Page 126 - WDT Magazine Egypt

One tiny store sold household items and some
packaged food. We entered through a very short
door into a dark room big enough for only two of
us at a time. An old man sat behind a wooden table
with his two grandchildren. We purchased sodas,
and one Pharaoh bought a bunch of candy that he
shared with delighted kids when we resumed our
walk.
It was apparent the village was poor and in need
of much repair and improvement, though the bright-
ly painted houses and outbuildings did mitigate the
feel of poverty a bit. Most of us would be shocked
to live in these conditions, but we are looking
through a Western lens. To the Nubians, just having
a village of their own was a blessing.
Fortunately, we could see recent improvements.
Large electric cables are snaking throughout the vil-
lage, and we saw refrigerators and electric hotplates
in home kitchens. Some houses and buildings were
concrete brick, a vast improvement over the mud
brick Nubians have used for homes for many cen-
turies. The village guest house even sported indoor
western toilets.

126 WDT MAGAZINE SUMMER 2018