With All My Expectations Long Abandoned: The First Couple Days

Alright, I can’t quite say that ALL my expectations were abandoned, or that they were all untrue. As I was told, traffic in Cairo is UNREAL. There are no laws, and to those new to Cairo have no sense of safety. Lanes are rough guidelines, car horns are the city’s theme song, and maneuvers are attempted and completed that James Bond’s car wouldn’t have a prayer at. But you have to see it to believe it, so I’ll get some footage as soon as I can. As for parking, double parking is normal, and triple parking is perfectly OK. It’s barely controlled chaos, but while most of the cars have some kind of damage, it seems that the system works and total accidents aren’t super common, at least I haven’t seen any. Oh, and if I thought Boston was bad, the drivers sometimes seem to speed up when they get close to pedestrians. I just have to learn how to walk quickly and guardedly across, and if you look “indignant” as John Paul, an ND student who’s spending a year here, they let you pass.

We dropped Jules and Courtney off at their apartment in Garden city, which is close to campus, then arrived at Zamalek. Which is pretty nice. I can’t really complain about the accommodations. The bathrooms aren’t what I’m used to, but I’m not in a 1st world country anymore, and from what I’ve seen, Zamalek the region (which is an island in the Nile) is much more upper-class than some parts of Cairo I’ve seen. I’m a spoiled American, and it’s time to stop feeling entitled. Even if being American in this city can get you better spots at restaurants, through customs no questions asked, into secured regions of the city, etc., that’s not justice and a sense of entitlement is something I must learn to shake off.

Soo many things that absolutely defied my expectations. Like my first meal here was none other than Hardee’s. My roommate was ordering food, asked if I wanted some, and I asked from where. She said Hardee’s and I burst out laughing, but I wanted to get to know her and I was starving, so I ordered a cheeseburger. Globalization is alive and well. KFC, or dajaaj kenduukii and McDonald’s and Pizza Hut are endemic. It’s terrifying.

Another unexpected thing: a cat giving birth on the chair in the Zamalek (dorm) lobby. Cats, feral and domestic are all over here, and this one, while Megan and I were minding our own business, this cat started mewing so loud it was almost barking, then something comes out of its hind end, and, suspecting birth, I asked the security guard, and yes, the cat gave birth to 1 kitten in my presence and 1 later, judging by the 2 kittens that were there when we came home. I don’t know what to say other than ولدتان قطتان امس, or 2 cats were born yesterday. In probably mistaken Arabic.

I’ve been actively participating in the Egyptian Economy. There are about 5.5 pounds to the US dollar, and when I hand over 20 pounds for a sandwich, it feels like a lot, even if it’s less than 4 dollars. I withdrew 100 pounds from an ATM and it only cost me about 18 bucks. Not to mention, you can get a huge bowl of this really filling national dish, kushrii, I think, for 3 pounds. That’s about 60 cents, but it’s phenomenal. And with it, you can get Coca Cola, Sprite, and most important of all, bottled water. And I’ve been to a grocery store to get oranges and bottled water, where a small box of cheerios is like 37.50 LE, like 7-8 bucks, which is ridiculous because it’s imported. I’ll stick with the off-brand for like 8 pounds, when it’s likely just as good.

The most unexpected thing of all was that it rained the first 2 days I was here. Yesterday, walking down narrow rough streets in the rain made me question whether I was actually in Egypt. Today is nicer, although, the city is really polluted, you can see the constant haze in the pictures. And no, I haven’t seen the pyramids yet. We might go tour tomorrow. Cairo is pretty in its own chaotic way. Someone threw out the statistic that it has twice the population of NYC on half the territory. Even if it’s not accurate, it definitely feels like it.

Goodness, there’s so much more to say, but this is long enough already. More later, of course.
Salaam alaykum
Laura