Hallas

Well, as most of you know, I have returned to the states. So far, I have not really experienced too much of culture shock, aside from the difficulty I have in sleeping with such quiet around. For not being much of a city person previously, I adjusted to the constant motion and sound of a major city very nicely. So much so that New York City is almost a little too quite, compared to Cairo at least. With the constant honking, street peddlers and the call of prayer that seemed to occur every hour due to the before prayer call and after prayer speech there was never a moment of quiet. And on top of these constant sounds I could count on hearing cat fights or dying cat screams, random blasts of rap, whining Arabic pop, and shrieking women celebrating some wedding or birth at least once a day.
New York City actually just felt like one more stop on our packed itinerary of visiting foreign cities. Because I have visited so many cities, several representing different cultures, I have adjusted to being in new places. Therefore, coming back into the states and focusing on different matters of business is not hard. The hardest thing about being back has been not being with my friends anymore. I spent four months with the same thirty people, and the last month with them 24/7. Yes there were times when I just really, really wanted to not see any of them for at least a day. But they are beautiful people nonetheless and to not have them around anymore is depressing. However, I am so excited to find out what each new experience has to offer. Visiting so many different places has taught me that I can indeed experience different lifestyles and cultures in one lifetime. I don’t have to devote my entire life to one cause in-order to experience it. I am so excited to invest myself completely in whatever experience, cause, or relationship I am presented with. And when that ends I can look back on what I’ve learned with excitement for what lies ahead.