the essence of living

by Farah Bassyouni (Egypt)

Making a local connection Egypt

I had once taken a trip to Marsa Allam in the Red Sea, for school purposes. I didn’t expect to find so many answers in the clear and salty water, that welcomed me with open arms like a second home. Instantly, I had felt a connection to the nature around me. I ran with the crabs to find shelter in the sand. I flew with the birds above the horizon. I swam with the fish undersea, where all the colors of the world could be found. I ate local food with the people of Marsa Allam, who had been born raised near the shore, taught to take care of the living things around them as if they were family. And they were. Marsa Allam was one gigantic family of nature interacting with humanity. At night, I looked up and learned that we are a speck on a speck on a speck. You sure don’t get this view from Cairo. With all the city lights gone, the stars simultaneously lit up the sky. Combined with the light from the night-divers in the water, the world seemed bright. The locals brought out some gandofli, an Egyptian term for spiced clams. The salty taste and the light breeze from the sea became my star-filled nights. As school taught me more about the anatomy and physiology of nature, of the processes each living thing takes in order to grow, nature became a part of who I was. Maybe I was so attracted to the feeling of belonging in nature because I struggled with finding my own natural instinct to be. This trip had given me so many answers to my existential and natural quest as a person. At the red sea, I learned that being underwater could offer my eyes more colors than they had ever dreamed existed. I reached my hands out to the tiny living creatures of the sea who live within and without the corals, simultaneously trying to survive just as each of us are. I saw a dolphin for the first time, turning to its side to reveal a belly filled with future generations of life. Marsa Allam was an experience I will never forget, one that taught me more about the natural side of Egypt. It consisted of fishy meals, quiet nights sleeping in large tents and wooden beds, snorkeling with my friends and most importantly, learning about the ecosystems around me. Everyone was very environmentally-conscious and so focused on taking care of their home. I hope to return soon and dive deeper into the phenomena that lie deep in the red sea.