Finally home.....

So....I am finally back home. The journey back was smooth except for a tiny instance at the airport in Alexandria, where they mistook my metal bracelet for bullets!!!! Can you believe that...no less than bullets huh? I was asked to open my suitcase....which I had painstakingly shut ...... what with bulging shawls and clothes and a whole lot of books!!! I opened it and they inspected the bracelet....and I was finally let off!!! From then on....the journey was smooth.

When the plane was airborne , I looked down at the twinkling lights below. In the evening light, Alexandria looked neat and pretty. There was a tinge of sadness....it was not just the place that I was leaving behind....but the people I had stayed with.....the bonds that I had come to share. I made some wonderful friends. It was simply amazing to live with people from all over the world day in and day out....and experience life in a strange place together.

Now that I am finally home....it seems so strange. As I made my way to meet my colleagues at work yesterday, the trip to Egypt seemed so distant and surreal.....like it was all a dream! I am glad that i got the opportunity to visit the place and interact with a wide range of people. When I am asked about my trip, all I can say is that it was no less than an adventure!!! I may have cribbed about it when I was there, but I would have it no other way. ....life was fun. We shared some pretty crazy times together...on the street and otherwise.....to the calls of "samarra...samarra", "misriya?", "you spik arabik?"...

On the whole...an unforgettable experience.....