Sometimes I wish I could go back in time - just a little bit - to revisit feelings of excitment and uncertainty that I used to associate with arriving in Cairo. I guess it's a mark of time, maybe even maturity, to no longer feel the same way when I arrive in Egypt. Now, it's getting more complicated. It's like coming home - a mix of feelings that soon give way to the realization of 'life as I used to know it' colliding with 'I've changed but how do I newly fit into this place that I used to call home?'
I've always said that I have a love-hate relationship with Cairo. That is still true, but also I think that it is evolving into the kind of feeling you have when you go back home - to a place where many stages of your life have taken place and you find yourself evolving within its context. Life in Cairo for me has seen many new faces, new experiences, new goals, new jobs and new emotions. Sometimes it's hard to sort out how I really feel about this place, because really it's just tied up with my feelings about life in general over the past three years.
All of that being said, it's good to be back. I have some amazing friends here, who I look forward to spending much more time with. I'm also excited about learning Arabic, working on Palestine project ideas, and continuing to immerse myself in this culture and deepen my understanding of what it means to be an Egyptian.
There are some new things I need to adjust to this time around. Living in Maadi, in a new apartment, is one. Losing many of my American/foreigner friends is another. And I need to adjust to being a student again - something that I haven't been in some time. I'm hoping to adjust to being busy (something I wasn't in Egypt last time). Being busy in Egypt isn't easy but I think it is preferable for me at this point, rather that succombing to mind-numbing boredom. :)
I plan to keep updating this blog as time goes on this year, to keep track of what happens with my plans, my thoughts, and my life in Egypt. I'll be back soon.
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