Dish

These guys are Mohamed and Alaa. Mohamed owns a World famous bicycle rental and repair shop in the village.

Alaa has worked with him since he was a small child, learning all the tricks of the trade and between the two of them, over the last 5 1/2 years, they have fixed countless punctures on my Light Roadster!

Recently, he was called to the 'Dish' (Army) as he is now 20 years old. He traveled to nearby Qena with his school papers and documents, to be checked over by a doctor to see if he was army material. He was fingerprinted and was checked against Police records to make sure he had not been in any kind of trouble. He passed.

So he awaits for confirmation that his papers are in order. Then, he will travel to Cairo to be posted in that area, but he is not sure exactly where. He must do 2 years service and then decide what he wants to do. But when I asked, if he could be anything he wanted, he replied he wanted to be a Captain in the army.

His 2 elder brothers have just finished their 2 years service. One of them was in the Mountains between Libya and Luxor and the other is now working with the Police.
Suffice to say, he has been told many tales and is not expecting an easy ride. Both of them told me about the training, punishment and the life that he is going to live very soon.

It was a poignant visit, as Mohammed said to me that Alaa is like his son and will miss him terribly. He is worried for him.
I also feel the same, Alaa is a great guy and I have watched him grow from a small boy into a tall, young man. His world is going to change so much.

This is a report from yesterday's Guardian A soldier tells of his experience in the army.