Heart Connections in Egypt

Wow, so much to say about Egypt. Of course, there is the wonder and awe of seeing the well preserved evidence of an ancient civilization. Though the one story that I keep experiencing over and over in my mind is the heart connection that comes so easily there. I have to say the same phenomena was present in Indonesia too, so maybe I was just testing it out more in Egypt or more aware of it. This phenomena has to do with creating a open connection with someone first through eye contact, then quickly to a feeling of heart connection. Why do I say this? Because it was so common for my eyes to meet with a passerby followed by a clear acknowledgement of my being, a nod or the placement of a hand over the heart, and a comfortable smile as if we were two humans recognizing each other. A space was created for possible interaction, and even if the interaction of speaking did not occur the moment of a heartfelt acknowledgement was palpable. You might say that this was because I was an obvious tourist, but I saw this happening to an even greater degree between Egyptians. The feeling was that we humans are a family and I welcome you. And surprisingly, at one point we were welcomed to a wedding in Luxor just after having a fun impromptu dance party in the back of a vendor’s souk. That’s another story and video.

At the same time, i have never experienced such a pervasive military presence at every turn. It seems that military rule holds a complex relationship for many of the people I spoke to. Yes, oppressive, but also a stabilizing presence after the rapid fall of tourism after the Arab Spring uprising. Many of the Egyptians I spoke to referred to this protest as the “Stupid” revolution. I do not claim to know the intricacies of all that happened, I can only say that I expected people to not like the military rule and oppressive feeling, but that was not necessarily the case.

What I came out of Egypt with was a feeling of crazy military control, and yet so many generous people willing to open their hearts. People, in Luxor at least, were so clearly connected to their community and open to share it. I really came to love it and am on the path to making it a reality here in Seattle. (That is the connection to people and community, not the oppressive military presence;))