Response to those who are concerned about my travel habits. (AKA traveling to the Middle East)

DEAR CONCERNED FAMILY MEMBER OR FRIEND,

I know that based on what you see and read in the news, the idea of your loved one traveling to the Middle East may be scary, especially if you have never spent any time in the region or any time around Muslims and/or Arabs.

Please don't treat me like I'm making bad decisions. I have no more desire to be around violence than you do. I know a safe situation from an unsafe one. I am not about to go putting myself into scenarios that are overly risky. I know how to stay away from riots, protests, and war zones.  I know how to trust my intuition about the safety of a certain part of town or a sleazy cab driver.

As an adult, I am more than capable of making my own decisions about my life. I will take this opportunity to remind you that I was one of the few international students who stayed in Egypt during the 2011 revolution despite tremendous pressure from family, school, government, and other students to leave, and I have been back safely several times since! I am very stubborn and as much as I love and respect my friends and family, I'm sorry but it is highly unlikely that I will change my plans or opinions based on your worries. I know your worries come from a place of love, but please take a few minutes to read what I have written below, because it is very likely that you are misinformed and culturally biased.

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Let me start by talking specifically about Egypt, since I travel there the most:

I have many dear friends in Egypt, some of whom have connections that could be used to get out of a tight situation in the extremely unlikely event that it would be necessary. I love them, we take care of each other, we have a wonderful time exploring and spending time together. My friends are the number one reason that I travel to Egypt and will continue to do so.

Cairo is a big city and it is extremely easy to stay away from troublesome parts and protests. It is also actually a very safe city as cities go! Crime and danger exist everywhere, I feel much more unsafe in many places in Europe and the US (Paris, Naples Italy, LA, NYC, ....... even Denver, a half hour from my own home!!) than I ever have in Egypt.

Here are some statistics for ya:
- In terms of gun violence the United states is MUCH more dangerous than most countries in the world, except for active war zones and a few exceptions!

- Homicide rates - Egypt is way safer than the US and even safer than boring old Canada!!

- Kidnapping is not a common issue where I like to travel, and there are precautions one can take to avoid such things (using the buddy system, for example).

The worst issues in Cairo are sexual harassment (mostly just catcalls on the street and occasionally groping), which are not difficult to deal with and are not threatening at all if you're with a group of people which I almost always am, and petty theft (which is still actually pretty rare). Reports of sexual assault occur primarily AT protests/large gatherings of people, which I'm not planning on participating in.

Honestly I'm much more likely to die tragically driving my car on a daily basis than for anything bad to happen to me in Cairo.

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Now to address what I think is the real issue here: Ignorance and racism

The media is full of hype and islamophobia, so don't take it too seriously. They don't show 99% of the realities of life, which usually happens to be the peaceful, kind, stable, unscary part (or the part that doesn't agree with that media source's specific political agenda). But.... thanks to the current political opinions of our government and society, anywhere where there are Muslims (*Gasp*) becomes ohhhh so dangerous in everybody's mind. The vast majority of Muslims are very ANTI-violence. They disagree strongly with people who commit acts of terrorism in the name of their religion, which urges its followers to be peaceful and kind to fellow human beings (and animals too :D) - See Quran 5:32 for example. Idiots and criminals commit crimes in the name of every religion imaginable in every part of the world.

I know that there is tension regarding people's opinions of American politics. Most people I've met however know the difference between a country's government/politics and an individual person. I am sometimes asked about my opinions on certain political issues, and from there we move on and talk about other things. It isn't as big of a deal as you may think. Not to mention the fact that for some reason, most people who meet me think that I am either British or German... :P

I also oftentimes have people tell me that I should stay away from the region because "it's unsafe for women." I don't really want to go on my huge rant about this in this post because it would take days to put all on paper and I'm sure that's not what you came here to read about... But here's the short version: Like it or not, women face unsafe situations all over the world and sexism is very much alive and kicking. Yes there are many disgusting chauvinistic men in the middle east who I would very much like to personally castrate. I have met just as many of these unsavory characters in America, Europe, and Asia. Sexism and abuse of women is not unique to any culture, skin color, religion, and so on. If I, as a woman, choose to cower in fear and never leave my house, hometown, or country just because I am afraid of a little bit of sexism, that sexism would be winning! I refuse to exclude myself from the beautiful adventures of life just because I am a woman, so don't even go there with me.

Finally, I like to remind people that you can't just generalize about "the middle east" (or any area of the world or group of people for that matter). Each country and area faces its own issues and just because something is happening somewhere in the region doesn't mean it is at all applicable to a specific situation.


Hope that helps clear things up for you. Lots of love!!

(Photo taken by me, view from Azhar Park in Cairo. Jan, 2012)

Dancing with my Dark Reflection

In a state of freedance, I looked in the mirror in the dark, and met the dark magic, powerful goddess who lives in my reflection. 

She scares me, but I can’t live without her. She is part of me and must be heard. 

What does she want? 

I can’t see her face clearly – it is blurry and so dark, she just looks at me, and it seems at any moment that she will morph into the powerful darkness. 

I just have to keep dancing. 

Who is she? I want to know her.
She has always been there, since I was a little girl, I have been running from her. She scares me with her power. 

But she is me.

 

Written and photographed while living in Cairo, Spring 2011

The Essence of Exploration

My essence is a shapeshifter.

My soul likes to experiment with confusion.

My body dances into different shapes through brilliantly colored tutus. Sometimes I wear all black.

I am an explorer.

I enjoy joyfully expanding into a new persona, exploring new ways of thinking, looking in new directions.

I flourish between the sacred privacy of being covered with sumptuous fabrics to celebrations of bare feminine sensuality.

No facade of drug-induced false realities will ever appeal to me. There are too many places, thoughts, too much true sparkle to need a diversion.

Exploration does not only come in the form of traveling to far away places. It means becoming familiar with the unknown inside yourself. It means letting yourself be pulled in unexpected directions by the flow of the universe.

Never stop learning, be a student of this existence.

(street art, photo taken in Asilah, Morocco by moi, Sept. 2012)

Rumi: The Moon is the Same Moon

I adore Rumi. I read this poem recently and it struck home. Enjoy!

The Moon is the Same Moon

Know that the world of created things
Is like pure and limpid water
In which shine the attributes
Of the Omnipotent One
Consciousness, justice, mercy
Are like stars of heaven
Reflected in the running water.
Kings are the theater
Of the royalty of God;
Sages are the mirrors
Of God's Eternal Wisdom.
Generations have passed away,
A new generation has come;
The moon is the same moon
But the water's not the same.
Justice is the same justice,
Knowledge the same knowledge,
But generation has replaced generation
In a long and endless chain.
Generation after generation
Have gone into the dark
But the Divine Attributes
Are changeless and eternal.
The water in this river
Has changed innumerable times;
The reflection of the moon and stars
Has remained unaltered.
Its origin is not the water
But the Light-Kingdoms of Heaven.

(Originally from the Mathnawi; Source: Teachings of Rumi by Andrew Harvey)