The Rainbow Nation

South Africa is not a travel option for many Egyptians, I went to get material for my research.
I was received by a middle aged Indian-origin friend, a second generation of Indian immigrants to South Africa, and considers herself as South African, not Indian. I anticipated an Indian accent in her speech, but it did not come out. She did not even have Indian costumes. I kept my silence thinking about the second generations of Egyptians, my thoughts took me from one place of contestation to the other, about identity.
All these myriads of thoughts chased each other till the car pulled down. She pressed on a remote control that opened a garage and locked it behind her. She smiled apologetically for locking us in “for security reasons, it is not like Egypt. Things are becoming better and everything needs time”.
I have never been in the house of anyone abroad either in Europe or the States before. Worry started to creep slowly, “I’m very tired, I can take a Taxi to the hotel, thank you for invitation, really but I’m very tired” I said hesitantly.
She smiled and said “everyone is here waiting for you, I’ve told them how I met your mom on the cruise and how amazing the trip and very useful your mom was. They are very existed to meet someone from Egypt, we love Egypt”.
Her words set me on a mission of representing Egypt that they love. It was very warm inside, there were smiling faces and welcoming hands. She introduced me to her son who looked as much Indian as her, to his wife a short stout, very African woman, to her daughter, another Indian with a short dyed brown hair, and to her husband a very tall blond what it seemed very European. I was amazed. My constructed images about nations and its people were completely eroded. How can those people mix? or sit ? or even accept to be in the same room?
I discovered that we accept only those who are just like us in color, shape, ethnic background, even age.