Biweekly Update From Ira's Intercontinental March on Trust #7

<s>To Whom It May Concern</s>, Haha, just kidding, suhh?? The top three updates from the last two weeks were: <ol> <li>An epic night guarding in the mata (date plantation) - my last night on the kibbutz was spent in service, as a member of any community knows it should be, guarding the dates and machinery which is code for making a fire and drinking booze with your friends. It was a very special group of people who had my back when I over-promised dinner, water, sleeping accommodations, and pre-prepared transportation for eight by helping to scoop the missing pieces. It was Silke, pictured second from the right in the first picture (which shows everyone who slept over), who eloquently pointed out a couple of nights before that part of saying goodbye (which I feel myself doing constantly between touring, moving, and moving jobs) is trusting everyone to go on and make the most of life which meant a lot to me and gives me a beautiful way to think about sayonaras going forward.</li> <li>Going to the pyramids - last Monday I got to go to a bunch of pyramids around Cairo with one of the most dysfunctional groups I've been a part of in a while - we skipped lunch because we spent too much time at the lame pyramids in the boonies that no one ever heard of and then got to Giza late so we had to rush to each of the spots but then the two Mexican lovebirds went off on a camel-ride while the other nine of us sat around dindling, etc... I started getting frustrated (again, the first time was when it became painfully clear that my date plantation sleepover plans were melting down and I had to sit down before my blood pressure spiked) that A) not too many people seemed concerned about going inside the pyramids, B) not too many people seemed interested in touching the pyramids, C) not too many people seemed curious about how these stones got transported ~4,500 years ago, and D) not too many people seemed to wonder about how the pyramids are still standing. Despite the frustration, or maybe the frustration is the most obvious manifestation of the power, I felt the power of the pyramids - they are sooo big, so elegant, wracked my imagination in a ways that I don't remember as an adult, and make me want to build and design something that will last forever (or at least long enough to inspire a generation that will inspire another generation).</li> <li>Getting scum-blasted by the slick skeevy scum-blaster - on my way to the Egyptian Museum (which is just decadent caskets and statues of dead dudes who were obsessed with immortality, 5/10 can't recommend) I got caught in the spider's web. The most inconspicuous old man you ever saw struck up the sweetest conversation with me on the street and before you know it was graciously inviting me to his shop! We started with some light banter and choice tea but after the small talk he passed me to his son (and his daughter who just sat there looking innocent, complicit!!) who began the scum-blasting - he told so many lies, I couldn't even imagine that one guy could come up with this much bullshit in 40 minutes: "pay whatever you want", "each of these take 7-10 days, hand-made", "I'm not a salesman, I'm an artist", you get the point. Before you know it (while I was still in sababa bullshitting mode) he starts signing my parents' and brother's names on these papyrus scrolls (enjoy guys!) and asks "cash or card?" I didn't want to screw the guy but really didn't know how to handle the situation so one thing led to another and he scum-blasted me for 200 bucks... Ya hate to see it, but now I know exactly what to do the next time this happens (and it's bound to happen again soon with my European itinerary) - when things start getting hot I'll grab my belongings and run as fast as I can and in as dramatic a fashion as possible, I really can't wait.</li> </ol> Part of the scum-blasting makes me want to avoid people's gazes on the street and wave them off dismissively if they talk to me but the other part of me would rather pay the $200 over-trusting ticket than give up the literally dozens of Egyptians who did some combination of smile at me, invite me to their backgammon games with zero English, ask me where I'm from so they could promptly say "welcome to Egypt", and that they love me in the five days that I was in Cairo. Egyptians are hands-down the kindest people I've met on Earth despite the generations of dysfunctional military regimes and dearth of legitimate economic opportunity; I also recommend visiting enough if you want to lose a quick five pounds. Check this <a href = "https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_yC9xixznAz0M0-LPNKQ98v8e0xmZ4Kd" target = "_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">link</a> for photos because they don't all fit as attachments and if it's not self-explanatory what you're looking at, hit reply - I'm over the top as it is. Off to Crete on the ferry tonight from Athens, talk again in a tight 14. First place for joining the intercontinental march is still open - get it while the getting's good, Ira