My last entry in Cairo.....

School is finally out (YES!!) and since things are starting to wind-down here, we are beginning to pack and get ready to depart this oven. We will be losing our Internet access today and so this (and the subsequent surprise post) will be the last ones for nearly two weeks.

My mom and cousin are arriving tonight, but before that I will be attending another wedding (my second in two days) and hanging out with my roommate and some local friends for one last time before everyone departs for the summer and to greener pastures.

To be honest, I've enjoyed my time here in Egypt. I had a lot of misconceptions when I arrived and I was scared to death the very first time I stepped outside my flat. I thought I would be harassed, bothered and I didn't think anyone would be able to speak English. I was also worried that I would receive some sort of harassment due to my faith....but this has not been the case. Many Egyptians are amazing and extremely kind. I can't tell you how many people have assisted me in finding a shop, or trying to purchase something or even some people that just wanted to talk. I have been so impressed by their hospitality that I sometimes wish that places in the US were more like this.

Now don't get me wrong, there have been some negative experiences, but overall the positives completely out-weigh the negatives. I was so worried about not finding any Christians here, but I have been pleasantly surprised. There is a small, but strong Christian population here and one great thing is how well the Christians and Muslims get along. Unless you are dating (or about to date), no one gives a second thought about your faith. I was very worried about this when I came over, but now I can see that it was only ignorance, and nothing more.

I will miss my coworkers, my students and the amazing friends that I've made since I've been here. I hope to keep in touch with many of them (thank God for Facebook) and hopefully I'll be able to come back and visit Cairo one day in the future and who knows, maybe one or two will come and visit me......wherever I am.