With a string of bad news coming out of my beloved homeland (from bombings to fatal road accidents and lost mountain climbers), I have fallen into a bout of depression.
That depression then turned into anger (I got mad, I got very mad!). Overwhelmed with emotions that I didn’t know how to digest, I decided to try and look at the bright side and remind myself of all the things I love about Egypt.
The Egyptian Smile
There is no other smile out there that is as genuine as that of an Egyptian. The radiating goodness and positivity you feel, even in these hard times, comes off as so genuine that it becomes contagious. Enough to turn your day around.
Egyptian Chivalry
Egyptians band together in times of trouble. If they know you or not, they will have your back regardless. Very recently, I had a very bad car accident on the way to Hurgahda (the car flipped three times). Complete strangers came to our rescue, flipped the car over and came running with their first aid kits.
As we were only two girls on the road, one truck driver took it upon himself to make sure we were taken care of, getting us into an ambulance. We thought that would be the last of us seeing him, but to our surprise we found him waiting for us at the Ras Gharib hospital and he made sure to take all the administrative work off our hands so we could concentrate on getting checked up.
I don’t know if God sent us an angel or if, like they say, “chivalry is not dead,” but this man will always leave an ever lasting, amazing impression of my fellow countrymen.
We Have the Beach All Year Round
Not everyone is as lucky as us to be able to go lay by the beach in December or party on the sand in April. With temperatures that would make an eskimo jealous, I have to say we are blessed with unrivaled beaches and gorgeous temperatures.
Egyptian Creativity
Leave it to us Egyptians to come up with the most absurd inventions possible, from some that are outright genius (check video below) to some that get their job done but are a bit ridiculous.
Since the onset of Egypt’s revolution we’ve seen unbelievable inventions come out, like the pan hat that was used as a protective helmet in Tahrir.
Long live the Egyptian man’s mind – you put a smile on my face every day.
Egyptian Humor
Leave it to us that in times of dire tragedy we find the humor in everything. When everyone wants to escape Egypt and is looking for a safe haven abroad we of course have to turn it into a joke. It is probably a psychological ailment we all suffer from, deferring our real issues through humor, but hey, it definitely makes us smile when everything else is so grim!
