“Next year in… Egypt!” we joked at our Seder last year in New York, and true to our word, before setting off on holiday, we ironically celebrated the Jews’ exodus from Egypt in our Cairo apartment! On our guest list were people from at least 8 different nationalities, including both Israeli and Palestinian, and quite a few who had never been to a Seder before (including one Egyptian friend who couldn’t help but laugh every time we mentioned how we were “freed from the land of Egypt!”). It was a lovely meal shared with old friends from my parents’ DC days, new friends from our past nine months here and even newer friends who we met the night before at a Seder in one of Cairo’s synagogues. After our very unique Seder, we set off on a bit of an “exodus” of our own despite the slight headaches from our four glasses of red… 
Our first stop was the Red Sea, though when we got in the water, to my dismay, it didn’t part. To get there, we drove for seven hours through the Sinai Desert—not quite the same as wandering for forty years, particularly given the many military checkpoints—and ended up in Dahab, a Red Sea-side tourist town famous for its stunning beaches and excellent diving. We shared our blissful pool-side week in the sun with some friends from London who were visiting us in Egypt for the third time this year! In between our tanning sessions, we managed to schedule some field trips; the first was a day of snorkelling. The breathtaking reefs kept us occupied but in between our stints in the water, we hung out in a Bedouin-style tent on the beach, looking like beached whales in our wetsuits! 
To continue following our ancestors’ footsteps, we journeyed out to Mount Sinai. We opted for the sunset hike as opposed to the one at sunrise, as the prospect of staying up all night did not appeal much to the seven-year-old or the forty-somethings in our group. Unfortunately, because it was Easter Sunday, we were unable to visit St. Catherine’s, and so headed straight up the mountain in the late afternoon heat. The very wise men with camels followed us, despite our insisting on walking the whole way up, and sure enough, three of us ended up speeding ahead atop George, Simba and Mohammed. I tried to make the journey a spiritual one, taking in the beauty of the landscape surrounding me, as well as the history of the ground beneath me, thanking the universe for bringing me to that moment in time. The hike was challenging in parts, especially the steps leading to the summit, but we all made it to the top still able to force smiles through our panting breathing. The sun went down accompanied by Florence, Charles, my dad and my timid rendition of the Shema in Hebrew so quiet as to not be heard by our Egyptian guide. 
Once back in Cairo, my mom and I had to quickly prepare for the second half of our vacation to be spent in London! Our week was jam-packed with university visits, meals out and parties—my ever-hospitable mother even hosted a cocktail party in someone else’s house! I enjoyed taking advantage of the freedom of the city (as well as the 18-year-old drinking age!) which I really miss in Cairo. For me, it was a successful week in more than one respect; not only did I get to attend the 18th birthday parties of two great friends and the Bar Mitzvah of one of my favourite 14-year-olds, but I also found the school of my dreams. Using my dad’s words about how he felt about Michigan when he first visited Ann Arbor; I fell in love with UCL. The end of our trip was unexpectedly postponed for another three days thanks to my friend Eyjafjallajokull up in Iceland, but of all the places in the world, we were happy to be stranded in London, among friends.
Now, we’re all home safe and sound and getting back into our routine. The three of us are studying hard-- Florence for some of her GCSEs, me for my IB exams (which start next week—Ah!) and Charles for his Bar Mitzvah in just under two months’ time—and thanks to our lovely holidays, we are now well-rested and ready to tackle the challenges ahead.
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Harriet- I much enjoyed reading about your unique seders and your family's journey up Mount Sinai. Many, many congrats on your acceptance to University College of London- I'm sure Sarah will want to plan a visit there! Take care, Deborah
Posted by: Deborah Juster | 04/30/2010 at 09:50 AM