cairo and its special ways

i’ve been to egypt a few times over the years. i have family here - aunties, uncles, cousins. i’ve seen the pyramids, sphinx and great library of alexandria. heck, i’ve even done mount sinai and sharm el sheik. i’ve eaten falafel three times a day, and chewed on leb in the streets. i’ve caught the tram, and taken a felucca across the nile. all very awesome.. but when you’re just passing through, all the idiosyncrasies of a foreign country are a novelty. they’re fun, exhilarating and endearing. enter long term residency.

these are the things about cairo that never seemed to bother me as a tourist, never even crossed my mind, until recently when i’ve had to call this chaotic place home..

1) the traffic: it’s a nightmare. a life-threatening nightmare. a 5 minute car ride can easily blow out to 50 minutes, if you make it alive. and don’t get me started on crossing the road..

2) the involved masses: it doesn’t bother me that there are A LOT of people in this city, it’s more the fact that everyone is involved in every facet of your life in any given time. everyone on my street in my neighbourhood knows exactly why i’m in egypt, how much rent i’m paying and my fathers full name. there’s even an old lady on the corner of my street that often suggests how i should carry my bags, and criticises the grocery brands i prefer. i often think of my fellow australians that have the luxury to assert “that’s a personal question!”, and I try to imagine the reaction such retort would get if used on a local egyptian.. i’m thinking either a snigger and/or a slap across the face.

3) the cab drivers: who freely decide what fare they deserve depending on their mood.

4) the english disadvantage: the instant people find out you speak it, everything becomes 5 times more expensive.

5) the “maalesh” (or “nevermind!”) attitude: which always manages to appear when you urgently need something done.

6) the water: that leaves you feeling itchy after a shower.

7) the staring. the constant staring.

now reading over this i realise i’m being quite the sook. egypt is a beautiful place – obviously, otherwise i wouldn’t be here. and i’m not having a bad time.. it’s fine. but i am finding that i'm either having the best or the worst time of my life at any given time.. never anything in between. it's either amazing or horrible. and i’m just surprised that i’ve never noticed these frustrating things before? maybe it’s fear hitting me. fear that this is my fate for the next couple years.. adjustment tips welcomed.

disoriented and far far from any comfort zones,
tash