It has been a long journey, but we have all finally arrived in Cairo! Truthfully, it is difficult to determine how to begin this entry because there is much to talk about and much going on in this city. When we first disembarked from our plane, we were immediately confronted by somewhat of a surprise. Fear of the swine flu is ever-present here in Egypt, and most airport officials were sporting surgical masks. Before we even hit the passport control lines, we had to fill out a card asking if we had any symptoms of the flu. We later learned that the only confirmed cases of swine flu in Egypt were from foreigners, hence the hyped-up hysteria at the airport. Regardless of the measures taken at the airport, our excitement in finally arriving in Egypt to start our program was not diminished in any way. As we left the airport, we soon discovered what driving in Egypt was like. To put it simply, it is mayhem. Traffic does not stay in neat little lines; in fact, road markings are more like guidelines that can be easily broken and forgotten rather than unshakeable rules. Traffic lanes commonly accommodate two or even three cars at a time! There is always an incessant symphony of car horns that accompanies the driving experience. Nonetheless, the drivers here all seem to have a sense of purpose in where they are going and get there (with plenty of close calls on the way). After an exhilarating ride to our apartments that had its own close calls, we were left with a brief preview snapshot of what Cairo was like.
It is easy to label Cairo as overcrowded, dirty, polluted, and loud. Car horns are a guaranteed background noise. We observed from the windows of our van that pedestrians were all on their own in terms of picking the opportunity time to cross the busy streets; traffic lights are largely ignored. With so many people and so many cars, there is, as I learned before I came and now finally observed first-hand, an omnipresent layer of smog that pervades the air. Not to mention that there are also pungent odors that can be found everywhere. Nevertheless, we could tell just from our van windows that the city also has its charm. The city is always in motion and there is a rhythm that ties the people and the city, with its excess of automobiles, into both a cohesive and diverse place buzzing with activity.
Upon our arrival to our apartments in Garden City, we were instantly greeted by our bawab, or doorman. We learned that each residential building in Cairo has such a doorman, who is responsible for everything from minor repairs in the building to securing the building to simply greeting us as we leave and enter the premises. We also learned that even simple tasks that the bawab can do might require baksheesh, or tip. Egypt is a poor country, but it is a country of extremes when it comes to wealth. Our apartments are rather large and generous in terms of living space and quality. We have hot water, electricity, and overall cleanliness. The vast majority of places in Cairo of course have electricity, but the accoutrements we are used to in the U.S. certainly are luxuries here. Just across the way from our apartments we can view from our windows many rundown apartment buildings that have clothes strewn across drying lines on the rooftops jumbled with motley arrays of satellite dishes. The British initially founded Garden City, where we are living, when they ruled Cairo, as an area that resembled England. The concept was toq transplant this scene into Cairo and the local Egyptian environment. Today, there are remnants of buildings that are ornately adorned with neo-classical architecture and exhibit European influences. AT the same time, however, many of these buildings are deteriorating and are flanked by other, newer, buildings that look just as dilapidated. The Nile River borders the western end of Garden City, and just across you can view Gezira Island, where Cairo Tower stands. This area clearly has its share of wealth and in many respects is newer than Garden City.
Against this backdrop of vast differences and ever-constant motion, we finds ourselves attempting to connect with Egyptian culture and orientate ourselves to our mission in understanding and helping Egyptians. For the most part, Egyptians are very friendly. Many of them do speak some English, but a lot of them enjoy it when we try to communicate with them in Arabic. The major thoroughfare nearest our apartments, Shaariah Qasr el-Aini (Qasr el-Aini Street) is fitted out with numerous little storefronts and fast food restaurants. There are many grocers on the street, and there is a juice shop on one of its corners. There, I tried what is called Aseer al-Ahsab, or sugarcane juice. The owner of the shop crushed sugar canes in this machine he had behind the counter and out came a milky and sweet, yellowish juice. Literally it was sugar juice and was extremely sweet. The owner of course spoke to us in Arabic and was ecstatic to hear me try out my Arabic. In fact, he complimented me on it, which made me feel good at a time when I was still a bit overwhelmed by Cairo.
Yesterday, only our second day in Egypt, we visited St. Andrews United Church, our local partner for our program. There, a private school for refugees from countries such as Sudan, Iraq, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia teaches them invaluable skills for integrating into Egyptian society. Our job is to teach an intensive English course for the summer for unaccompanied minors. We are all a little nervous but excited to help. Many of these children literally have nothing, and it is exciting to know that we may be able to contribute to giving them something valuable that could get them a job someday in order to make a living.
Besides visiting St. Andrews yesterday, we made a trip out to Khan el-Khalili, the largest bazaar in Egypt. When we arrived, we were deposited in front of Al-Azhar Mosque. Its towering façade and impressive minarets was an amazing site, and it certainly was a reminder of the strength and centrality of Islam in Egyptian society. However, as walked through the bazaar, reminders of Egypt’s ancient past were everywhere. Each vender had some sort of Ancient Egyptian memorabilia to offer for sale, suggesting that the allure of Egypt’s past is strong. For the first time since being in Egypt, I saw a considerable number of tourists strolling through the bazaar. There are few tourists roaming the area around our apartments, so this site was a surprise. Seeing as how Khan el-Khalili drew tourists, it seems logical to conclude that interest in Ancient Egyptian culture was limited to tourists. This however, is not true. Based off of what we have seen thus far, Ancient Egyptian cultural influences can be seen in day-to-day sites around Cairo. Everything from the local bottled water company Baraka, which sports the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid as its logo, to statues and obelisks around the city, exhibits the strength of the enduring legacy of the Ancient Egyptian culture. Cairo, itself, is a blend between the ancient, the old, and the new. Islamic influences and Ancient Egyptian influences coexist to provide the foundation for the city’s own.
There is much that was left out of this post, and there is much more to come. I wish all of it could be recorded, but for now I hope the essence of what we have experienced can be gleaned from what it is written. Masalaama!
