Be Still My Beating Heart

3/10/10
Still feeling high from the excitement of my dives, I headed to the Funny Mummy to unwind and enjoy another bowl of soup. Waiting for my soup to arrive, sitting barefoot on the floor, staring out to where the sea met the sky,


I slipped into reflective thought as the feelings of peacefulness and tranquility, feelings I was beginning to know so well here in Egypt, once again took hold of me. I was content. My love for this magical place was continuing to grow, though, a bit of sadness was beginning to creep in, as I realized my time here was nearing an end. I tried to direct my thoughts to the adventures that were still yet to come, and the excitement of what my journey around the world still had in store for me, but that excitement was hard to find, lost in a sea of emotions and attachment to this place I had become so fondly connected to. Yes, my love for Egypt was still growing. I hung on to every minute I shared with her, comfortably sitting in the warmth of her sunny embrace, her gentle breeze caressing my skin, and the taste of her fresh sea air falling on my lips. For a moment time seemed to stand still. Nothing seemed to matter. This was my moment, and I felt as though nothing could disturb it. Returning to reality, I pulled myself away from my daydream, paid my bill and headed back to my room to settle into the real dreams of a much needed nap. I quickly drifted off to sleep, to awake some two hours later. Slowly I rose out of my bed, enjoyed a nice long shower, slipped into some freshly washed clothes, and headed back down to the waterside restaurant for some dinner and to meet up with the others before heading over to the coffee shop to watch the football match. As I was enjoying my dinner I noticed Jennie walk through the door alone. She cast a smile in my direction as I motioned for her to come join me. She let me know that Jo was a bit tired and wasn’t going to join us tonight, and Arjun had left earlier that day, heading back to England. Jennie ordered a glass of wine as I finished my dinner. Sitting by the fire for a bit I ordered a beer and once again slipped into the peacefulness I was growing so accustomed to. After sometime, Jimmy, the owner of the hotel at which I was staying, who invited us to watch the match with him and had reserved us a table, called the restaurant and asked to speak to me. Taking the phone from the server, Jimmy told me that it was time for the match to begin and to join him across the street. We quickly paid the bill and headed to the coffee shop. Here we joined the others we had met the night before, and quickly grabbed our seats at the reserved table, directly in front of the big screen.


The place was buzzing with energy as the locals were banging on drums, singing, dancing, and clapping, all led by the energetic Jimmy, who seemed to be the unspoken “mayor” of Dahab. The game itself was very exciting. Egypt scored the first goal which sent the coffee shop into a frenzy. More singing and dancing ensued, this time with even more excitement and energy than before.


As it reached halftime the score remained 1-0 Egypt. I left the coffee shop for a few minutes in search of a bottle shop to purchase a bottle of wine. While walking down the street I could see entire families sitting out on the sidewalks with television sets propped up on stools, surrounded by chairs as they excitedly waited for the second half to begin. Inside the bottle shop the owner and a few of his friends were also huddled around a tv watching the game. Assuming that I was rooting for England to win they told me there was still 45 minutes remaining and that anything could happen. I happily told them I was hoping Egypt would win, explaining that I had fallen in love with their country and more importantly the people that made it buzz with happiness, passion, pride and a general feeling of welcoming hospitality. Excited, the owner quickly gave me five, and said, “Welcome to Egypt my Friend!” Returning to the coffee shop, I quickly grabbed my seat and ordered a cup of hibiscus tea, saving the wine for later. Unfortunately, Egypt came out in the second half a bit disorganized and almost immediately gave up a goal. I expected the locals to erupt in anger, but much to my surprise they clapped appreciating the difficulty and beauty of the shot that brought the match to a 1-1 tie. Still seeming a bit unorganized the defense soon gave up another goal, leaving Egypt to trail 2-1. Not shaken by the deficit, the crowd still danced and cheered their team on. Unfortunately England scored a third goal sealing the game at 3-1. As the game came to a close everyone settled their tabs, milled about in conversation, speculation I assume, over what had happened to the team that allowed three goals in the second half, before spilling out into the streets. Jimmy, Jennie, the two others, and I returned to the Funny Mummy to play a game of backgammon, before heading to Bishbishi to enjoy the bottle of wine I had purchased at halftime. Here we relaxed, enjoyed the wine, and what was left of the evening.