Hello Blog!

It is crazy to think this is the second to last blog post of this wildly fun experience but I must say its been quite fulfilling both in my personal growth in career aspirations.  I have truly learned how to be fully dependant upon myself for not only survival but also self  entertainment. I feel as though I am walking away from this experience a better version of myself and for that I am extremely grateful to Lumos for making possible.

Over the last two weeks so many exciting things happened, the main event being that Ilaria and I took a trip to Siwa, Egypt! It was truly magical as the natives of the land speak their own language, have their own customs, and partake in different traditions than the typical Egyptian would.  It’s interesting because Siwa is part of Egypt they even have their own governing system completely set apart from Cairo and go to religious authority to handle their disputes rather than police. Throughout llaria and I’s experience we visited historically significant sights such as the place where Alexander the Great visited Egypt, and the place of battle between the two tribes who lived in the region over two thousand years prior which was significant to the history of the natives who still occupy the land to this day.

In addition, the group got to experience things like the salt lakes which naturally are present in the region and cause you to float once inside, and the oasis in the middle of the sand desert which was my first time experiencing this which was hot and supposedly good for you. We tried riding sand boards which turned out to be really fun,  even though we ate sand in the process. One other notable experience was going on a safari which was more like a rollercoaster than a car ride, the thrill was phenomenal but my trust in the driver was immeasurable as he guided us through a seemingly impossible to navigate journey in the sand dunes.

A highlight of the trip was conversing with others on the trip who were quite friendly and who took us under their wing the entire trip to make sure our experience was pleasant, which was truly so kind. This kindness resulted in close friendship being formed and great conversations being held which were truly unforgettable. I especially got close to this australian couple who were recently engaged and were speaking English, which I missed dearly. We talked about the Egypt experience as an outsider and the entire conversation was truly insightful, it felt like journaling but where you the reader can reply in real time.

In other news unrelated to travel, the Egyptian experience in Egypt has been quite unique in Ramadan. The overall mood is very light heart and friendly with the late nights becoming more expected due to the late hours of the restaurants. I haven’t quite figured out the best time to go get food as there is a preference given to the muslims who fasted all day but nonetheless its been fun and definitely a very culturally unique experience.

That’s all for now blog !

I’ll see you all in Nashville very soon,

Until Next Time,

Nardien Sadik

Cairo, Egypt