Alexandria

The afternoon bus to Alexandria took about 3 ½ hours. When we got there, we went straight to the library to meet the girls. They showed us around Alexandria, and we went shopping and they bought us dinner before we had to be back on the ship.

While we were eating dinner, Emy asked us what we thought about Islam. She went on to tell us that there is a book in the Koran that says if somebody attacks you that you must attack them back to remain strong. She said that what happened on 9/11 was wrong because the people in the towers had done nothing to attack Islam, but that Israel was an attack on Islam and that she felt it was right to kill the Israelis. This blew me away to hear such a sweet young girl justify killing people based on her religion. Even in Egypt, which is officially a secular state, the mentality is very religious. In America decisions are not made for religious reasons, and this is just a completely different way of thinking. This is one of the main things about the Middle East that westerners fail to understand.

If you are in Egypt, never attempt to hug a woman! When we were getting in the cab to leave for the ship, out of habit I went to give Emy a goodbye hug. She startled and jumped back about 10 feet. Even the cab driver started yelling “Why you do, American!” In Egypt shaking hands is the closest that you will get to a girl who you don’t intend to marry, so keep your distance!