Ahna Writes World

So this past week has been a wild ride.  I'll take you back a bit to explain. I spent the last week in Cairo, the  Egyptian city of pandemonium.  I usually don't stay in cities for very long, but for whatever reason, this city captured my heart in a plethora of different ways that I have yet to be able to put my finger on. I stayed at a hostel in the center of downtown Cairo, where I met my ride or die , Nikki.  I had bought my ticket to the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert at the Pyramids of Giza back in January.  Although the concert was out of budget for me ($130), I felt it was compulsory to go (when the heck will the opportunity ever present itself again?!). The morning of the concert, I woke up and slowly ordered breakfast at my hostel.  I sat next to a table full of other travelers staying in my dorm, but those of you who know me know that I need at least 30 minutes after my coffee to speak to anyone in the morning. I was compelled to speak wi...

Certain people enter our lives and immediately we know they are going to change it.  Elise is one of those people for me. I met Elise as she lit up our empty female dorm with a gorgeous smile on her face. Her presence exuded happiness. I, on the other hand, was on the verge of crying after having a hectic day of travel to Jordan that started at 3am.  I had trouble at the border between Israel and Jordan (Jordanian officials thought I had a drone in my backpack) and I almost didn't have anywhere to comfortably sleep (other than alone in a cave in Petra).  I checked into our hostel in Wadi Musa as a last resort. Elise was an instant friend. After hearing about my day she sat down next to me, listened to me and fed me chocolate (which I would come to learn she was never without).  She is from Belgium, by the way. As I asked her about her experience with love, we hiked through the back entrance of Petra,  overlooking grand landscapes of magnificent rock...

The Western Wall and The Dome of The Rock (Golden Dome) Jerusalem is possibly the most religiously valued city in the world.  Civilizations have battled for control over the city since the first human settlements began in the region around 3500 BC. The old city of Jerusalem has been recreated dozens of times.  Once conquered, the city's new controllers would often destroy or alter existing structures, subsequently creating Jerusalem in their own image.  In essence, conquerers buried the old to make way for the new.  The city is therefore layered and you can literally see such layers as you descend deep down into its bones. Notorious figures like Alexander the Great and groups such as the Romans, Persians, Fatimids, Crusaders, Arabs, Egyptians and Islamists (just to name a few!) have conquered and controlled Jerusalem for moments in history.  And the struggle for Jerusalem continues today as Palestinians and Israelis battle of the city's key territor...

I have just arrived in Dahab, an Egyptian city by the sea in South Sinai.  My journey took 8 hours longer than expected.  I reached the port early to (supposedly) leave Jordan at 11pm and arrive on the east coast of Egypt at 1am.  I sat on the ferry while hundreds of mostly Egyptian and Jordanian men boarded.  We all waited for the boat to leave. 11pm past, then 12am, and suddenly I realized it was 2am and still no departure from Jordan.  I frustratedly tried to get some sleep. So tired on the ferry to Egypt I attempted to find comfort in my body and mind--but it was nearly impossible.  Men were speaking loudly in Arabic around me, apparently also confused about the delay.  If that wasn't enough to keep me up, a child continuously kicked my seat.  I turned around and saw a little girl about 4 years old smiling at me.  She was accompanied by the only two women I spotted on the ferry.  It's as if the women sat next to m...