On Monday October, 11th, 2009 I stepped out into the dusty night air of Cairo, Egypt. “I’m back,” I said aloud to the busy streets. Even so late into the night the city continued just as I remembered. Much like the nature of an unruly river Cairo carries on as a metropolis should with loud traffic, construction, and millions of lives bustling about. I’m privileged to have work that takes me so far away from Oklahoma, USA. My first trip to Cairo in the spring of 2007 was to train staff members of a restaurant opening in the City Stars Mall in Heliopolis.
RETURN TO
EGYPT
My heart pounded as I passed through the glass doors of the nine story luxury mall. I had returned with the hope of feeling renewed. I had spent countless hours within that enormous structure
For nearly four weeks I worked side by side with people of a different nation and different culture. I daresay I learned more from them then they did from me. I toured the city, learned the history, and fell deeply in love with the life of Cairo. My heart broke to leave and before my departure I promised I would return. Two and one half years later I found myself in the same city performing the same job, and at the same location: City Stars Mall. I realized then I was no longer privileged to have such a job, but rather blessed. Over the years my memory of Egypt had faded and I had become unable to mention precisely why I loved Cairo so much. I would say it was the museum or the culture, but I could not pinpoint where my heart lay. And on this trip I was set to find it out. The next morning came quickly and without much rest. I met my colleagues in the hotel lobby and after some tea and coffee we set out on a short walk to the mall. I stepped out onto the broken sidewalks and first noticed the fiscal diversity of the city; most notable in its buildings. On one side of the street stood the architecture of the City Stars Mall and on the other were the old residential buildings amid Luxury hotels, resorts, restaurants, and world class shopping made up the massive complex set so aggressively in face of the less fortunate. As we walked towards the southern entrance of the mall I wondered what it must be like for a child to grow up in one of those apartments without air conditioning, without privilege, and basic opportunity for a wealthy life. And then I thought of how it must feel to watch it all flourish just out of reach. I was then reminded how very different life is on the other side of the world. My heart pounded as I passed through the glass doors of the nine story luxury mall. I had returned with the hope of feeling renewed. I had spent countless hours within.
Surely within its walls I would find why I longed to return; therein would I find my love for this city. I ascended the flights of the motorized stairs slowly with a fading smile. As I came closer to the sight of the restaurant my familiarity grew, but so did my discontent. Something was different. Yes, some store fronts had changed and a few new coffee shops had opened but otherwise the mall had remained. It was me. I had changed. My colleagues were unaware of my troubles and expectations. As they entered the unopened restaurant neither did they notice me wait outside the plaster façade. I was upset. Had I really returned to the other side of the world to only do the work I do at home ? Perhaps I was too naive on my first trip. Everything was novel and meant more to a younger heart. Now older and more experienced with my work the wonders of a different culture would no longer affect me as it once did. My travels had hardened me. A minute had passed and I was deep within remorse when suddenly my attention was taken by loud voices from within the fa Cade. My curiosity increased when I next heard laughter and cheers. I waited no longer before entering the restaurant myself. “Mr. Mateus!” a shout came from a crowd of people that had turned their attention from my colleagues to me. I was, at first, startled to be greeted so loosely by strangers and certainly by the use of a nickname. However, these were not the faces of strangers but those of people I had recognized, those I had worked with, those I had known. “Mr. Mateus, Mr. Mateus, do you remember me?” “Me? Mr. Mateus, you remember?” “Look, sir, I have still the gift you gave!” The surreal nature of the moment confused me. My memory awoke with visions of nearly three years passed and the students that resided in them now stood before with smiles and excitement. And they did not look at me with surprise, rather with happiness and sated expectation. They knew I would return. I learned later that they had found out my company was returning to open another restaurant within City Stars Mall. Aside from merely seeking new employment they had applied with the hope of working again with the Americans from before. They hoped to see me again. This was the fruit of my work: affecting peoples’ lives positively. It was clear to me then. My heart was not with the museum or the ancient history of Cairo Egypt, but with its people. Despite how much I learned and took from that fabulous country it wasn’t until I returned that I learned what I had left.