Looking out over the large city bustling with the noise of street vendors and shoppers, sophomore Jennah El-Ashmawi immediately knew that she was going to have an exciting and action-packed four weeks. After the Egyptian revolution of 2011, she and her family had been waiting for a safe time to plan a vacation to Egypt.

When El-Ashmawi stepped off the plane, she noticed was how the city lights shimmered beautifully.

“I was really nervous about flying because I heard that the airline I would be flying on was unsafe, and traveling through that part of the world, [the Middle East], was scary at first,” El-Ashmawi said.

Staying in Cairo and Alexandria, she learned about the culture, the language and how people act differently in that country. She even got the opportunity to ride a camel in Cairo, where she circled the Great Pyramid of Giza.

“The camel was really rocky so I was scared I was going to fall off, but the view of the pyramids was so breathtaking I didn’t even care,” El-Ashmawi said.

She also noticed that, in comparison to five years ago, when she last visited the country, people had adopted a more Western way of dress.

El-Ashmawi said that people there are much more welcoming and easy to talk to. On her trip, she often made conversation with people around her, such as when she was waiting in a long line at a cafe.

The strangest thing El-Ashmawi witnessed was the sight of a boy, around 9 years old, walking past her on the street with a gun tucked under his shirt.

“The kid was with some other guys and he looked very calm and his face didn’t show any emotion that would make you think he was dangerous,” El-Ashmawi said. “I was scared because I had never seen anything like that before.”  

El-Ashmawi mentioned that the best part of her trip was going jet skiing at the north coast with her family friends. To her, the clean white sand and stunning view of the beach made the trip memorable.

“I had so much fun was so sad when I had to leave,” El-Ashmawi said. “It was such a relaxed vacation and I was so fortunate to share it with my family and close friends.”