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Hospitality in Egypt
By Preston Price
The people in Egypt were incredibly friendly and
perhaps more welcoming than any other places that I have visited
on this voyage. I recall many instances where I would be walking
down the street and locals would say things like “hello,” “speak
English,” or “American.” They would say such things in
attempt to get a response and as soon as I responded by saying hello or
I am American, they would just smile with incredible enthusiasm and say
"Welcome to Egypt." People everywhere were telling me “Welcome to
Egypt.” On one specific occasion some guys did this on a
moped that was slowly passing by. I was quite surprised because
although they were moving slowly due to traffic, they made no attempt
to stop and talk. This proved to me that the Egyptian people
truly are friendly and genuinely welcoming to many outsiders.
Such welcoming experiences were very pleasing due to the fact that in
previous ports, such as India for example, when a local would say
something to me it was almost always because they wanted to ask for
money or sell me something. Such happenings rarely occurred in
Egypt and predominately only outside of major tourist attractions.
I met a few people in Egypt that showed me the
utmost hospitality. The first day in Cairo a man stopped me in
the street to spark a conversation. He said he was from Cario but
works and lives in Sharm el Sheikh. He comes to Cairo for
about a week once every month. He seemed really curious of
Americans and quickly offered to show us around. A friend
from Semester at Sea and I spent the rest of the evening with him, and
it was truly a great way to experience the culture. We spent most
of the night conversing at a local restaurant/bar, but he even escorted
us to a local Egyptian wedding that another man from the bar invited us
to. This man is a good model for better understanding
internal migration issues in Egypt.
In Luxor, I met a guy who was just a few years older
than. He confronted me as soon as I walked out of the hotel and
stood around for a while. I guess I looked lost or unsure of
where to go, so he asked me where I wanted to go and offered to show me
around. The cool thing is that he was technically not a cab
driver. We spent the next couple days together and he even
volunteered to serve as my cab for the next couple of days.
He said that he was also a student and had moved here from the northern
region of Sudan. He didn’t elaborate on why he left Sudan, but he
did mention that the standard of living is better for him here and he
goes to school in Luxor. In Castle's and Miller's book, The Age
of Migration, Chapter 5 deals with the state and international
migration including a discussion on the topic of refugees. It
explains that in recent years countries hit by war, violence, and chaos
have been responsible for sending refugees to safer and more stable
economies. Sudan is listed as one of these refugee sending
countries and perhaps that is why the young Sudanese man had left Sudan
for nearby Egypt. Regardless of his cause for leaving, he and
everyone else that I met who lived in Egypt appeared to be very happy
and content with their lifestyles. I am confident that contenment
with one's lifestyle has an effect on the people that live in Egypt,
who happen to be the most hospitable people I have ever met.
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