Mahmoud

Now, there are some people you come across on vacation which can soon be termed the epitome of getting to know the area. Nothing comes close to our tour guide Mahmoud. When the boys on our trip talk about him, their tone of voice changes and you can see the man-crush in their eyes. Although Brooke and I weren't as infatuated with him as the others, Mahmoud was a great tour guide. He gave us a history lesson in Egypt, which we decided is much needed in the Miami Plan curriculum. He was very exasperated when we didn't know who any of the gods were, yet he took the time to tell us the stories he knew better than how to spell his own name. Mahmoud was the door into a culture that we would otherwise not have experienced. Instead of just going through rabbit hole, Mahmoud showed us daily life in Egypt. And, it was pretty cool. The highlight of the trip (at least for the boys) was our last night when Mahmoud invited us back to his sister's apartment to have her cook us a traditional meal and to see the other side of Luxor. We took a cab there and enjoyed a meal sitting on the floor and learned that animals in Egypt are not pets and you cannot say no to second helpings. It was the best meal I've had since I've been abroad and it was overall just an amazing experience to talk to the Egyptians and learn about their modern culture after spending a week immersed in ancient history.