbean and working here as an engineer. He was very educated and insightful and we had much to talk about. Gray is bubbly and friendly and we actually had a discussion about beliefs. She related to me the realities of growing up in Gabon where superstition and black magic are common. Her mother was Catholic but Gray did not have a good church-going experience and vowed to never believe in God. A friendly afternoon turned into a deep, spiritual discussion and I found myself searching for something to say. I have a new person to pray for at any rate.
While we were there, Amir called and said that he had not made it to the day’s session but that there was another one in the evening if I would like to go. I thought about it and we agreed to meet where the shuttle bus was leaving at 7. So I hurried back to Maadi, but the people I was with got turned around and I was running late by the time I arrived at the metro. I called Amir to go on without me but he said he would wait. Then when I arrived at our meeting point we had trouble finding each other. But eventually we made it, myself, Amir, and his 12-year-old sister. The meeting had already started with singing and worship, but we had not missed the message.
It was a wonderful experience for me, despite the fact that it was all in Arabic, and although they had a translation unit available there was no one to translate. So Amir translated it all for me. I think the most incredible part was seeing Egyptians, the “fruit” we are so desperately seeking, so fervent in their worship, in their searching, and in their belief. Even though I could not understand 99% of the words in the songs and the message, you could not help but feel the spirit in the room, or rather, tent. On the whole, the service was a little more, shall we say, charismatic, than what I am used to, but it was such a relief to see practicing believers in this oftentimes, dark and hostile place. I agreed to go on Saturday as well, this time all day, and I experienced more of the same. The music, I think, is the most incredible part. A couple of the songs are translated from English so I recognized the tune, but most of it is pretty homegrown. Some people think Arabic music is jarring to the Western sense, but this music had such a happy tone infused into it.
Another blessing was talking to Amir and hearing his and his family’s story. It was a wonderful opportunity to share our thoughts on everything from spiritual warfare to education to physical ailments. I would share his story here, but I think I need to save something for my celebration report.
After an all day spent at the retreat I was pretty tired by the time I got home. And of course, on Sunday I was invited to go again, but unfortunately I needed to pack, clean, and get ready for Flor, Mary Carmen’s leader’s, arrival. So I declined but I hope to see Amir and his sister again before I leave.
So these last few days have been filled with unexpected blessings, like little rays of light piercing a dark place. Both going to the orphanage and the retreat with Amir has really positively influenced my experience here, even as it comes to an end. And after having an in-depth, heart-to-heart conversation with Rocio also helped me see more clearly my future direction and the way to articulate the frustrations and challenges of living and working in this environment. I only hope I’ll be able to do justice to my experience when I tell the story back home.