Well I made it to Sharm El Sheik, Egypt. What a day! I finally got confirmation on my ticket here at 3 yesterday and I flew out at 6 this morning. It's only a 2 1/2 hour flight to Cairo which is really nice and about the same flying time from Khartoum to Darfur. But I got to Cairo and the Immigration guys gave me a hard time about visa requirements and were very rude about it - a trend that I am starting to see in Egyptian men. So in my 'I NEED A BREAK' state of mine - that didn't go very well. So a little break down in the Cairo airport and then on my way to the desert oasis. So far I am shocked at the beauty of this place. There are beautiful mountains in the middle of the desert with the Red Sea surrounding it all. It's amazing what you can create with a little water and money in the middle of the desert. I'm staying at an amazing all inclusive hotel with three swimming pools and more than five restaurants. Ya - the tough life of an aid worker in Sudan. But I have gone through every emotion that I think is humanly possible today. Plus I am in tourist mecca so that adds to some frustration and annoyance. I know that I am one of them right now but that doesn't make anyone else less annoying. Of course I am the perfect tourist, respectful of the culture and not treating people like my personal slaves.
So I don't think anything went well today. Issues in Cairo and then the airport suttle didn't pick me up, then I arrived at the hotel and it was total caos with rude people yelling at people behind the desk. I had second thoughts about this whole trip and really wanted to crawl back to comfortable Darfur. I know I think I'm really messed up. I'm reading this fiction novel today and it's about this guy that gets his memeory erased and is told a bunch of things to make him think that he is someone else. It got me thinking about how comfortable we get in our surroundings. Either physical, mental or emotional. Right now I know that I need a break from everything happening at work but yet all that stress is comfortable. In this book this guy is put in a dark room for days on end dealing with extreme temperatures and horrible conditions. But when he gets out of his room he wants to go back because that is what he knows. His conditions in that room are not good for him but he becomes accusome to it and begins to desire it when he needs something safe. It just got me thinking that even though time of the beach is much better for me in so many ways, many times today I wanted to head back to Nyala - to something I know and seems safe. It started more thoughts on how we get comfortable in situations that may not be good for us but are comfortable and secure. But there is an oasis waiting for us that will rejuvinate us and gove us more strength and energy for what lies ahead of us. Just food for thought....
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