A Mom celebrates her daughter’s adventuresome nature and is happy to be on the trip of a lifetime!

Each day I feel more comfortable, but if Helen and her roommate Jayanthi had not been here to hold my hand, I fear I would have run straight back to the airport. By now I feel more confident that I will reach my destination when I ride in a taxi . It is true that in Cairo there are no traffic lanes; no signals. Drivers do not turn their lights on at night and they use their horns to signal their intentions. The best experience was at night in a crowded area when the driver got a phone call on his cell and answered it. Then not only did he hold the phone with one hand, he used the other to gesture ...all while weaving in and out of traffic that includes pedestrians who walk in the road instead of on the sidewalks. Better than a ride at Disney!

Outside the apartment there is a restaurant and it is a gathering place every night for men to smoke their water pipes and drink tea. As soon as the sun sets they break the fast (as it is still Ramadan). Then there is noise until 4 in the morning. I am assured that they get back up in the morning for work. I do not think they ever sleep. Helen and her roommates have gotten used to the noise and sleep through it and the calls to prayer. Jayanthi’s Mom, Rama, and I haven’t!

We have been on the run and have visited many sites so far. We went to Alexandria via train and had a lovely day there on the coast. We visited a mosque yesterday, entering the woman’s prayer room with our hijabs covering our hair. Then we went to another mosque and climbed the tower.....a steep and dark vertical climb.....where for 8 steps you could not see a thing. We held onto the wall with both hands and made it safely up and down. At the top was a wonderful view of the city, but we stood on a narrow ledge with only an old weathered wooden railing between us and the hard surfaces below. I was reminded of climbing on the outside of the Leaning Tower of Pisa when that was still allowed.

We also visited two markets and encountered exactly what you expect those to be. All sorts of merchandise and forms of transportation and people. Today we spent time in the Egyptian Museum while Jayanthi and Helen were in class. We made our way across the street to the American University and met them there. Then we visited two Coptic Christian churches and a beautiful graveyard. Tonight we were quite a site at dinner with friends from here...we were a group from Egypt, Germany & USA.

Tomorrow we go to Beruit. I am sure it too will be an adventure!