We are still home in Canada, enjoying the quality time spent with family and friends. The entire visit has been like a dream, and we are so grateful for the opportunity- especially in a most gorgeous summer! Unfortunately we have not been blogging as much, though hopefully we will play catch up next month!
You may have noticed a previous blog entry on politics which was posted and later taken down. Obviously this is a tense time in Egypt, where politics is a sensitive topic. Not wanting to jeopardize MCC’s place in the country, we will largely refrain from writing about politics in Egypt henceforth. We encourage you to go to BBC World News and the New York Times for basic coverage. For more in-depth analysis the following sites are great:
We have now been in Canada long enough to recognize a number of ways in which living in Egypt has changed us. These transformations range from the constructive, to the comical, to the embarrassing. You may remember our writing about Becoming Egyptian in an earlier blog. We figure that now is an appropriate time to post a sequel...
1. We Try to Help
Egyptians live to give, and if you ever need directions, a drink, or a seat on a bus, hundreds of Egyptians are usually ready to help. We would like to think that this most admirable Egyptian quality has rubbed off on us a bit. Thus from carrying women’s and seniors’ bags to chasing after lost dogs, we have tried to lend our fellow strangers a helping hand back home.
2. Slapping Hands
Egyptians love to joke. They are well known to have the ‘lightest blood’ (easy-going sense of humour) in the entire Middle East. After telling gag, a common practice is to lightly slap hands with your friends. Unfortunately this trend has not yet made its way to Canada, and I have been left hanging more times than my ego would like!
3. Avoid The Sun
Before coming to Egypt I almost worshipped the sun. There was no better way to spend a summer afternoon than laid out soaking in the warm rays. However, in Egypt conceptions of beauty and skin tone are quite different. Milky white skin is the ideal, and the beautiful Egyptian complexion is not always appreciated. “Who would ever want to get a tan?!” our students laugh, unable to even imagine North American tanning salons. Now we too have come to avoid the sun like our friends in Beni Suef
4. We Talk in Matches
In the comedy film Zoolander, the title character (a most cosmopolitan fashion model played by Ben Stiller) is not quite as manly as his miner father and brothers. In one scene he joins them at a local pub to watch an NFL game. Attempting to blend in, he asks “who’s winning the match?” His family simply shake their heads. Of course this is because any pro sporting event in North America is referred to as a game, not a match. But in soccer-mad Egypt it is “match-this” and “match-that”. For better or for worse I have been converted. Thus hard as I may I try to be one of the boys, I basically have become Zoolander.
.5. Drive Like Egyptians
1. We Try to Help
Egyptians live to give, and if you ever need directions, a drink, or a seat on a bus, hundreds of Egyptians are usually ready to help. We would like to think that this most admirable Egyptian quality has rubbed off on us a bit. Thus from carrying women’s and seniors’ bags to chasing after lost dogs, we have tried to lend our fellow strangers a helping hand back home.
2. Slapping Hands
Egyptians love to joke. They are well known to have the ‘lightest blood’ (easy-going sense of humour) in the entire Middle East. After telling gag, a common practice is to lightly slap hands with your friends. Unfortunately this trend has not yet made its way to Canada, and I have been left hanging more times than my ego would like!
Show me some love!
3. Avoid The Sun
Before coming to Egypt I almost worshipped the sun. There was no better way to spend a summer afternoon than laid out soaking in the warm rays. However, in Egypt conceptions of beauty and skin tone are quite different. Milky white skin is the ideal, and the beautiful Egyptian complexion is not always appreciated. “Who would ever want to get a tan?!” our students laugh, unable to even imagine North American tanning salons. Now we too have come to avoid the sun like our friends in Beni Suef
4. We Talk in Matches
In the comedy film Zoolander, the title character (a most cosmopolitan fashion model played by Ben Stiller) is not quite as manly as his miner father and brothers. In one scene he joins them at a local pub to watch an NFL game. Attempting to blend in, he asks “who’s winning the match?” His family simply shake their heads. Of course this is because any pro sporting event in North America is referred to as a game, not a match. But in soccer-mad Egypt it is “match-this” and “match-that”. For better or for worse I have been converted. Thus hard as I may I try to be one of the boys, I basically have become Zoolander.
The new Isaac?
.5. Drive Like Egyptians
The traffic in Egypt is always the first thing visitors notice. Common adjectives to describe it include chaotic, dangerous, maddening and thrilling. Believe it or not I have had a difficult transition driving in orderly Canada again. Where is the swerving, and honking and fun!? People have had to remind me that the horn here expresses anger. And don’t even get me started on traffic lights. While admittedly safe, the long waits at empty intersections make me long for the great efficiency of Egypt’s wonderfully-haphazard traffic system.
6. Soft Hand Shakes
Egyptians are generally very social, and meeting and greeting is a large part of the culture. Therefore it is common practice to shake hands with your company- whether you are coming or going. This may not seem entirely separate from North American practices, however, the difference is in the detail. While North Americans value a short, firm handshake, Egyptians’ hands go almost limp as they meet. There is a softness in the practice to which we have grown quite accustomed to.
7. We Love Bidets
Ok folks, put on your rubber gloves, because we’re going to now touch on a bit of toilet humour. Please note that the following remarks are written in all seriousness! Every toilet in Egypt is fitted with an internal bidet, which shoots up water after you have done your business. While at first this feature was a bit of a shock, now we struggle to live without it. Bidets are just so much more hygienic! All we know is that whenever we do eventually buy a house, we will be sure to fit all the toilets with bidets!
8. We Are Nose Pickers
Egypt is a dusty, dusty place. It seems that every square inch of the country is covered in a fine layer of the Sahara. Factor in the extreme dryness of the country, and one can perhaps forgive Egyptians for having to pick their noses more frequently. Yet while we may have become more comfortable with our nostrils, our families certainly haven’t!
6. Soft Hand Shakes
Egyptians are generally very social, and meeting and greeting is a large part of the culture. Therefore it is common practice to shake hands with your company- whether you are coming or going. This may not seem entirely separate from North American practices, however, the difference is in the detail. While North Americans value a short, firm handshake, Egyptians’ hands go almost limp as they meet. There is a softness in the practice to which we have grown quite accustomed to.
Feeling the squeeze; who knew Canadians could be so aggressive?
7. We Love Bidets
Ok folks, put on your rubber gloves, because we’re going to now touch on a bit of toilet humour. Please note that the following remarks are written in all seriousness! Every toilet in Egypt is fitted with an internal bidet, which shoots up water after you have done your business. While at first this feature was a bit of a shock, now we struggle to live without it. Bidets are just so much more hygienic! All we know is that whenever we do eventually buy a house, we will be sure to fit all the toilets with bidets!
Egypt is a dusty, dusty place. It seems that every square inch of the country is covered in a fine layer of the Sahara. Factor in the extreme dryness of the country, and one can perhaps forgive Egyptians for having to pick their noses more frequently. Yet while we may have become more comfortable with our nostrils, our families certainly haven’t!
So there you have it... The lighter side to becoming Egyptian! Insha'Allah we will return to the bidets, soft handshakes, and wonderful people of Egypt soon enough!
