The people I met in Egypt: A "Piers Morgan Tonight" producer looks back

"Piers Morgan Tonight" Editorial Producer Andrea Lewis writes:

The clashes in Egypt have a personal meaning for me because I visited the country back in September on my honeymoon. I was fascinated by the culture and the history but most of all, the people. As I watched the news today, I was reminded all of those people who made our time in Egypt so special and I wanted to share some of their stories:

Ellie
Our first guide on our Egyptian adventure was a beautiful, young woman named Ellie. She had no headscarf and wore lots of make-up. This was a huge contrast from the other Egyptian guides we had seen. Ellie is an Egyptologist and was a wealth of knowledge about everything we saw – the Great Pyramids, the Sphynx, the Sakara pyramids, the Egyptian Museum, all things King Tut and the Citadel. She taught us that there are state stores and independent stores, which was our first sign of what life was like under an autocratic leader. She brought us to a carpet school, which was really more of a sweat shop. Kids work 80 hours a week for $40. But, as Ellie told us, it’s better than what they would make farming.

Ellie taught us everything she knew about ancient Egypt. But the real lessons were what we learned from her about modern Egypt. Ellie is what I imagine much of Egypt’s youth to be – a dichotomy between ancient Muslim traditions and modern westernized culture. She still lives with her parents because people would be horrified if a single woman lived alone. She says that she and all Muslim women have made a deal with Allah to cover their heads. But Ellie won’t live up to her end of the deal until she is a little older. She wants to be a good Muslim but she also wants to look good because, in her 30’s, Ellie is considered an old maid in Egypt. If she doesn’t meet someone soon, she will be doomed to live with her parents forever. That’s just the way it is. So, when I see young people on the street today I think of Ellie and wonder if she is smiling about the idea of changing some of these ancient societal rules.

Hashim
Hashim was our guide along the Nile. From the beginning he was very honest about both his hatred of Hosni Mubarak and his sheesha habit. But he was less honest about his past. Apparently, he was in the middle of a divorce. This is something that is very uncommon in Egypt and you could tell it weighed heavy on his heart every day. (It didn’t help that I reminded him of his ex-wife.) Hashim had grown up in a very small town along the Nile and knew everyone everywhere we went. He bargained in the markets for us, coming back with huge bags of hibiscus and washing powder free of charge. He constantly made comments about the government and the fact that there was no real voting for officials in Egypt. I can only imagine how happy Hashim is today.

Omar
When we arrived in the beach resort Hurghada, my husband and I were both exhausted from the long bus ride. We wanted nothing more to relax and enjoy the nice weather. Omar was there to greet us at the outdoor hotel bar with sheesha to help us unwind. Over the next few days Omar became a friend. He talked to us for hours about his life, his desire for love and his hometown of Luxor. Omar was a Muslim boy from a small town. And the manager of the indoor bar at the hotel was a Christian man from the city. This was the first time I have ever seen religious tension first hand. The bar manager made it clear to everyone that he was in charge. And Omar just went about his day with a huge smile on his face. We were put in between the two on our second night at the resort. There were belly dancers at the bar inside but we were happy sitting outside talking with Omar and smoking sheesha. The manager saved us a table and insisted we watch the show. It was his way of showing Omar that he was the boss.

The beauty of Omar was that he didn’t let it bother him. He didn’t let anything bother him. He knew his place in society. He was the sheesha boy. He was never going to be the boss because in Egypt you don’t become the boss if you were born into a lower class family. And he was okay with that. Omar had been in love with a girl back in Luxor and that was all that mattered to him. It made you wonder if we all get a little too obsessed with upward mobility. Somehow the happiest man I’ve ever met was basically a peasant working at a sheesha bar. I wonder about Omar today and if he would be happier with a new President and the chance to someday be allowed to become the boss.

I hope that the actions of the past week will mean good things for all of the wonderful people who touched our lives but I worry that they will only make things worse in a country that is already filled with poverty and corruption.