Waheed

Luxor, Egypt

Our tour guide seems sad. Or, I feel a sadness from him. I asked a little about him today, how he got into tour guiding.

In secondary school he was really interested in math and wanted to be an engineer, but as an only son and only child, he felt pressured to fulfill his father’s wishes and become a doctor. He chose the biology track in school but missed passing an program entrance test by a point. Depleted by a year spent for nothing, he couldn’t bring himself to repeat the study for a better grade. A friend of his father introduced Waheed to tourism, with which he had no connection whatsoever, as he grew up in a city in middle Egypt far from the main tourism traffic. But, okay, he said. It’s the best thing he could have done and soon became passionate about Egyptian history. Only, it seemed like added that last part to the story to convince both of us.

While our boat was docked in Luxor, Waheed went home, saw his wife, mother, and their cats. He said he has 10 cats, maybe more. His house has become a cat hostel. Every night he opens his patio door just enough to let cats in and out. Cats from the neighborhood come when they’re sick, or to have their babies, or bring their babies there just after they’re born until they’re ready to be on their own.