Dan Jackson/Manifest Photography -Haggadah Project

As we travelled Mohammed turned to me and said “I’ll tell you something you won’t believe. When I went home my mother gave my room to the chickens.” “I’ve got news for you.” I saud, “It’s not your room anymore.” “No?” “Nope, it belongs to the chickens.” He’s from a small town just outside Disuq. I hope he succeeds in receiving his certification but his english will need to improve and he better not mention anything about this excursion. He unconsciously displays the values and comportment of Authentic Egypt. He walks slowly, speaks in a low voice and smiles a lot in that approval-seeking way. His clothes are from the small boutiques in Cosmo Egypt. Relatively modern but not fashionable or ostentatious. He seems not quite comfortable in this “new skin.” Like a uniform, I knew he wore it for the benefit of travelers like me. In comparison, the guides who grew up in the big cities or work in Quaint Egypt are much more extroverted and carefree. Any concern they have for Authentic Egypt is kept hidden from visitors or has vanished altogether.