Last Friday, UChicago organized a trip for our Cairo study abroad group to visit two châteaux in the Loire valley, a rural area outside of Paris known for its many palaces where French royalty used to spend part of their royal time.
It was ironic, because that same day was originally going to be the day that we visit Luxor and explore the Valley of the Kings, where most of the Egyptian pharaohs were buried in their splendid tombs.
This pretty much sums up how I've felt in the last month: excited about living in Paris and also heartsick for Egypt.
It's been very difficult to adjust while feeling divided between Paris, Cairo, and Chicago. Having a new city to explore, however, has been a joy and a comfort. I love Paris and I know I will return many times in my life.
At this point, the life we enjoyed in Egypt seems a long time ago. It's a strange thing - when I arrived in Paris a month ago, I was a stranger in a foreign land, and I felt I had left my home country when I left Egypt. I also was not yet ready to return to Chicago. Now that I'm fully adjusted and very comfortable in Paris, I find myself reminiscing about life in Egypt as well as life Chicago. But my nostalgia for Egypt is mixed with pain and anxiety because I know that Egypt continues to struggle, and I don't know what it will be like when I return, or when I will even be able to return.
The life we had in Egypt no longer exists - for better or worse. Our time there was cut short, but I will go back when the time is right, and I hope my friends who want to return to Egypt have the opportunity to do so under better conditions in the future. When we return, we will have to discover Egypt all over again. But the culture,charisma, and hospitality that made us feel so at home will always be there to welcome us back.
It was ironic, because that same day was originally going to be the day that we visit Luxor and explore the Valley of the Kings, where most of the Egyptian pharaohs were buried in their splendid tombs.
This pretty much sums up how I've felt in the last month: excited about living in Paris and also heartsick for Egypt.
It's been very difficult to adjust while feeling divided between Paris, Cairo, and Chicago. Having a new city to explore, however, has been a joy and a comfort. I love Paris and I know I will return many times in my life.
At this point, the life we enjoyed in Egypt seems a long time ago. It's a strange thing - when I arrived in Paris a month ago, I was a stranger in a foreign land, and I felt I had left my home country when I left Egypt. I also was not yet ready to return to Chicago. Now that I'm fully adjusted and very comfortable in Paris, I find myself reminiscing about life in Egypt as well as life Chicago. But my nostalgia for Egypt is mixed with pain and anxiety because I know that Egypt continues to struggle, and I don't know what it will be like when I return, or when I will even be able to return.
The life we had in Egypt no longer exists - for better or worse. Our time there was cut short, but I will go back when the time is right, and I hope my friends who want to return to Egypt have the opportunity to do so under better conditions in the future. When we return, we will have to discover Egypt all over again. But the culture,charisma, and hospitality that made us feel so at home will always be there to welcome us back.
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