Ma3lesh

Although I am of Egyptian descent and have been exposed to Egyptian culture my whole life, I can’t count how many times I’ve found something to be absolutely ridiculous. Let me explain…
It was late August when I was returning to Alexandria from my vacation in Dubai. Naturally, I flew Egypt Air because it is the cheapest and most efficient when your destination is, indeed, a city in Egypt. WRONG. Just as I drift into a light nap when I’m on the plane, the pilot makes an urgent announcement. He said the airport was CLOSED. Egypt Air has somehow failed to communicate with Alexandria airport and confirm that a flight would be arriving at 9:00AM. So, mid-flight the news is that we are no longer landing in Alexandria; we’re going to Cairo! I was a little disappointed…

The Egyptians on the flight were not very happy as well, so there was lots of yelling. Of course, there was a passenger who knew a guy, who knew a guy, who worked at the airport. He pulled some strings and got someone to open the airport just for our ONE flight. Passengers, again, were upset because they “informed family/friends/their rides” (in mid-air, yeah…okay) that they will no longer be landing in Alexandria, but in Cairo. The mood never quite shifted back to happy and loud, like Egyptians normally sustain. They were so anxious to get off the plane that they couldn’t wait until the pilot directed us to remove our seatbelts and begin exiting. Nobody listened. It was a bit hectic. So, what’s the solution? Hmm, well since nobody was cooperating, the pilot decided to turn off the engine (in the middle of the runway) and threatened to not move the plane until everyone was in their seats. I couldn’t help but laugh. Not only did we change our destination TWICE, but we were being treated like five year-olds because of our non-cooperative behavior.

Anyway, so what’s the moral of the story? Follow instructions on an aircraft. No, but seriously, don’t be surprised if anything’s “off”/unorganized/delayed, even if it may seem like the most miniscule thing. Don’t get upset or frustrated over it, because chances are, something even more ridiculous will most likely happen again. With all of that being said, living in Alexandria adds a bit of excitement and adventure to my life everyday and I find it quite amusing.
For prospect students: Just remember, it will be okay. Sit back and relax, or as the Egyptians would say, “ma3lesh/معلش.”