We had a long transition into our first destination…. a very long transition. Our international flight went from NYC, to Egypt, to Sudan, to Kenya, to Johannesburg, to Durban and finally arrived in Cape Town South Africa 44 hours later. While we were both exhausted from the travel, it only took us a day to get our bodies and minds on South Africa time. How? I’m still trying to figure that out but I think it really helped that we recognized the time change we would be dealing with days before our first flight and slowly adjusting to the time change a few hours every day. The two nights before we left, we got as little sleep as possible so that when we got on our overnight international flight, we would sleep most of the way and be awake and alert when we landed in Egypt the next morning.

As for the culture shock, it was important for us to recognize that fact that we were new to the city and we weren’t used to the lifestyle some people live. I find it much easier to spend the first day settling in, grabbing coffee, speaking with the locals, learning a few key phrases in their language, and wandering around the city aimlessly to acquint yourself to the area. This way, you have no set agenda and do not have the stress of having to find a certain place or be somewhere at a specific time. Half the battle for me was fighting the stress associated with unorganized road traffic, foot traffic, tourist traps and hagglers. This is where I have to remind myself to breathe, find flexability, appreciate the fact that I was able to take vacation time, and accept that this lifestyle works for other cultures. It may take some time to fully embrace the new culture, but the sooner you can stop fighting the abnormality of everything around you, the better off you’ll be. And should this still not work, find a local who can show you around, explain their lifestyle to you and introduce you to some of the magnificant things the culture has to offer.

Chris and I took 8 flights in a row to begin our journey in South Africa. One of the flights left us with a 13 hour layover in Cairo. Chris’ friend Hatem lives in Cairo and kindly picked us up from the airport, took us to lunch, and then back to his place to hang out until we had to be back at the airport to check in for our next flight. While it seems like no time at all, Egypt made a lasting impression on me from the very beginning.

Hatem took us to an amazing traditional Egyptian restaurant where we ordered enough food between four of us to feed a king and his castle. Upon leaving the restaurant, we were trying to back out of a small alley while playing chicken with other cars, pedestrians popping out of nowhere, donkeys pulling watermelon carts, and city buses. We finally made it out of the alley and were driving around a crowded Giza when I realized that there were no stop lights in the city…or street signs for that matter.  To make matters even more stressful, men, women, and children were dodging in and out of traffic with no crosswalks in sight. In Egypt, the driver does not slow down for the pedestrian. The pedestrian slows down for the driver. It must have been perfect timing because as I stared out the window I saw a bus driver stop his bus, grab a crow bar from under his seat and jump out into oncoming traffic chasing down another man. It didn’t take long before he had tackled him to the ground and started beating him with the crow bar. I couldn’t bear to watch, yet some how I couldn’t peel my eyes away from the scene. It looked as though the man being beaten had tried to steal something and was getting punished for it. The country obviously takes stealing very seriously.

On the way to Hatem’s house, we stopped along the side of the road and viewed the pyramids from afar. They were magnificent! After snapping some photos, we drove the final stretch over to Hatem’s house. He introduced us to the rest of his family (his wife, kids, parents, sister, and nephew) and we all sat in the backyard drinking tea and fresh juice. He and his family were lovely. They were extremely hospitable, entertaining, and informative.

Driving back to the airport, 10.5 hours later, Hatem explained that Egyptians do not use headlights at night as they feel it is rude to blind other drivers like that. Additionally, the police do not perform safety checks at night so there were vehicles driving at excess speeds, no headlights, and pedestrians still dodging in and out of traffic. I am used to structured roads and traffic lights. I am used to pedestrian cross walks and donkeys being ridden on back country paths. I am used to seeing crime scenes only on TV.  Cairo opened by eyes to a new way of life. A life that works for the Egyptians. Instead of continuing to fight it, I decided to accept the lifestyle for what it is and find beauty in the chaos. And a beautiful chaos it was. More to come in two months when we spend substantially more time in Egypt…