Dearest Persons,
I want to try and use this post to try and explain the unexplainable… CAIRO! So, I apologize up front for the length... but don't read if it's too much for you. :) I'll enjoy it for myself in a few months I think. First of all I’d like to say that while I didn’t know what to expect, Cairo doesn’t meet my expectations… that doesn’t really make sense, I know because I just said I didn’t have any expectations, but I think you’ll understand a little if I tell you that I have not yet seen a camel, I am NOT in the middle of the desert and it is COLD!!! J So… right off the bat, Cairo is different than what I was thinking… and even more so. Let me see if I can paint a word picture of Cairo for you.
When we first drove out of the airport, I felt like I was in Africa, well, definitely Egypt because we drove past these big pillars carved out of rock with different things, like an ancient pharaoh or a sphinx or something “Egyptian” on them. There were big walls on either side of the street that were painted to represent the history of Egypt, kind of like a big mural. There was even a war memorial for the 67 war where Egypt beat Israel at the Sinai (or at least they consider this an incredible victory and they re-claimed the Sinai Peninsula). But then, as you get into the city, those things end. The houses and buildings are made of stone, but most are not finished and rooftops are often used as storage places, so they look rather un-kept. There was a lot of grass near the airport, in Heilopolis, the rich section of town, but not so much in the city because it is like any other city… many roads, sidewalks, people, cars, no room really for green-ness. But there are palm trees everywhere and many places that you find green trees or grass, like New York City or Chicago. The city reminds me a lot of Tegucigalpa, Honduras or Mexico City and Chihuahua, Mexico… so many people and the traffic is crazy and doesn’t stop for anyone. There are no traffic lights and signs are rarely heeded. Taxis are CRAZY! The city also feels very Middle Eastern or Bible Story like because there are huge walls everywhere and donkeys pulling carts full of food or other things. They don't have fences... they have walls. Oh, and there are cats EVERYWHERE! It's nice because there aren't wild wolf-looking dogs like there were in Honduras, and there are no rats, AND, my favorite... there are NO BIRDS!!! Well, pigeons on the ground or squirrels that jump out of trashcans at you! But it smells like cat and it's gross and you can hear the cats whining and screeching at night and whatnot. I guess cats came from Egypt but you know, I never thought about it before.
Then… there are people. SO many people… everywhere. The men wear normal men clothes, but MANY wear bible time robes. It's kinda kewl! All of the women wear veils or head scarves. Most wear them covering just their hair and necks, these are called hijab, but you can often see women veiled from head to toe with just their eyes showing, these are called naijab (I think). Many wear long skirts, which I am excited to buy and wear as well, but many wear blue jeans or pants too. The women who are not veiled are foreign or not Muslim. We wear pants and long sleeves or skirts but do not cover our heads. Muslims do not want us to pretend to be like them. It’s an interesting concept...
In America, we tend to “change caps”. When we want to, we put on a Ohio State cap and cheer for the Buckeyes, but if we were silly enough to want to we could don a Michigan cap and cheer for them instead. The Middle Eastern world is not like that and does not understand this. A great example of this is the experience we had at the mosque yesterday. You should know that here in Egypt and the Arab world, Sabbath or the Holy Day is Friday. In Israel it is Saturday, so weekends are Friday and Saturdays. Christian churches meet on Fridays in this area in case you were wondering. Yesterday we visited a Muslim Mosque. We all wore “hijab” to cover our hair and as a respect for the religion. We sat in a corner of the room… the women meet inside and the men meet outside. We just watched. The women prayed and afterwards questioned us why we didn’t pray with them. (One lady asked me in English and I didn’t know how to respond so I stuttered and it was funny because she said, “Do you speak English?” And I laughed as I reassured her that, yes, I do.) But one woman told us, “This is not how you learn of Islam. You learn from a book you do not come. If you want to convert to Islam you come, but this is not the way to learn.” So they do not appreciate our American “cap” mentality. The people are so warm and hospitable, though. The ladies talked to us for a long time after realizing that we didn’t mean to offend and they were so kind and gracious. The people everywhere on the streets are like that. Of course, we girls do not talk to men or especially teenage boys, but that is part of the culture.
The city is very dirty and polluted, mainly the air. (And THIS is the reason for the nose spray which by the way GROSSES ME OUT every single time I use it!) Cars line the roads and Egyptian drivers… and pedestrians… have an INCREDIBLE depth perception. I can not count how many times I have caught my breath because I thought I or another person or car would be hit and they weren’t. It’s amazing.
The food is so good so far. There are lots of fresh vegetables and today my roommate Christina bought a kilo of strawberries for 6 pounds which translates to about a dollar. Yeah… oh, and we asked today… a liter of gasoline is a pound here! That’s like 20cents! Crazy, huh?
My heart and love for the people of this land is already beginning to grow. Yesterday in that mosque I wanted so badly to just be able to talk to every single one of those women. I’m struggling with my Arabic and I am struggling because I have never been to another country before and not been able to say “Where is the bathroom” before I travel. (I’ve learned that one now… “Fein hammem?”) Today the program directors sent us in groups of three throughout our neighborhood, Agouza, in search of items… envelopes, fresh fruit, chewing gum, lunch… and it was so hard for me because the only Arabic I have are the few words in my survival Arabic book and it seems like not enough. But it was fun and I learned a lot and I’m beginning to feel confident in our neighborhood and getting around will be fun.
Well, it’s time for Kareema’s dinner. I must leave you. But I leave you with this request… Examine how you are looking at the world. What “cap” are you wearing or putting on? What part of the way you live is not truly real? I pray and hope that this semester God will begin to reveal to me what parts of me are really me and what parts are a “cap” and I hope that you can discover the same. If we seek… we shall find. That’s a promise.
I love you!
In His Mighty Grip,
Your Kara Joy
No comments:
Post a Comment