Data At Home

This post has been in the works for almost a week now, but with work in full swing and an unusually difficult time getting back on a “normal” schedule, I’ve only now had time to complete it. So…

I have a confession to make: I realize that I made not a single post to the blog while on vacation and I have to admit that I’m completely okay with that. After a particularly stressful few work weeks and lots to do at home while my family was in Europe, what I needed most was a break from the computer to read, sleep, and generally enjoy my vacation (and engagement!); besides, Brett is such a good poster that I knew he could handle the duty. Anyway, I hope you’ve been keeping up with the vacation posts and checked out all of Brett’s amazing photographs on the blog and also on his SmugMug gallery. (If you haven’t done so, now is as good a time as any!) Here are a few of my thoughts regarding the vacation:

This Egypt and Jordan vacation was my first experience with group travel and tourism. There were noticeable advantages and disadvantages, some of which Brett had warned me about and some of which were somewhat unforeseen. First, and I knew this going in, there was quite a rigorous itinerary for sightseeing and other activity. On the one hand, I wasn’t exactly pleased to be waking up earlier on vacation than I do when preparing for a day of work; after returning to Connecticut I felt like I had to relax and rest to recover from vacation itself. However, I understand that considering the destination an easy-going, laid-back vacation wasn’t exactly the best option: most people don’t go to Egypt to sleep in and relax by the beach, but instead they go, oftentimes as a once-in-a-lifetime vacation, to see the remains of an ancient Egypt that at one time was the most powerful civilization in the world. They also go, as we did, to get a taste of the exotic and luxurious, as exemplified in our stay at the prestigious Sharm el Sheikh Sheraton and Red Sea scuba diving. The whiner in me says that I wanted a vacation where the pace was slower than that of my daily work life, but the realist in me realizes that, were I to have planned my own vacation with my own itinerary, I probably wouldn’t have had the different opportunities available to me/us, and probably wouldn’t done or seen half of the things that were part of our well-planned itinerary. The realist in me understands that when it comes to having seen and experienced ancient as well as modern Egypt, we definitely got our vacation’s worth.

One of the most frustrating disadvantages to group travel is that when there are 20+ people traveling in a group, it means that there are 20+ egos, temper tantrums, ignorant outbursts, and selfish behavioral characteristics to take into consideration. While I always enjoy spending time with Brett, his family, as well as Laura (co-owner of WEU and our group leader), and getting to know Laura’s daughter, Aubrey, and her boyfriend, Colin, there were certainly some participants on the trip who negatively contributed to my experience on the vacation. There were those who were notoriously late for group gatherings, those who constantly made special requests, both of Laura and the chefs or the like, and also those who clearly needed a lesson (or many) on respecting all aspects of a foreign culture. In my opinion, the worst offenders were those who were ignorant enough to make certain assumptions about Egypt and Jordan, and especially the people of these countries. I would think that if one were going on vacation to foreign countries, those of which have great comparable differences when it comes to some aspects of everyday life, that one would do everything to respect these differences - especially in a region of the world where Americans aren’t exactly praised for their actions and policies. However, I guess my expectations were too high for some participants and they often reminded me of my inaccuracy. What I will say is that Laura did her very best to wrangle in the egos and the ignorance - no small feat.

On another note, I was completely appalled by the fact that in Egypt there is garbage EVERYWHERE. I’m seriously not exaggerating when I say that there was trash in heaps lining streets, and an unbelievable amount of trash polluting the Nile River; on the first full day that we were in Cairo, Brett and I actually saw men pumping sewage into the river, and we also saw a dead donkey floating casually down the river! Manal, our guide, told us about the various problems that Egyptian residents have with the high cost and general ineffectiveness of trash collection, and there was certainly no lack of evidence of the latter. There is a general lack of trash receptacles in most places, and where there are such containers they are often full to the point that the garbage has started to form an arc above the bin. In the countryside, especially on our drive from St. Catherine’s Monastery to Taba, it was very strange to see only a few trees, scattered about, and yet all were covered in plastic bags that had clearly been flying around freely until becoming entangled in the branches with little chance of ever escaping. Additionally, on the same portion of trip, at one point the driver of our coach bus got out with a box full of empty water bottles, and threw the entire box into the sand at the side of the road. I was floored by this but he didn’t seem to give the action a second thought. While the United States produces an overwhelming percent of the world’s garbage and pollution, it’s hard to not be more shocked by the garbage of another country when it’s staring at you by the side of the Nile River. What disturbs me most about the total disregard for pollution is that Egyptians would allow ancient landmarks to be so… filthy; instead of taking pride in some of the most fascinating landmarks in the country, and even in the world, they are trashed, and also, may I add, often destroyed and defaced. For a country who’s economy relies so heavily on tourism, it’s a shame and a surprise that Egyptians don’t take more pride in the upkeep of beauties like the Great Pyramids and Giza and Luxor Temple.

On a more positive note, I’d like to stress the fact that while in Egypt and Jordan I never once felt unsafe or insecure in my surroundings. On the day when Brett, Ann and I stayed in Cairo while the rest of our group was in Alexandria, we walked the streets as obvious tourists, and yet I never felt as though we were in danger. Sure, sometimes people stared, and sometimes I received (quite a bit) of unwanted attention, but for the most part we were treated with respect. Still, it was impressive to see the overwhelming number of tourism police that are scattered throughout the country. While these men (I never once saw a tourism police woman) often seemed bored, it was admittedly reassuring to see them and also have their help in certain situations - occasionally they intervened if anyone in the group was being overly hassled by market merchants or the like. Additionally, they came to our assistance when our bus broke down in the Sinai Desert, and our bus often had a police escort car (or two) while transferring locations. When we were at large monuments and in cities, we also had an armed guard. Lastly, at all hotels and the cruise boat there were metal detectors and x-ray machines. While these measures of security didn’t always seem necessary, or relied upon, it was fascinating to compare security measures in Egypt versus those in the United States.

Our trip, in my opinion was, on the whole, wonderful and eyeopening. Regardless of how we felt about some of the aspects of the trip, it was great to share the experience with Brett, especially because it was a vacation and an engagement celebration in one. Considering the fact that my career interests lie in Africa and the Middle East, I’m happy to have finally gotten my feet on both continents, and hope that it won’t be long before I (or we) are back again.

<3 J