My Travels Through Egypt and the Middle East
http://www.blacktravels.com/Egypt_Vhampton.htmlLook at this vile black Nazi whore, Veronica Hampton. She fell in love with Arab culture so much she became fluent in Arabic prior to touring the entire camelbanging sand negro world! Naturally, this racist savage hoochiemama has to throw in a plug for the Fakestinians.
The most hilarious part of the story, though, is where she admits that Arabs don't seem to have a particularly high view of blacks. But you think that dissuades Veronica? And they say Jews are self-haters!
This is how I know that many blacks would love to take an American lump sum and move to these hellholes.
Bonesfan
A Journey Through Egypt & The Middle East
Submitted by Veronica Hampton
My name is Veronica and I'm a student at Northwestern University in Chicago. I'm an anthropology and political science double major (the only black anthropologist in my class--I wish there were more of us) and the only other language that I speak besides English is Arabic.
I started off traveling in Europe when I was sixteen or seventeen, where I stayed for a month in both Spain and France. Like most of you, I became hooked on traveling after that. Since then, I've been to Mexico, Belize, Switzerland, Greece, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
Contrary to popular belief, traveling around the Middle East was amazing! My family was so afraid for me to go, especially during this political climate, however I found that I couldn?t have gone at a better time. I learned so much about the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, so much so that when I watch CNN and Fox News it just makes me sick to see how they portray everything that is going on. Of all my travels, I'd have to say the Middle East was the best yet. Jordanians and Egyptians, especially, are the friendliest people I've ever met in my life. I experienced total reverse culture shock upon my return to the United States.
So, how was it being a Black American in the Middle East? Well, I'll tell you this much--skin color does matter. And you see it as soon as you enter Cairo and see billboards that express how fair skin is much more preferred than dark (i.e. a cosmetic line called "Fair and Lovely") Women wear tons of make-up that is usually ten shades lighter than their own skin color--take a look at their hands and arms in comparison to their faces. The main reason I was treated like a queen, no matter where I went, was the very fact that I was American. Even though I spoke Arabic, my mannerisms and clothes gave me away as well as my hair and eyes (which I guess threw a lot of them off). I have dark skin, curly brown hair and my dad's Gray-brown eyes, so I guess I look pretty weird to them to begin with. I would get confused stares as well as very seductive stares from men.
The staring is what ultimately drove me crazy--people stare (especially the men) without shame. But when I was out with my white friends, I noticed I was either totally ignored or treated like I couldn?t speak English (Egyptian men would ask my white friends questions about me even though I would be standing right there). However, as soon as I opened my mouth and they heard my unmistakably American accent, things changed drastically! I might as well have been speaking in tongues, because they were so amazed. From that point on, I was treated like royalty. I remember being in a taxi once and the driver asked me where I was from. I say "Chicago" and he says "Chicago, America!?", after I replied "yes", he said: "but, but, you are not white, you are black!" Then he asked me where my parents were from and I said "The US" and he couldn't believe it. He had to stop his taxi and tell one of his friends who was standing at a near by corner to come over and see me.
To tell you the truth, sometimes I got a kick out of throwing people off. I told some of them that I was from Haiti, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Nigeria, and even New Zealand! Others guessed that I was Moroccan, Egyptian, Nigerian, Brazilian, or Ethiopian. It was kind of fun.
However, the overall vibe I got was that Black Africans are not held in very high regard. Most Black Africans in Egypt who are not native to the land are Sudanese. The Nubian population can be found in Aswan which is located in Upper Egypt ("aswad" is the Arabic word for Black, and the suffix "an" indicates land or territory, so the literal meaning of Aswan is "land of Blacks" or "Black land". It is very beautiful and the people are lovely there. I felt so at home, not to mention I got my hair done and it looked so bomb!
Although you still see many beautiful shades of brown in Egypt, for the most part, Egyptians look Arab. I also noticed that often times the Egyptians with the lighter skin shades tended to be individuals from the more upper class groups. Also the American dollar (USD) goes a long way in Egypt, so most American travelers can live like a king while visiting Egypt. Because of this, I found myself in the best of the best restaurants, Spas, Night Clubs. But usually there was never another dark skinned person in sight besides me.
Also, I attended the American University while I was there and for anyone who knows this place, it?s a bit like the Egyptian version of "Clueless". These kids are filthy rich and their parents are usually diplomats or ambassadors. Education is undoubtedly reserved for the wealthy, so the only Black Africans I ran into were a couple of guys from Nigeria who became some of my best friends and whose fathers also happened to work for the United Nations (again, people with lots of money). So in addition to skin color, wealth is another fact that indicates how you will be treated in society.
