Welcome to Egypt

Still ringing in my ears is this phrase I heard over and over by Egyptians in the streets, in the stores, in museums and at archaelogical sites - "Welcome to Egypt"! At first when I heard this I thought, what do they want and are they being cynical. I know that's a terrible thought but when you hear this from a stranger in a strange land smiling at you in an unfamiliar way, you think that it must have some other meaning than it's literal content.

Every day people are trying to get your attention. They want to persuade you to come into their store to buy something or see what they have for sale on the street. It's non-stop and takes a while to reach a point of almost not hearing them anymore. Over and over it occurs. Hearing welcome phrases in addition to this feels no different. However after a few days I realized, wait a minute, this is real. They really are welcoming us. They really do appreciate us visiting their country and they are so proud of it!

Another typical custom of Egyptians is an invitation to their family home even upon having just met. Again my first reaction was to decline these offers and continue on with my day. But then I found in my LP (Lonely Planet) a reference to these offers and that if especially offered by a female, to jump on the chance. This is an excellent way to find out what real Egyptian life is all about that you may never experience otherwise.

My overall impression of Egyptians is of emmense respect and admiration. For it seems to me that these behaviors are somewhat lost in the western world unless you come from a small town. I really wish this wasn't so. Fear.