Egypt, Day 5

Cairo on Friday was so backwards from what I had gotten used to. Since it’s the Sabbath, almost no cars were on the road. Ali, our driver, came and picked us up and we went to a city about twenty minutes away to go to the small branch of the church there. There were probably about 35-40 people in Sacrament meeting, which was held in a small villa in a quaint little neighborhood. It was like a culture warp when we went inside, with older gentlemen who could have come from any ward here in Provo and young couples with little babies. Everyone was so kind and welcoming.

Then it was time to catch our flight home, or in my case, back to Abu Dhabi. Laura was ready to get back to clean air, and I was excited to go back to a less crowded area of the world. Our time in Egypt was fascinating and thought-provoking, but it was good to be headed to a place where we didn’t all have to share the same bedroom.

We got to the airport and got checked in (yay for diplomats who are excellent travelers!) quickly and then sat and waited. There were a couple hours until our flight, but Laura spotted an indoor playground where the boys played. Matt watched them while Laura and I hung out by the gate. What we didn’t realize was that since we were both wearing knee-length skirts and nothing covering our legs, we’d be a spectacle at the airport. More than one man stared longer than usual (although, is any length of stare, “usual”?). As Laura and I discussed it, she reminded me that in their culture, staring is not frowned upon. That was so foreign to me. Whenever I get caught staring, I blush and turn away…but here, it’s just a normal part of life. If you want to look at something for a prolonged period, go ahead! It was strange to be the “scantily clad” one, especially since I felt modestly dressed for what I’m used to. One man even tried to sneakily take pictures of us. I felt kind of cheap.

After two flights, and some long waiting time at the Bahrain airport, we finally made it back to Abu Dhabi. We breathed a collective sigh of relief as we enjoyed fresh air and uncrowded highways. It had been a long day, and Avery and Jameson fell asleep on the way home. I looked forward to having the Internet again so I could check to see if there were problems at work or if Sarah had her baby while we had been away. It was good to be back to where I could feel a little more comfortable, although it was quite amazing to experience such a whirlwind tour to Egypt. And strangely enough, it was great to get back to sleeping on the couch instead of feeling guilty for making Laura sleep on the crack of our two twin beds smooshed together at the hotel.