BECAUSE I BELIEVED IN ME (MY EGYPTIAN FANTASY CAME TRUE) is a love story of Egypt and Egyptians. An ordinary American woman traveled to Cairo alone to teach and had the greatest adventure of her life. She went there to enable young Egyptians to become more fluent in English, but she became a student again herself. She learned to become an Egyptian woman and to survive successfully in a culture so different from hers. What she learned, experienced, and enjoyed in the Land of the Pharoahs is captured in her own words and emotions. She shares her many exciting adventures, her interesting but sometimes difficult daily life, her incredible teaching experience, and her students and her many friendships formed there plus her new and profound insights and understanding of Islam-once an extremely unfamiliar faith to her-and its true meaning. The reader will hopefully share her passion for a country that has now become like her second home and for its people who have become like her family.

Because I Believed in Me (My Egyptian Fantasy Came True)

A True Life AdventureBy Randi D. Ward

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2012 Randi D. Ward
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4772-8915-0

Contents

Dedication and Heart Felt Appreciation......................................................ixIntroduction-Reflections Before I Begin My Love Story of Egypt.............................xvChapter 1-The Beginning of a Love Affair with Misr.........................................1Chapter 2-A Surprising Invitation..........................................................5Chapter 3-A Problem That Led to My First Great Egyptian Adventure..........................10Chapter 4-The Beginning of Beautiful Friendships...........................................16Chapter 5-My Humorous Moment as a Star.....................................................30Chapter 6-Randi, the Wedding Crasher!!.....................................................34Chapter 7-A Chance for a New Life Opportunity..............................................38Chapter 8-Getting Ready for the Greatest Experience of My Life.............................40Chapter 9-Getting Settled in My New Homes..................................................43Chapter 10-Modaressa Randi Begins Once More................................................48Chapter 11-The Most Rewarding Experience in My Career......................................52Chapter 12-Mohamed, Heba, and Egyptian Family Hospitality..................................63Chapter 13-Pyramids, Camels, Koshary, the Nile, and So Much More...........................66Chapter 14-Acts of Kindness................................................................70Chapter 15-Awesome Days at the Culture Wheel Chinese Festival and More.....................76Chapter 16-An Inspirational Day with My Hejab..............................................86Chapter 17-Too Close to the Revolution.....................................................91Chapter 18-First Year Celebration of Independence Day......................................96Chapter 19-A Fun Day as an Egyptian University Student!!...................................103Chapter 20-A Very Special Couple – A Love Story......................................106Chapter 21-"Let Me Entertain You"..........................................................110Chapter 22-Good Times with New Friends and Reunions with Old Friends.......................114Chapter 23-Egyptian Art Through the Creative Eyes of Mohamed Farghaly......................126Chapter 24-My Personal Physician and Friend Emo............................................133Chapter 25-Final Return To My Oasis Paradise...............................................140Chapter 26-Honorable Mentions..............................................................149Chapter 27-Islam, As I See It!!............................................................156Chapter 28-My Last Days in Egypt...........................................................159Sources Cited in My Book....................................................................164

Chapter One

The Beginning of a Love Affair with Misr

In order to understand how and when my love and passion for this amazing and now at times turbulent country began, I must describe my first encounter with Egypt. My husband Bill and I traveled to Egypt in July 1996. I had always dreamed of going there to see the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx nearby, the Egyptian Museum, and the majestic Nile River. Our trip included visits to these magnificent places plus others in Cairo and Giza with a side trip to the beautiful Mediterranean city of Alexandria and then followed by an unbelievable five night Nile River cruise with stops along the way at Aswan Dam, Kom Ombo, and finally the Upper Egypt city of Luxor.

It was on this cruise that I had my first significant relationship with an Egyptian citizen named Hassan Awad Mahmood, a twenty-four year old young man from the Aswan/Kom Ombo area. This highly intelligent young man was just beginning his career as a tour guide and director. His love and enthusiasm for his beloved Misr were extremely contagious. For many hours during those enjoyable and fascinating five days, Hassan and I would chat about his country, its history, and its amazing antiquities; he taught me to love his every word and to love this land, its people, and their culture.

This was also my first real exposure to Islam and a really devout Muslim. Hassan was one of the finest young men I had ever met. His heart was pure, his faith was so strong, and his character was beyond question. We talked about many topics related to both of our faiths-his Islam and my Christianity. We decided at the end of these discussions that even with our many cultural differences and our different religious beliefs that we still had much in common. Our moral values, our family values, and our hopes and dreams for the future were so similar. We bonded very quickly and became close friends during this short span of time.

During our stop at the Aswan Dam, I became very ill from the intense heat. That day the temperature rose to 118 degrees Fahrenheit, and I suffered a mild heat stroke. I do not remember too much about this experience, except that Hassan immediately recognized my medical emergency and came to my rescue nursing me back to health until I could get back to the air conditioned cruise ship inconveniently docked in the Nile River behind two other cruise ships. After a short rest, I recovered enough to enjoy the evening meal and festivities on the ship, including dancing to both Arabic and American music until late that night, thanks to the care of my sweet friend. What had been a scary afternoon turned into a memorable evening.

At the end of the trip we said goodbye to each other on the tour bus. We had spent the day touring the lovely city of Luxor. Hassan walked off the bus and waved goodbye. We were transported back to the cruise ship to wait for transportation to the airport and our short flight back to Cairo and then the much longer flight later that night to Atlanta. We promised to stay in contact, but for the next fourteen years we had no contact.

On the flight home I once again had brief contacts with some more Egyptians. I met two Egyptian Olympians headed for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in my home of Atlanta. One was a runner and the other one was a rifleman. I shared with them how much I had enjoyed my trip to their country. I wish I could remember their names. I tried to locate this information when I got home but was unsuccessful. The rifleman lived along the Red Sea. The romantic way in which he described this beautiful area made me start dreaming of returning to Egypt to witness the wonder of this region.

I arrived home and resumed my life in Georgia, but I never forgot the brief encounter with these Egyptian athletes and the amazing friendship I had formed with Hassan, this sweet young Egyptian who had been so kind to me. I also could not forget how peaceful and calm I would feel when I thought about my first adventure to this great land.

In August 2010, I found an old wallet and to my great surprise found an old business card Hassan had given me. Without the slightest hesitation, I googled his full name on the net and instantly found that he was on Facebook. I quickly wrote him a message and requested him as a Facebook friend. My message simply said, "This is Randi Ward. I was on a cruise with you in July 1996 and had such a wonderful time. I am wondering if you remember me. If so, I would like to reconnect with you and hope you will accept my...