Okay, so just two other things I did on this mini-tour – like at the beginning of the day, when things seemed so much more promising.
We started at this place that makes carpets – which was actually interesting. They showed me around to different looms to show me how to make various types of carpet.
But one thing that was sad was that they talked about how many of the people who work there are kids, and they do it until they turn like 25, and then that’s it. They become teachers or how to do it, or something else, because their fingers get ‘too big’ and also their bodies just tire of it.
And that feels like not ethical labor?
But the few kids I saw in there seemed happy? And the guy who was walking me around said the families generally liked it because it was good for their families to earn the money.
And then I wondered if my western view of the world is just what I’m used to and that it could be humane in other parts of the world to have kids work, in some cultures… Or if I should be worried about the kids in Egypt. And I do not know the answer to that.
Also in the morning, my guide asked me if I wanted a little necklace that had my name in hieroglyphics. And it wasn’t too expensive, and I thought that might be a cute souvenir.
He kind of made it sound like I’d get to go in and see it be made. So, I was like “yeah, sure, that sounds cool.”
And then later in the day, we stopped and he told me to hang tight in the car. Since he didn’t explain where we were, or what he was doing, I thought he was just running in to use the bathroom or something.
No.
He was going in the store to get my hieroglyphics necklace. I guess he’d called it in when I was doing carpet stuff or whatever. So, of course that was a disappointment, that I didn’t get to see the process at all.
I threw the necklace out before I even left Egypt, because what’s the use in keeping anything from this trip?
Anyway, sorry I went a little out of order. But that was the beginning of the day. And then after all the rest of the stuff, I finally got dropped back off at my hotel.
And I’ll pick up with that tomorrow.