In a coffee shop in rainy Portland, I feel a sort of strange disassociation from the English speakers around me. In a way, I miss the unintelligible Arabic tongue I had grown accustomed to, miss the concentration it afforded me while writing. Eavesdropping was largely impossible for me in the Middle-East, and conversely, unavoidable in the states, and so here I have sat, for what seems an hour, staring at a blank screen, wondering when I may have the privilege of traveling yet again. But the trip has re-ignited a certain glean to this city, and it has occurred to me that perhaps I should more view my hometown as another destination on life's journey, and not merely a place to pursue the patterns and rituals of the so-called rat race. That being said, I believe there is much to explore here, and I have in no way exhausted the possibilities to make new discoveries and engage fascinating people.
There is much to be missed though. The hospitality, the ettiquette, the beautiful desert scenery and the sheer electricity that coursed through my veins when I first saw Khufu's capstone towering over the buildings of Cairo, or when the facade of The Treasury subtly peered out at me from between the narrow canyon walls of that magically winding siq. And though it may occur in the twilight of my life, how could I ever foget the stars of Sinai, as our taxi wound through the rocky crags between Nuweiba and Dahab, the sky so abundantly sated with the glow of those fantastic orbs, so numerous they resembled luminescent spider webs? My trip to the Middle-East, in essence a glimpse of the path of Alexander the Great, did not, as hoped, reveal to me my life's path, or offer a tangible experience with God. Rather, it imparted to me the exhaustive breadth of possibilities that are so readily available to those who would take them. My two months backapcking was often dwarfed by those travelers I had met who had come to tackle Arabic, or teach, or volunteer their time and effort in helping others. To merely see, is undoubtedly wonderful, but to push beyond the mere practice of tourism through cultural involvement, well, that's truly noble. And utterly motivating. And has opened up more possibilities than ever even considered. I will remember those stars, but beyond creating mere memories lies infinitely more important desires: To engage, to rouse, and to inspire. The world beckons.
The End.
