Egypt…. After a Year and a Half

I will admit Egypt is not as overwhelming for me now as it was when I first got here November 4^th of 2008.  “Well duh”, you’re probably thinking!  Of course not!  Familiarity helps lessen anxiety, which in turn makes life less stressful.  And, let’s face it; Kansas City isn’t exactly the most urban of cities.  Some of the craziness I have experienced stems from living in a huge city vs. the suburban life I was accustomed to.   And then there is remote village life vs. suburban life.  In Egypt I have been living both extremes:  Cairo, at 18 million and growing, and the North Coast around El Alamein that averages about 10 people per square mile, most of them Bedouins.

What have I learned after one year?  More than will fit into any blog, to be sure.  The number one thing I have learned is that I am extremely fortunate to be an American.   Many people say we are spoiled.  Actually, we are.  There is an enormous list of attributes we enjoy as Americans that very few, if any, other countries can claim en masse.  Indulge me as I list just a few off the top of my head:  our access to education, opportunities to advance our social and economic standing by working hard, clean and fluoridated drinking water, ability to travel freely in our own country and throughout most of the world, clean irrigation water for crops, superior public infrastructure, great roads (you haven’t even seen a pothole until you’ve been to Egypt so don’t diss me on that one), a free press, well educated and trained public safety personnel, quality food products, an absolutely first rate military, an extensive and free public library system, a quality medical system (it’s not perfect, guys, but it can diagnose and treat effectively which, I have discovered, is a luxury) and the list chugs right along.  Sayings develop for a reason…. the one that comes to mind right now is, “You don’t realize what you have until it is gone.”  My fear is that many of my countrymen take these benefits we enjoy for granted.  It seems a lot of the focus today has gone to criticism of what is not perfect, rather than thankfulness for what we have and what we do well.

Anyway, back to Egypt….  It has two things going for it at the moment.  One is the history of the area.  There are mounds and mounds of archeological sites and meaningful history related to them.  A huge portion of Egypt’s annual revenue comes from tourism and business associated with tourism.  Literally plane loads of people disembark daily to explore Egyptian history, as well as cruise ships full of tourists docking in Alexandria and the Red Sea.  Speaking with many tourists, it seems they are seldom disappointed with what they find here.

The second thing Egypt has going for it is its people.  The best part about actually living here, as opposed to visiting, is getting to know the people and experiencing the culture.  Talking with the people is how you really learn about the country and garner insights into education biases, religious differences and similarities, cultural practices, value systems, etc.  Ron and I have been privileged beyond belief to sit in Egyptian homes, eat authentic Egyptian food served to us as to their families, talk about current events from different perspectives and enjoy perfect hospitality.  It never ceases to amaze me how the commonalities in people are so much greater than the differences.  It is surprisingly easy to communicate joy, thankfulness and appreciation whether you speak a common language or not.

Every day life here is much more difficult than in the States.  Routine chores are often riddled with unbelievable delays.  Sometimes my sense of “common sense” is tested to the maximum.  Working smarter, not harder is not an important factor where unskilled labor is in great supply. I can’t count the number of times a day you either see someone barely escape death by traffic accident or barely miss meeting your Maker yourself.   The electricity goes out randomly whether we are in the city or on the coast.  The sense of time here is…well, frustrating.  Ten minutes never means ten minutes or less, it always means at least ten minutes and up to an hour.  Soon means maybe today.  Insha’Allah follows every plan.  If God wills it, it will happen.  This is even more interesting when used repeatedly in the workplace, i.e., “I will have that contract finished by tomorrow, Insha’Allah.”

So, that’s my summary of living in Egypt so far.  More to come, I’m sure of it.

In the Perfume Shop

Street Sweeper in Maadi

Making Friends…

Washing Clothes, Downtown Cairo

Need a Ride?

Feed for the Camel and Horses

Bread?

Egg Delivery

Cooking Falafel on the Street

Carrying Home Groceries

Barbed Wire Fence Around the Shool Yard

The Banana Man