1. Me and my roommate, Krystina, at a Lebanese restaurant
2. A mosque near "Khan al'Khalili"
3. My friend Kate and and me at a chill night spot along the Nile
4. Khan al'Khalili
5. Poster and headquarers of opposition leader Ayman Nour
6. Taher Square, downtown Cairo, near AUC
Over the past few days, I've been trying to see as much of the city as possible, attempting to somewhat assimilate into living here, gaining my bearings, etc. Last Saturday began my "Survival Egyptian Arabic" course which continues until Wednesday. Basically this is a four hour a day course focusing on teaching us words to help us in tough situations, such as negotiation taxi cab fares, bartering for purchases at the market, directions, manners, etc. The course has been somewhat helpful, especially in spurring me to attempt to verbally communicate with Egyptians in the street, in stores, restaurants, and even chatting with cab drivers. I have found that I am picking up a good bit of the language simply by listening and practicing, as well as leaving the TV in my room on most of the time simply to listen, whether it be news, which is in the formal language, or Egyptian soaps, which is in the spoken dialect.
One of my first adventures around town was with a few friends around the area of AUC. The university is in the downtown area, also known as Taher Square. There is a large circle from which you can see the Egyptian museum, the Nile Hilton and other major hotels, the U.S. Embassy, the Egyptian tower in the background, as well as the full fledged city beyond. We set out around late morning in search of some decent restaurants, which turned out to be a more difficult task than we originally planned. On this trip I was able to make several important observations: for one, most the people on the streets and at the market down town tend to be of the lower ranking classes, selling food on the streets, cooking food in the open markets, and wearing full galibbayas; also, they don't speak English. It turns out that there are some great spots to eat around town, as well as shop, however I have to be careful that my out-of-town stomach is not forced to digest any food or drink from the street venders, which it definitely is not used to.
On another outting last night, I was able to experience more of the night scene. There is a huge difference between night and day here. For one, Cairo is, if anything, a night town. Stores and shops rarely open before 11AM, however even the local Radio Shack is always open (except for Fridays, which is the holy day for Muslims) until at least midnight. I ended up going to a small bar with some American and Egyptian friends that night to enjoy a few beers. Believe it or not, alcohol is much more difficult to come by here than in the states. In general, Muslims, who make up a fair majority of the population, do not drink at all because it is considered impure in their religion. In general, only more "Western" type restaurants serve alcohol, a few bars and clubs, in addition to the most expensive places, which serve anything. Drinking does not seem to be a large part of the culture here; rather smoking a hookah, or rather "sheesha" at a coffee or tea house while relaxing with friends is the preferred activity. However, I was able to find one of these rare facilities serving cheap alcohol last night, and then moved on to a nicer restaurant/ night spot on the Nile that served. We stayed out until very late in the morning, which is the norm here, and this served as a very good opportunity to talk to some of the other students at AUC.
My other recent adventure occurred this morning when I went to the major "sooq," or market, known as "Khan al-Khalili." The market opens around 10 or 11 AM and goes on all night long. It consists of small, narrow blocked off streets that house shops and vendors in what feels like a giant maze. You can purchase anything from jewelry, to clothing, to fresh spices, to fish, to touristy Egyptian objects. One of the most important things when shopping at this market is to undertand bargaining. When asking how much an object costs, you have to assume that simply because you look foreign, they will immediately double the price. Beyond that, you have to be very firm and willing to walk away. Also, you better have a command of the numbers in the Arabic language. Very few people speak English here, aside from saying "Welcome" or to us blondes "will you marry me?" No matter what, people are staring at you because you look different, which really should't be considered a huge deal considering if a poor Arab man was walking into a Wal Mart in central Pennsylvania, he would likely receive a few looks as well.
Even though I've only been here a few days, I have really been able to see distinct differences in the ways that men and women behave on the streets. For example, when men meet, they can slap or shake hands, and when girls meet, if they are close they often kiss both sides of their cheeks. However, a man and women will never be seen touching on the streets, especially if she is wearing the hijaab, which is the majority of women here. Additionally, Egyptian men do not tend to even verbally approach women on the street or in the stores to chat. She must approach him, which if she is proper she will be very modest, and the man must be respectful of her. This of course does not carry over towards women like myself, who are obviously out-of-towners. I have received no serious sort of harrassment thus far, but rather just looks, the occassional shout or honking of the horn, and a lot of "hissing," trying to get my attention. In general, however, none of this has seriously bothered me, and I have found the people to be extremely friendly and helpful.
One of my favorite things to do is to try to talk politics with the cab drivers. With the Mubarak elections coming up in September, the political seen is very intense right now. It is especially evident on the street, where driving or walking you are sure to every few blocks see a huge banner of Mubarak in both English and Arabic. Thus far, I have only seen one poster of Ayman Nour, the opposition leader, and that was posted outside his office headquarters building. When I ask Egyptians what they think about the election, they usually do not have a long response--most just say they like President Mubarak. Is this because they are uncomfortable talking about politics? Because they are not concerned with politics and accept the status quo? Because they generally do support their president? I have no way of knowing, especially not at this point. Rather, the conversation usually turns to the topic of American politics, and especially the Iraq War. It's difficult to go into details, with limited vocabulary and all, but the conversation usually with the cabby shaking his head, muttering "Bush magnoon, magnoon" (magnoon = crazy), but all the while still smiling.
All in all, my experience here has so far been very surreal. I am enjoying it, and simply trying to take everything in at once. We'll see what is to come.
Salaam!
posted by Katie Warren @ 12:40 PM
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