Traveling

Coming back from a trip to Hurghada on the Red Sea, it's 8:00 pm and we still have about 4 hours of bus ride left. One day of class tomorrow separates us from a trip to Sharm al-Sheikh, also on the Red Sea but in Sinai.

It's easy sometimes to get used to the traveling and sight seeing. But then sometimes it's impossible not to pinch yourself and realize just how lucky you are. I've been able to travel to the Mideast on 5 different occasions, to 4 different countries. In the process I've made countless friends and spent many moments like this wondering why it's me who gets to experience this.

Eleven hours on a bus makes time for a lot of contemplation and reminiscing of what I've seen and where. The Arab Spring in Yemen, the Wall between Israel and Palestine, the Pyramids, countless Roman ruins in Jordan, etc.

I've talked with a multitude of people in more than one dialect about a plethora of issues. I've seen the pollution of Cairo, the still extant remnants of the great Hellenic civilization in Alexandria, and the old city of Sana'a, one of just a few claimants to the title of oldest inhabited city in the wall.

But I think what is the most fulfilling about all of this isn't the pictures, nor the artificial cities along the coastline meant to attract European euros and American dollars. Instead, it's the countless people you interact with, the feeling of speaking to someone in their native language while hordes of Russian tourists thumb their noses at the locals, only desiring to get away from their reality somewhere far away.

It's the ability to be with 3 other people in a foreign land and take a 9 hour bus trip, just because, made possible by friends and friends of friends who are incredibly willing to host you, to a level of hospitality that is hard to grasp.

People back home always marvel at me traveling, as it most definitely is an irregularity. And I'm under no illusions that I'm incredibly privileged to be able to do this at a young age, and many people would love to but just can't.

But there are also those people who are more interested in spending their money on other pursuits, thinking that these trips are fruitless or perhaps a bit unusual. Still yet, there are those back home who could travel, yet simply have no interest in doing so. Also are those are choose to live in a land of great luxury, and yet denigrate it for minor deficiencies.

America certainly has its problems, not the least of which is a large unemployed or disadvantaged class. One need only look at Inner City America to see what real poverty is. However, I argue that traveling isn't an escape from a place I don't like, but a worthwhile venture that gives me a greater appreciation for where I come from. I have seen some interesting places, but everyday I talk to at least one person desperate for a visa to the US. I probably get begged 5 times a day by people struggling to feed their families. I live my life here in an incredibly inefficient social and business atmosphere.

I never knew what the meaning of home was until I came back from Egypt for the first time 2 years ago. Seeing the other side of the world makes a person really appreciate that neck of the woods they can call their own. The ability to know every street, speak a language without any difficulty, and easily blend in are definitely not to be underestimated. And it is only traveling that has given me that insight.