Many things can happen at a University campus. It’s one of those arenas, where you can go exploring, and receive a unique lesson in the element of surprise. Sometimes you run into spaces, you had no idea, were going to be vigilant on that day. Nevertheless, you are certain that you were meant to have come across it. Life is interesting, isn’t it? It’s the artistry of adventure. When you decide to take that journey, spontaneity just happens to link up on its own. Fascinating!
It was “Egypt Day,” ( around May 15, 2017) at the American University in Cairo’s New Cairo campus. I, for one, was feeling rather lucky on that day. Beautiful, bright, and sunny, I recall coming upon 14 different governorates of the Egyptian nation, being represented. Each section had a particular theme. Just imagine venturing into a different land, and you are awaited with 14 different principles, meant to be learned within that spacing. Presenting to you the styles, purpose, and messages of each governorate, you go on your own particular exploration. This is how my journey felt, in that time. On Egypt’s day!
I entered the event familiar with a few of the governorates. Nevertheless, the guests and participants treated me as if it was my first time to have visited the country. That was alright. I didn’t mind the first time, guest treatment aura. It’s always a pleasure to revisit that time when you first entered a certain period in your life. When you initially walked into a new phase of your journey, and you find yourself shaken up a bit. Initially, you are afraid and not sure if you made the right decision. Then, with time, you find yourself getting more comfortable with that path, and things become a little easier. Soon, you start to enjoy the steps you have taken. It’s inevitable that the path becomes more familiar, and you are no longer afraid. That’s how I felt on the day of “Egypt Day.” When entering upon this day, I felt the aura of arriving to Egypt for my first time, but I was not afraid. In fact, the vibes felt all too familiar.
There were different booths arranged, which represented a number of governorates. Moving through each one was symbolic in exploring the parts of Egypt. Whether they were known for their textile sector, or their connection to the Mediterranean Sea, each governorate had a lesson to teach. Those themes were reminders of how there is always something new to learn about a nation. It doesn’t matter how long you may have been in it; nor does it matter how long you matriculated throughout. Each phase requires a different lesson for you to learn. That’s the beauty of travel and your ability to move. The learning never steps.
One by one, I took a mini-tour, and travel, of Egypt. There was so much to take in. Visitors had dressed up in the theme, symbolizing their district. Certain booths were styled in representations of what each section could produce. There was pride in the midst. The eagerness in wanting to teach me something new, was received. Imagining myself visiting every single district of Egypt was an ongoing fascination for me. Most them I had never visited. Therefore, in many ways I was exploring Egypt for the first time. Being introduced to these intrinsic wonders and realities of Egyptian landscapes, I knew there was much to explore and discover. Like the United States, each state had its own vibe. The people of the land and area had cultivated, and crafted, particular vibes of that area. Making their claim and stating it well. It was definitely a site to see.
Those districts, which displayed their culinary, were giving me a lens and tastes of a few Egyptian landscapes. It was delectable and Divine. Even if you are simply tasting a certain portion of the Earth, you have made a sacred connection with the spacing. It means that you have committed yourself to her, in all of your sensory.
There were certain districts on display of Egypt Day (May 2017), at the American University In Cairo, which took on the essence of water. Not only did they reflect the very aura of water, but the energy of those representing it, shared that fluid desire, as well. There was a kind of peace within those districts, which even reflected itself in the aura of the people. I truly enjoyed it, to say the least. It has made the space, that more, familiar.
On an emotional standpoint, there was something auspicious about this day. Even now, I don’t think I have figured out the very words best describing it. What I do know is that there is a purpose in being able to sporadically come upon a particular area, while figuring out how it happened to have connected to your movement patterns, during that time. You begin to ask yourself, what was it about today, which allowed you to experience this moment? This festivity. Even years later, I continue to ponder and reflect upon this moment in time. Serving as one of the sacred memories at the American University in Cairo, it provided me with another teachable moment, and lesson, in reflection’s spacing. Repetitions in my head, while creating delicacies of reflection, the message was very clear: No matter how many times you have walked a particular spacing, there is always something new to learn. That clearly was the principle of the day.
Of course, such moments are not truly cherished, unless they are captured. Though time is perceived as “invisible,” the stories within them are not. That is definitely a lesson to be learned. It is a feeling to be “cherished.” And so, with fellow guests, and the flag in hand, our moment together has been preserved. Here I was a young, Black American woman, who had been given a tastes of Egypt’s myriad landscapes. I was filled with joy. Existing stresses presenting themselves during the day, had been erased. The picture perfect moment, sealed the deal for the sacredness of the journey. It was nourishing, and the emotional cleansing, much needed. A healing day, for Egypt’s day, and future journeys, that rests, ahead!
