One Of My Best Friends Doesnt Speak The Same Language As Me

After returning from Rogue Film School, I was filled with motivation and drive to get back to Cairo and shoot some of the remaining footage for our documentary.
(*YES.... I know I haven't written much in detail about Rogue..... but I will. I promise. I have to sift through the 30 pages of notes.)
I can see the finish line. We are almost done with the shooting phase.

So.... I flew back from London, was in Doha for one day, and took back off for Cairo.
All the way up until I landed, I was uncertain about the "climate" in Cairo. Daily protests, army and thug presence, and unexpected violence were all on my mind.
Much to my surprise and relief.... there was none of that.
The streets were calm and the police and army presence seemed to be even less than before the Revolution. There was almost an eeriness to the calm. Almost as if I was expecting something to just happen at any given second.
But it never did.
Instead, it was an amazingly productive trip filled with some real intimate moments with the family we have come to love.
I was approaching this trip on a "need to shoot" basis and not a "shoot everything possible" trip. That seemed to really pay off. It gave me the attention to detail of the story as well as sparing me some really nice quality time with the family.
This was the first time that the girls of the family were willing to be on camera. They opened up about everything from sorting techniques to which sibling they like best. The normal shyness melted away from them and their eyes sparkled when they answered our questions.

Another development was how close Sherif and I got. He sat for a 30 minute interview and afterward wouldn't leave my side. He shot loads of photos with my camera and was always jumping for the spot next to me on the couch.
He also convinced me to do a little photo shoot with him on more than one occasion. He even busted out his special poses. Amazing character he is.
Overall, I got exactly what I came for and enjoyed the smiles we all shared.
It was sad to go after such a short trip but as we said goodbye.... They and I all knew, I'd be back again soon.

Check out my FLICKR for more photos from the trip