womenclan

I went to Egypt on a whim, early in the year of 2019. The whim was inspired by a family reunion, that it turns out I would just miss. It was the first time in recent memory I had been over without an itinerary booked for 30+ guests months in advance. My Egyptian relatives had gone back to work and I was left to experience the places I had been to during my childhood, as a hybrid between local and tourist.

 

I’d always wondered if the space I had occupied in Egypt before immigrating to New Zealand was still there, vacant. How would I have turned out if my parents never opted to swap out high-rises for a harbour? With a naive curiosity, film camera, and an ability to speak Arabic that was described as ‘an expansive vocabulary, but laughable in regards to accent’, I wandered the streets of Cairo and the deserts of Fayoum.

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Find the full photo story, Where the Heart Lies, in Womenclan: Journal One available now.