Women travelers to the Middle East should know that being older than about 16, single, and traveling alone invites numerous offerings for marriage. Egyptian men never seemed to understand why my husband was not with me and why I was traveling alone. I can't tell you how many times I was offered 200 camels for my hand in marriage. Also men would yell things to me like "Hello sexy chocolate!", "Hello Janet Jackson!" "Come home with me Beyonce!" (yea, not even joking).
Also, by nature I'm very inquisitive and I can't keep myself quiet if there is something I don't understand and want to know. This behavior in women is unheard of to most Egyptian men who are used to seeing their women in head coverings clinging close their husbands. I guess I was a sight to see as I walked up to random men and asked for directions and suggestions for places to eat with ease and confidence.
The one thing I realized while being in the Middle East, is just how much of an American mentality I have. Before my trip, you couldn't have convinced me that I was "so American", because when I think of "American" I don't identify with that personally. However, as a young woman in Egypt, my western mentality was definitely exposed for all to see. I couldn't even help it! Most American women are used to interacting with men on a regular basis, but in Egypt, its very different.
When I walked into a restaurant with my male friend, I was not even looked at by the waiters. They immediately addressed him, and only him, throughout the entire evening. When I started to give the waiter my order, he turned to my male friend and asked him "What will your wife like to have tonight?" I felt as if I was being "put back in my place". You should have seen the look on my face. As an American Black woman, I'd never felt this way before. I almost couldn't argue. However, the longer I lived there, the more I realized that this behavior is only done out of respect. I had to understand that I was in a different place and I had to respect how certain things were done there. Well, I was there for a while so I did a ton of stuff. Egypt has so much to do that you will have to stay there for a while to get a good taste of what they have. Well for starters, in Cairo there are plenty of entertainment spots such as the Cairo Jazz club. Here, you will find amazing mixes of Egyptian, Nubian, and African jazz beats sometimes over English or Arabic singing. I went there numerous times and it became my hang out. They also have guest bands that come in on various occasions from Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and other places around Africa. Umm, then for cultural entertainment, there is traditional Sufi dancing at the Mohamad Ali mosque--really cool! Then you got belly dancers shaking their thing all over in Cairo--you can always find them on felucca rides. Feluccas are similar to Italian gandolas. And taking a little night cruise on the Nile with a bottle of wine and some music is a must! Its so nice. I swear, Cairo never sleeps. There are lots of dance clubs there too. They play popular Egyptian music, techno, and hip hop.
If you visit Cairo I know you'll probably want to ride a camel, but, horse back riding around the pyramids at night is so much more fun. I also spent weekends camping, and four-wheeling in the desert near the Pyramids. Amazing! Also, in Cairo the place for all of your gift shopping is Egypt's oldest market: Khan El Khalili. Its a crazy place, crawling with sellers who are constantly in your face trying to get you to buy whatever they have. Here is where you'll feel most like a tourist. I suggest you try to go there with an Arabic speaking person so that you can get the best deal you can.Also, if you would like a really good view of the city, which makes for a gorgeous photo, you can take a ride up the Cairo tower. Its located in the middle of the city and you can see Cairo for miles out from that very spot.
As far as being an African American male traveling through the Middle East, I called up one of my guy friends who went to Egypt a year ago. I asked him how he was treated by people. He told me that because of the way he dressed and his american accent, his experience was similar to mine. Most people thought he was a rapper, or an athlete and even asked for his autograph. He said a few times, he would get some dirty looks from the military police, but they didn't bother him and this type of reaction was very minimal. Most of the time, he said he was treated with much respect, especially when he was with a lady friend. He most likely did all the activities that are reserved for the wealthy like eating at really expensive restaurants and going to really nice clubs that are normally too expensive for Egyptians.
And like I said earlier, money does talk. And after that, skin color lays in the background. However, I can't say that you won't get comments thrown at you in Arabic that you might not understand. You'll never know if they're good or bad and sometimes you'd rather not know. But for the most part, I guarantee you that you'll feel safe and welcomed. The most you'll get is probably people yelling things at you like "Hey, 50 cent!", or "Did you know 2-Pac?" since most people often associate Black Americans with rappers and rap music, since thats all they see on MTV in their countries. However, aside from all that, Egyptians truly love tourists and welcome them with open arms and warmth. They are the most helpful people and hospitable beyond belief. As soon as you step off the plane, all you hear is "Welcome, Welcome". Even if you?re sitting at a bus stop minding your own business, someone may come up to you and just say "Welcome, welcome to my country". They are very proud of their culture and history and love to introduce you to everything Egypt has to offer.
Don't be alarmed if you end up in someone's living room drinking tea, eating baklava, holding someone's screaming kid, and watching aunts
Fathima, Leila, and Esra belly dance to some Amr Diab-Egypt's most famous pop singer. Of course, I have so much more to say about the other places I visited
in the Middle East, but I couldn?t possibly put it all into one article. I only scratched the surface with just talking about Egypt.
The places I visited were all so different and each country had something amazing to offer!
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