Youth Opinion : A Trip Abroad ‘Made Me Cling to My Roots’

I experienced culture shock while in Egypt. It wasn’t necessarily the sights, the sounds, the smells or the tastes that surprised me most but rather the seeming lack of structure throughout the country.

I first observed it at the Cairo Airport. There was one small center for lost-luggage claims. People were crowded all around the counter shouting out their problems. The attendant did not focus on any one person but tried to please them all.

There was also no concept of lines. Many times I would be standing in what I thought was a line, when suddenly a cluster of Egyptians would appear in front of me and I would get really upset. But who is to say the American mind-set of order, of taking things one-by-one, is is correct? Maybe the Egyptians have a system of ordered chaos. Yet I couldn’t help but wonder if their seeming lack of efficiency and management contributes to why Egypt is a Third World country.

One of the biggest eye-openers came when we celebrated July 4 at the American High School in Cairo. For the first time on the trip, Americans were in the majority. The celebration was full of American food, clothes, talk, music and people. As a sign of respect toward Egyptian culture, we had dressed according to their conservative standards. But I donned shorts for the festivity and realized how much I had missed wearing them. It made me appreciate the American belief in freedom and individuality, even in the way we dress.

The whole Islamic idea of unity and assimilation, through conservative apparel, is in stark contrast. Muslims see everything in the “we” form, whereas Americans tend to see everything in the “I” form. Each view has its strengths and weaknesses. But, on the whole, I thought Muslims encompassed more of a good-will attitude. It was at the July 4 bash, back with all the other Americans, that I started worrying about theft. Yet when I was with Egyptians, I felt a sense of trust and morality and didn’t worry about that. No one in my group in this poverty-stricken nation experienced any theft or other problem.

In fact, the only real danger I encountered was in traffic. There are lane lines on the street (sometimes) and traffic signals (sometimes) but you’d hardly know it from all the constant honking. I think there might be some credence to the Egyptian saying that to get your driver’s license you have to drive in reverse at 50 m.p.h.

On the whole, being in the minority made me cling to my roots. I felt a special pride at representing my country in a nation that is overall fond of Americans.

Before I went, I associated the Middle East with terms like aggression and violence. But I realized that was a misconception stemming from ignorance. I have a newfound understanding of Egypt, America and the world in general. We must look beyond each culture’s differences and see our common bonds.