Blog Post #6: Countdown to Egypt

As the day of my departure draws near, I am finally beginning to get at least some semblance of a plan for my time in Egypt. 

After we arrive from Rome on Tuesday, February 11^th, the first several days will be spent in Cairo and specifically, as I noted in my last post, in the affluent neighborhood of Heliopolis where many of my family members live. In reviewing the packet of letters and other correspondence my mother maintained during her years in Egypt, I noticed that it was in fact in Heliopolis where she married my biological father at the home of my paternal grandfather on the evening of September 22^nd, 1977. 

While in Cairo, I have a sense that there will be some large dinners and other social events for family to come and meet me. My father has asked me to bring a suit and be ready for some formality. After forty years, I’m fairly certain my reception will be akin to the wholehearted embrace of the prodigal son in the beloved parable from the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of Luke. 

Then, on Friday morning, February 14^th, I’ll plan to accompany my Lutheran pastor friend, Adam to St. Andrew’s United Church of Cairo where he once interned and has been invited to preach.

St. Andrew’s is an interdenominational ministry, founded in 1908, with an impactful mission for refugees from other African countries, located in downtown Cairo not far from Tahrir Square. Weekly worship is Friday at 10am reflective of the fact that churches in Egypt follow the Muslim rhythm of Friday prayers. 

That afternoon, at 4pm, we’ll fly out of Cairo on an Egypt Air flight and head south to begin several days in the city of Luxor.

As previously noted, this city, that was once ancient Thebes and the capital of the country thousands of years ago, is the ancestral home of my family, the Haggagis (my sister, Yousra, has referred to it as “my home town” in messages to me). This is where my mother lived with my father for most of her years in Egypt.

Thus, my days in Luxor will be spent exploring both the history of ancient Egypt and that of my family. There’ll be trips to celebrated sites such as the Valley of the Kings and Karnak as well as time with relatives cruising along the Nile.

I’ll also want to see some of my parent’s old hang outs like the Etap hotel that my mother references in many of her letters home. 

We’ll return to Cairo briefly before departing the country on February 20^th for an early morning flight to Rome. 

Much is still unknown and, admittedly, many of these details could change (see “we make plans and God laughs”). But, as I finish my preparations to travel and pick up the last of the gifts I plan to bring with me, this skeletal itinerary is helpful. 

Now, back to packing!