I have tried to draft this entry for a while and it always
ends in a blurry screen and too much heartache to continue.
The tone and prose will probably be different, because even
if I have experienced Egypt with my soul since August 2013, these last few notes
come directly from the strings of my heart…
Misr…
First, THANK YOU for your children: My students.
Before our arrival, I was warned about the misogynic culture
and the fact that neither my gender, age, nor my way of dressing will help me
gain the respect of my students.
For the past two years, every single day, I
have seen my groups of students and it has been amazing! Some will say it is
luck, others that it is hard work…
It had already happened in England, with the high school students and it has happened once again. I can honestly say that I love them and
have looked after them the same way as I hope my children will be looked after
by their educators.
The Egyptian best feature is definitely humour and care, because
they will care for you, as long as you care for them. I am very proud of their
achievements and leave with them another chip of my heart, forever. Merci à
tous d’avoir été vous! Vous me manquez déjà…
Misr, the next dedication goes for the beloved “Umm” I have
met here.
These Egyptian mothers have a lot to fight against daily,
because it isn’t easy to be a woman, a mother and a full time worker in Egypt.
I have yet to learn of their energy, their generosity, their smiles, their
love. They have given me the best hugs I have received in my life, after the
ones from my own mother. I will miss you my friends and I strive, daily, to
become as dedicated and loving as you are.
Here in Egypt, I met a hell of a bunch of FRIENDS: Egyptian
and foreign friends. Some have already left Egypt, others will leave this year
or stay here whilst we move on geographically.
I want to thank you for keeping me afloat, as a person, as a
teacher, as a mother and as a friend, whether we were behind a cloud of shisha
smoke, running, dancing, chatting, laughing or out in the deserts.
Ya Bassem, 50 dives later, I want to thank you and your
team, in Dahab, for offering me a place when I could feel safe, cared for and
at peace, since those precious moments are rare in my busy life as a maman. I
will miss you and recommend to anybody visiting the Gulf of Aqaba “Liquid
adventures”: http://liquidadventuresdahab.com/
The final good bye, unsurprisingly goes to buddies Peggy, Autum
and Brandy.
I wish I had met you three earlier in my life…
I love you for allowing me to be how I am and still love me.
I have laughed with you so much, and I love you as much as our jokes are
sarcastic and inappropriate!
You are three of the most incredible women I have ever met,
and this isn’t farewell, just good bye. Please NEVER change and THANK YOU for
being you…
Aaaaaand a quick extra for Buddy – Putain… I know you already have a brother
and he’s really awesome, but I thank you for becoming a sister to me. One can
never mend a broken heart or ever fill in for someone else, but merde, you have
filled my heart with much more than I thought I could feel again.
Obviously, Misr….
Thank
you for Ahmed in Samanoud, Mohamed at the blue Hole, Elisabeth in Garbage city…
I will defend your name abroad and the name of your people - I will acknowledge
your chaos, filth, misguided men and unsafety at times.
Yet, I will fight and defend you, like a balady, about all
the beauty you have, in the smiley eyes of your generous people, in your
monuments, in your history, in your variety of landscapes and in your climate.
One simply does not know Egypt and its traditions unless he or she has experienced
them, to have the prejudices grinded down in the sand, and find themselves
forever touched by it.
Ana bahpek Misr…
