The importance of doing research before a trip

And what I’ve learned…

Written by: Rashawn Khamari Merchant

I was excited to embark on my first international solo adventure this January. After much thinking and the spiritual confidence to proceed, I decided to visit Egypt. As an African American, I’ve long experienced the interconnections between Black culture in America and its ties to ancient Egypt. It doesn’t take long before walking down Harlem’s 125th street and seeing an assortment of shirts with displays of Pharaohs or the mentioning of kingliness in which Black men should represent themselves. One of my favorite references is hearing the reasons why Black Americans, especially within hip-hop culture, wear an abundance of jewelry because our African ancestors did. As an explorer of the world, it was easy for me to appreciate the historical influences. Egypt arguably contains the world’s greatest wonder through the Great Pyramids of Giza. I bought a plane ticket, and without a second thought, I was ready to go.

When traveling with others in the past, I always made an itinerary of the things I wanted to experience. For an unknown reason (maybe faith), I decided against it this time. I was going on a trip through pure intuition and wanted to take it one step at a time. In making this decision, I did no research. Actually, that isn’t true. I watched the movie Lawrence of Arabia. A 1962 movie about a British military leader who took part in escapades throughout the Arabian Peninsula. The film won seven Oscar awards, including Best Picture, due to its showcasing of T.E. Lawrence’s dramatic and captivating experience in Arabia. The movie shows Lawrence’s heralding as both a hero and a villain to a land he was unfamiliar with. His heroism is displayed beautifully as many of the Arabs accept him as an outsider and seemingly praise him as a foreigner. Further into the movie, we see that Lawrence’s disconnect becomes his ultimate demise as the pressure of solving conflict between unknown cultures becomes too great for him to handle. I, of course, only focused on the former.

I expected my time in Egypt to be reminiscent of luxury. While I was grateful to be in such a beautiful region, I truthfully faced hardship along the way. When I boarded the airplane at John F. Kennedy Airport, I noticed I was the only African-American on the flight. During the 10-hour trip, I chose not to wear headphones or distract myself too much with entertainment. I wanted to sit with my thoughts and consider what I’d be embarking on. Being in another country alone meant there was a sense of isolation. I realized that every encounter, experience, and engagement would be mine and mine alone. At this point, there was no turning back.

While in Cairo, I spent time exploring museums and visiting popular locations within the city. My favorite was by far the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. On my first day, it was a great introduction to learning the vast significance of Ancient Egypt in depth. I laughed with one of my cousins because I said that after seeing so many eloquent and beautifully decorated tombs, I wanted nothing less for myself. The Ancient Egyptians deeply respected their dead and wanted to ensure their souls could live forever. I couldn’t help but think about my own life and the considerations I should take in better caring for my present body. 

During museum excursions are when I had the most interactions with locals. The one thing that always happened was their ability to identify that I was American. It was as if they could smell it on me. Interestingly, I wore my Egyptian Amber cologne, which I bought in Harlem a few years ago. People were primarily interested when I confirmed that I was American, but it also opened a gate for them to begin offering me things. During these moments, I learned that absolutely nothing in this world is free. Egyptians are masterful hustlers. If there was an opportunity to make money at any point in time, they would take it. Honestly, I respected it but realized it could be a lot for someone with little tolerance for dealing with people. It’s best not to feel offended when being haggled with. Try to maintain your composure so that you aren’t dealing with additional stress along your trip.

In America, it’d be easy to assume someone was just being nice. I realized that in less fortunate countries, people are not granted this favor. Time is money, and at every moment, people must do what is needed to make the most of it. I couldn’t help but think about Black America in relation to this. As people who struggle significantly more economically than our counterparts, we should take more opportunities to profit from our experiences and likeliness. Far too often, we do not have the economic conditions to show for it. It would be beneficial to have more ownership of our work and intellectual property. 

My favorite part of the trip was visiting the Great Pyramids of Giza. Walking through the Giza Necropolis felt like I was inside a postcard. The pyramids (Khufu, Khafre, and Mankaure) were grand and serene. It represented much of what Egypt signified, a peaceful land with a drive toward power and success. It made me wish to help not only mine but all people struggling to achieve the same across the world.

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