First week in Egypt

I’m starting to get acclimated and soon will fall into a regular pattern.

The first two days were a little difficult. When I got to Egypt the only information that I was given was my address and a number to call when I got there. I was not told how I would make that call so I just assumed there was some system. Contrary to my expectations the driver dropped me off in front of what looked like a run down building in front of a busy street and drove off. I basically stood there with five bags and people walking all around me speaking in a foreign tongue. After dragging my bags into the lobby I was approached by five elderly Egyptian men. Using my best Arabic I tried to explain to them that I live in this building and I needed to contact someone to open my door. Of course no one had a cell phone and I had no evidence that I was to live in that residence. By this point they assumed I was some confused American. Finally, one took me to the room I suggested was mine. He knocked on the door for a while, no answer. He complains that there is nothing he could do and leaves. I stood in front of room 16 having no idea if any of my roommates even landed yet, no why to get in, no contact, no one to answer my questions, and thinking what the fuck is going on.

Finally, some over weight Egyptian shows up who speaks a little English. He told me he was the guy who is going to install the phone for apartment 16. I asked him if he knew Barkry, my contact, and he did. We called Barkry and within thirty minutes Bakry arrives and lets me in.

The apartment is large and very comfortable.

Barkry is an interesting guy. He is Sudanese who speaks perfect Arabic, English, and Tigrinya. He lived in Eritrea for a few years and knows the Eritrean community in Egypt. Perhaps he’ll show me around town sometime.

My roommates are all good guys with different agendas and backgrounds. Dan is a Junior here for one semester. Darrin is a graduate student in the Middle East department. Russ is from Arkansas and is a freshman who will spend four years in Cairo.

The hardest changes I was forced to adapt to are the heat, the driving, and homeless children.

Organized chaos is the best way to describe the streets in Egypt. There are no street lights, speed limit signs, or street crossing system for pedestrians. Because there is very little organized structure the horn is used extensively. My driver from the airport probably used his horn more than I would in a whole year in the US. There is no spacing here: cars drive bumper-to-bumper at full speed. The driving culture is something one has to experience to understand.

The hardest things for me and most foreigners is adjusting to the sight of homeless children. Streets kids are children who belong to impoverished families and spend all day trying to make money on the streets. These kids are mostly boys and they usually shine shoes or a day laborers for small business. The first time I saw a homeless child (I think in my entire life) was my second day. I was walking toward the American University when I spotted a little boy sleeping on the sidewalk. His face and feet covered with flies and his naturally light brownish skin looked dark from dirt. Next to him was an adult. I was told that these kids are usually passed around among the homeless adults and used to make money. The girls are usually sexual abused. What a reality check to the privileges we have in the US.

Egyptians are generally very hospitable and helpful. The streets are generally safe even late in the evening. The only real warning we got was to watch for pocket pickers and hustlers and that is unusual. American women have a really hard time here with sexual cat calling. Reason being they are perceived as exotic but also sexually liberal compared to Egyptian women.

Cigarettes in Egypt are a national past time. Every man smokes cigarettes. One can smoke inside most buildings, all cafes, airport, et cetera.