Away, Home, and Away

Over the last three months I continuously came and went, packed and unpacked, and said hello and fair well; in turn, I have had less time to stop, reflect, and inform all of you of my welfare, and for that I apologize. For the purpose of catching up, here’s what I’ve been up to since you heard from me last.

The conclusion of November coincided with the conclusion of my ISP and my semester in Switzerland. I said goodbye to my group and my host family and departed with my travel companions, Pete and Paul, for Egypt. The seven-day whirlwind immersion was hectic, but completely worth the exhaustion. Highlights include galloping on horseback at the entrance to the Sahara to catch the sunrise over Giza and the pyramids, traveling in a military convoy to Abu Simbal near the border of Sudan, sailing down the Nile in a falucca, being lost and baffled throughout the gigantic festival halls and chambers at Karnack, smoking shesha (hookah) and drinking Egyptian tea at El Fishari’s Café (which has never closed in two centuries) in Khan Al-Khalili bazaar, and standing on the roof of Al-Muayyad Mosque in Islamic Cairo at sunset. All of these experiences were only shared between Pete and myself because Paul’s mom gave him an ultimatum to either stay in Geneva or go on a guided tour on a cruise ship up and down the Nile because she was scared that otherwise, terrorists would blow him up. Because of her, the numerous positive conversations we had with the Muslim youth in hostels and bazaars were twice as gratifying, not to mention that our cultural immersion was a forth of the price. Though I hadn’t thought of spending my vacation in Egypt before they proposed it, the visit brought back childhood fantasies of archeological discovery with Indiana Jones. I am confident that I made the right decision.

Upon return to Geneva, Pete and I slept in the airport before departing to Amsterdam for three days of rest and relaxation. I’m not sure if it was a lack of acclimatization or it was just extremely cold (I think both), but I just remember wanting to be inside every second I was out. We witnessed the evolution of Van Gogh, floated over misty canals, etc. etc. I felt like I was in the San Francisco of Europe, it was very comfortable. After parting ways with Pete, I returned to Switzerland. I popped in for a cup of coffee at my host family’s house before taking a train into the Swiss Alps. I finally got my chance to ski at both Verbier and Zermatt (Matterhorn). Though it seemed more like ice-skating than skiing, the sky was clear and the fondue was phenomenal. I even received numerous rounds of beer from three US Marines who were on leave from Germany. They told me they were study abroad students for a couple hours until their story stopped adding up; it was then that the conversation started to get interesting. After the Alps, I headed south to Florence, Italy, to spend Christmas with the my friends Peter and Jordan of Washington and Peter’s family, who are living the life of Italians for the year. We celebrated Peter’s 21st birthday on Christmas Eve with many glasses of wine and a midnight mass. It was nice to finally see some familiar faces and enjoy a quite European scene before heading back to Geneva and back to America.

I had a wonderful semester in Switzerland. I couldn’t have imagined staying with any other family. My host parents were and will always be great friends and role models that I can only hope to emulate when I have a family of my own. My optimism and understanding of international relations and the international community has grown in ways I am unaware of presently. And finally, I look forward to building upon my new French foundation once I return to USF.

Once back in the Evergreen State, I was promptly comforted with hugs from my parents and headed to Peaceful Valley for New Years with my extended family; Wiebe, Ashley, Antho, Pier, and Richie. I tried to make the most of winter with numerous trips to the powder slopes of Mount Baker with my brothers from other mothers. Since I only had a month to recoup and catch up, I didn’t spend many nights in my own bed and I didn’t get a chance to spend as much time with most of you as I had hoped.

I’ve now been in Uganda for two and a half weeks, but I’m having a hard time finding time to write a post. I know that you all probably want to know how Africa and I are, but I felt the need to wrap up my previous experiences before I began a new blog. So look out, it is coming.

Peace, love, and don’t think it hasn’t been charming,

Max