a trip to the middle east (by judah).

Okay, testing, testing. This is my first blog, so if it isn’t as smooth as those written by my adept mother, please be patient.

Last month, I got the privilege to go to the Middle East with Dad. It was my first overseas trip since India, a decade ago. I soon found the familiarity in the plane flights and foreign food, though at age fourteen, I have a little more maturity and wisdom then in my more “innocent years”.

 

 

Our first flight was from SC to DC. It was only a couple hours, and a good appetizer to the next two flights. I brought my NEO2 word processor for company, confining all my writing projects to that device. It was a life-saver during the long hours in airports, hotel rooms, smoke-filled lobbies, and, of course, the planes.

The second flight was from DC to Germany. I’d realized quickly that my previous flights across the Atlantic had failed to remind me what a pain in the rear it is to be trapped in a plane for 8+ hours. After a short layover, we took our last flight to our destination, the Middle East. I was impressed by the mosques, apartments, and other samples of architecture that differed from that of the U.S. The hotel was an awesome experience. Since it was a popular go-to in that region, there was a wedding there almost every night. The hotel also allowed me to sample the various desserts from that area.

 

 

After we got situated in the hotel, we decided to explore the city. I soon learned that there were no traffic rules. The taxi drivers were masters in the arts of drifting, swerving, honking, and excessive cursing. Let’s just say I learned a lot of Arabic vocabulary in those rides.

 

 

Our main touring that evening happened in the local market, which spanned across the alleyways between apartments. The merchants were pleased to find some Americans to manipulate, and would drag us into their shops, claiming that they could “show you something you’ve never seen before”, or “interest you greatly”. We found out that once you’ve seen the first three stalls, you’ve seen all the goods available. We got lost in the market a few times, because the guides would always lead us to businesses owned by their relatives. Even the police could not be trusted when it came to directions.

 

 

I was impressed that the merchants were multilingual, and could guess your nationality without much trouble. After awhile, I would tease them by responding in French, Spanish, or even Latin, a language they never knew. I have found a new weapon in my war against that dead language: it didn’t help at all with understanding Arabic.

 

 

We eventually found a place to eat at, after much misguiding from the various people we asked. We were served vegetables, hummus, lamb, pita, and, you guessed it, stuffed pigeon. I only succumbed to holding it for the picture, but didn’t want to eat it. My courage only goes so far. The rest of the food was excellent, a perfect introduction to Middle Eastern food.

 

 

The next day we visited one of the museums, known as the Civilization Museum. There was one floor devoted to display cases showing tools, pottery, furniture, etc. The floor below was where they housed the mummies. For preservation reasons, security forbade pictures to be taken of the mummies, otherwise you guys would see a dadgum avalanche of mummy pictures. There were about twenty on display, their faces and feet bare. We were told about the mummifying process, and weren’t that hungry after hearing about it.

 

 

We got a chance to take a boat ride down the Nile. It was very serene, the water flowing gently, the breeze blowing…it felt like something out of the Lord of the Rings.

 

 

The…boater? boat guy? sailor? let me grasp the rudder. I’m one of those people who both figuratively and literally like steering my own ship … ’tis one of my many sins.

 

 

We returned to the market for a short walk and some coffee, which was needed to cure the jet lag. It was way less crowded during the day. I got to sample a variety of drinks during the trip, including sugar cane juice, mango juice, and hibiscus juice. The last was disgusting. I took a big gulp after the server claimed that it cured blood pressure and was the delicious nectar of the gods, and … I’m still recovering.

During the trip, I managed to learn some Arabic. It is insanely difficult, because slight mispronunciation can translate as an entirely different word. The people there were very patient, and I learned about 20+ words and phrases, but have retained only a few. The trip was very eventful. I taught the youth that I was decent at Ultimate Frisbee, accidentally offended people in Arabic conversation, had some awkward encounters, and learned a lot about the culture. I even brought home some Arabic gum to try when I get my braces off.

We took the same flights home, and made it back safely. It took a week for me to recover from jet lag and some digestion issues because of the foreign food, but now I’m fully revived. All in all, it was an epic trip.