Category Archives: Egypt

Joani, My Second Chance

Being stuck together with your family for a year is quite a feat. When I say “stuck” I don’t mean the staying in the same house for 18 years kind of “stuck” (because I already did that). I mean really stuck. For a whole year as we traveled around the world, we shared the same food, slept in the same beds, used the same bathrooms, fought for the same computers, watched the same TV shows, and all suffered the invasion of our private space. But being “stuck” is also what brought my sister closer to me. This trip not only gave me back a sister, but also a friend.

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Three Pots of Tea to Make a Friend at the Red Sea

“I have traveled for 3 weeks in Egypt. You are the first person that made me angry!” I yelled at the Arab driver.

I never felt so angry for a long time. In Egypt we faced scams in most of the tourist spots, with the Pyramid of Giza being the worst. As the hostel owner at the Giza said, “Since the Pyramid is the number one attraction in the world, it comes with the  number one scammers in the world.” But despite all the fake prices and lies that we endured, I never got angry. This morning was a different story. Continue reading Three Pots of Tea to Make a Friend at the Red Sea

Losing a Loved One in the Valley of the Kings — Luxor, Egypt

“Kids, I have bad news,” Annie said soberly after reading her Wechat messages. “Zoe is sick. Xiao Xia said that after seeing the veterinarian, she has not been eating or drinking and is losing weight.”

Annie continued, “At the vet, they took her blood for testing and Zoe got really scared. After that she seems to be worse. The result of the test showed that something is wrong but the vet seemed not to know what he is doing. Xiao Xia said that the vet was flipping through medical books to understand the test result. Just the test cost RMB750 already.”

“Can we call the doctor that used to see Zoe? I don’t want her to be scared again…” Joani said almost bursting into tears thinking about the emotional and physical trauma Zoe might have just gone through. “Can we fly back to China now?”

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Celebrating Thanksgiving and Birthday in Egypt

“Who will plan my birthday next year…” Olivia sobbed with tears running down her cheeks. “Who will spend Thanksgiving with me next year…Who will be excited about my birthday…?”

Olivia sat cross-legged on a large stripped cushion that covered the entire deck of the felucca sailboat. She was crying and holding the drawings and gifts she had just received from all of us for her 19th birthday. Continue reading Celebrating Thanksgiving and Birthday in Egypt