The universal language

This past December I traveled to Egypt with my chemistry class for three weeks. I went to Egypt to do chemical analysis on different water sources, and while I was very excited to do research on different water sources, I was looking forward to sightseeing and eating authentic Egyptian food. I knew that this Egypt trip would be unforgettable, but little did I know that my professor had a special surprise for us once we got there.

My first few days in Egypt I visited the pyramids, the Sphinx, Cheop's sunboat, Egyptians National Museum, Valley of the Kings, Karnack Temple, and Luxor Temple. I traveled down the Nile on a cruise ship to get from city to city. On day eight Dr. El-Bermawy, my chemistry professor, surprised us with a visit to a Nubian village. We traveled via a small motorboat on the Nile for about 30 minutes until we reached the desert, where we then traveled by camels. It was a bit of a bumpy ride considering I have never ridden a horse or any animal ever. I did get nervous when my camel began running; I wasn't prepared for that! I was scared my camel was going to fall off of the cliff because he walked so close to the edge, but we arrived safely into the village.

We visited a Nubian family's home and toured their house. Some parts were very modern, and others were not. The bathroom looked like one found in the United States, but their living room was outdoors. They had sand floors, which were changed every two days to prevent bugs from living in the sand. They were friendly people, and I met an adorable little girl named Malik. They raise crocodiles in their home, so I got to see many crocodiles and actually hold a baby crocodile in my hands. It was surprisingly smooth and small.

The best part of the trip to the Nubian village was the visit we took to a kindergarten school later that day. It was a Nubian school for 3-5 year old children. It was huge! We learned some Arabic and Nubian in the classroom and were quizzed. After our lesson, we headed upstairs to visit the children. They did not speak any English at all, and I had forgotten the Nubian I had learned five minutes earlier, so I was not able to communicate verbally with the children, but all I needed to do was smile. As I smiled, the children smiled back, and my heart was immediately touched. They ran over to me and gave me big hugs, all twelve of them!

I realized at that moment that smiles are amazing gifts from God. Whether from Asia, Australia, or Antarctica, everyone knows what a smile is. Smiles are the universal language and seeing someone smile can turn a sad day into a better day. God blessed all humans with the ability to smile, and each one of us should take advantage of it. Try to smile everyday because after all, it takes more muscles to frown.