Egypt is a country of contrasts. Economic disparity is high. The hustle and bustle of Cairo is a world away from its rich suburbs. Beautiful resorts are only blocks away from slums. Ancient stone statues stand staunchly next to modern buildings. Social liberalism stands alongside social conservatism. Traditional sentiments are the backdrop of contemporary ideas. The distinct and contrasting faces of Egypt were epitomized in my experience at two different universities.
I am not a sociologist major nor have I been pursuing minor in sociology, but when I heard that UNC in association with ARAMFO were sponsoring a tour to Egypt in 2012 I leapt at the opportunity. I am in fact a history major with my emphasis in Western Civilization. I had originally chose Western Civ because it was the closest thing to Egyptology in the UNC curriculum. I could discuss the amazing resorts, the great food, the wonderful hospitality of the Egyptian people, or the greatly impressive security(which I am here to say is very true) however the task has been placed upon me, to impress upon you the magnificence of the history of Egypt and why that might be ideal for you history buffs and sociologists looking for adventure.
Looking back on what my expectations of Egypt were before I went on the trip and reflecting now on my trip the last two weeks they were very different. I expected to see a place like Agrabah from Aladdin (Disney movie) or a very dirty, brown place and expected to be frightened a lot of the time. When we got there however, it was a totally different world than what I thought it would be.
One of our initial visits and first chances to see a glimpse of Egypt was when we visited Cairo University, Misr University, and Helwan University. Cairo University has an absolutely radiant campus, blossoming in tangerine colored flowers that make the campus glow. It is located in Giza, Egypt.
