My Egyptian Fiancé

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Egypt, January 2000
(I was 12)

Our Nile cruiser that took us from Aswan Dam back up to Cairo in about a week was 4 or 5 stories high, which did not facilitate trade between us passengers and the locals.

However, these people were expert throwers ! Up, up, up came blankets and table cloths folded in tight plastic, film canisters filled with earrings and other jewelry, or post cards in ziplock bags in case they fell into the Nile. As a result of this, I purchased a circle-shaped table cloth with Nile duck and lotus designs, and matching napkins.

The second result of this barter was my engagement to the 14 year-old looking Egyptian boy that stood in the small canoe down below and tossed up all these goods. "WAAAIIIT FOR MEEE!" he called up. As a symbol of his affection, he tossed up, for free, a film canister full of Nile water. I promised I would wait and thanked him for the gift.

The ending to this story: the film love-canister, filled with filthy Nile water eeking with bacteria and other microscopic creatures that would dangerously infect a foreigner, spilled open in my suitcase and soaked into the lining (luckily my clothes were in plastic bags), making for an extremely stinky surprise for my mom when I returned home !

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