Everything Happens for a Reason: Reflections on Egypt

March 3, 2009 I am a firm believer in that everything happens for a reason. The one port that I wanted to go to the most, and was looking forward to the most was Egypt. I was torn when I found out that the itinerary changed and we weren’t going there anymore. I was sad, but me, I really try to not dwell on negative things and tend to look more for the positive in life. Yes, we weren’t going to Egypt anymore and I was sad about it, but hopefully because I want to go there so bad that I will be able to one day, it just wouldn’t be now. It just wasn’t meant to be I supposed, for some reason God or whoever was saying that SAS wasn’t supposed to go there now. In the meantime, I was going to a lot of other cool places. I figure that everything happens for a reason, you might not know what that reason is but one day you’ll find out. After visiting Morocco, Namibia and South Africa and having the time of my life there I thought to myself. If we went to Egypt than I never would have had the great experiences that I did in these places. They we’re such eye-openers and I learned so much about the places and myself that I can’t imagine not going there now. I love them. It was a great thing that we went the way we did because of that reason I thought. However, we had then received news of something that had occurred in Egypt, which completely confirmed my beliefs that certain things happen for a reason. We found out a few days ago or so about the bombings in Egypt and attacks specifically on tourists. It really brought things home for us on how lucky we we’re that the itinerary was changed. Also, the reality of these situations and how most people don’t think that it will ever happen to them, but in this case we we’re so close. It’s a strange thing about time and how things work out. It turns out that the exact dates and time that the bombings occurred in Egypt was the exact dates and time that SAS was supposed to be there. Also, not only that but many of the students, faculty and staff we scheduled to be on trips in the exact location of the bombings themselves. It’s a tough fact to consume that if we did end up going to Egypt, and we we’re in that location that day, its pretty certain to say that many of us would not be here right now because we would have also been victims of the bombings. I could have been there, I was supposed to have been there that day, that would have been me. A lot of times it seems that things like that seem to only be seen on t.v. halfway across the world where it doesn’t seem to affect you initially. But this time, it did. If SAS was there which they would have been before the itinerary was changed, then a lot of my friends could be gone right now. If I was there, I could be gone. It’s really sad and hard to swallow the reality of it. That we we’re supposed to be there. It really makes you realize how precious life is and how lucky we are to be here, really, to be here. I guess things do happen for a reason. We are supposed to be here, and we are very lucky and so thankful for that.