Amr Diab was my first contact with Egyptian culture, even before seeing the pyramids, and this was the first of his songs I heard – a classic for all Egyptians. It remains one of my favorites from the singer.
I even got to see him live in Concert on a later trip the same year.
What brought me to Egypt was an AIESEC Conference – AfroEXPRO, for the truly savvy. It was week long gathering of African AIESEC members from all around the continent, with a few outsiders from Canada and Europe.
As I started communicating with the organizers to handle registration and travel logistics, I also got a taste of Egyptian culture: more songs, history, food, travel and cultural advice for my visit. I learned a lot about the country and its culture in the weeks leading up to my arrival; AIESEC is great for that.
This was in February and after living through a dozen unforgiving Canadian winters, I found it amusing when they complained about how cold it was when it rained in Cairo, mind you, with double digit positive temperature (In Celcius, of course).
I associate certain songs with my travels; this song is the part of the soundtrack of my first trip to Egypt.
I had a wonderful time, and this is the trip that reignited the travel bug in me and also opened my mind to new possibilities. This is when my path veered from the traditional study & corporate job toward uncharted territory: off the beaten path and outside the box.
