A year ago today, I had just arrived in El Gouna, Egypt.
Less than 20 hours from now, my wife and I will be leaving for the Algarve.
It is amazing how many people we know have gone to Portugal this year; it’s become rather popular with Americans, it seems.
I can’t imagine why.
Perhaps this is because Portugal is the only European country where Social Democracy is flourishing.
Meanwhile, I do not know of a single American from around here who’s going to Egypt.
That is probably a good idea, as Egypt is generally unsafe for tourists, particularly any from countries whose foreign policies are an immense pain in the dick for Arabs, especially Muslims.
I would recommend that Americans stay far away from Egypt — unless they hang out in some lala land bubble like El Gouna (see pic above) on the Red Sea.
But then, I don’t care one way or the other about what happens in Egypt any more.
It has stopped bearing any resemblance to the beautiful country I left as a boy.
And now, in less than 24 hours, I won’t have to deal with any of America’s shit for at least a month.
I’m excited and can’t wait to go to Portugal, even though I know that the Algarve is also a bubble of sorts. Not half as bad as El Gouna, for sure, but one nevertheless.
The place has expats up the wazoo, but so long as they’re not all right wing pecker heads, it should be rather enjoyable making new friends, as I follow tips on where to find an affordable apartment in Tavira — what they refer to as a “long-term let.”
Yesterday, I ended up ordering for my Kindle a book on the history of how the Moors were thrown out of the Iberian peninsula a long time ago.
The author draws parallels to the unsophisticated animus people such as myself have been subjected to in the United States.
Every country has its faults, but right now, I don’t feel particularly American — if that means conducting myself in a vile, abusive, ignorant, crass, and threatening manner towards those whose country of origin or skin color or religion or sexual orientation are different from mine.
I just don’t feel somehow compelled to arrogantly go out of my way, with ill-conceived temerity, to mess with other people’s lives, snuffing out innocent children here and there, willy nilly, while having no compunction about mouthing gratuitous, disingenuous idiocies, as I incessantly stick my nose where it does not belong, and attempt to dismantle those international bodies that would hold my behavior accountable.
After 17 years of watching America unravel like a bad global dream, I just don’t feel like dealing with it any more.
Leaving Amerika 