Extras from Cairo

I haven’t mentioned several notable and interesting things about Cairo. First, all of the major hotels have security checkpoints. You must scan your bag and walk through a metal detector upon entry. Additionally there are guards with guns at ever hotel and along all the major streets, and around all of the tourist areas and embassies. I don’t really know how I feel about them. We have asked several of them for directions, and some prove to be helpful while others shout, “NO ENGLISH”, indicating that they don’t speak English, despite the fact we are addressing them in our broken Arabic.
Also, you may be wondering, “Broken Arabic? Hasn’t she been studying this for a while?” The answer is: yes, I have been studying Arabic for four years now. However, the Arabic that one is taught at a school in the United States is called Modern Standard Arabic, also commonly referred to as fus-ha. This standardization of the language is derived from Koranic Arabic as well as some common dialects, and is used by locals in all official documentation, on the news, when writing and when speaking to someone who speaks a completely different dialect. Over twenty countries list Arabic as their primary language. They spread from as far west as Morocco to as far East as the UAE. Every country has a different dialect, and in some countries there are regional and dialects. Dialects can only be learned through immersion in the culture. Egyptian Arabic is EXTREMELY different from MSA, as a lot of it is derived from the ancient Coptic, Greek and Egyptian languages. Verbs are conjugated differently, words are entirely different, and the syllable that receives emphasis in a word changes, producing a whole different sound from the very formal MSA. Speaking MSA to an Egyptian person is almost the equivalent of someone walking up to you in a mall and asking for directions in Shakespearean English. Its strange, archaic, and you can only understand bits and pieces. Upon our arrival to Alex we have a week long crash course in Egyptian Arabic. The language pledge will officially begin on Wednesday, so we have some time to get to know each other in English. Next time I return to Cairo I will be armed with Egyptian Arabic!
Cairo during Ramadan is different that during the rest of the year (see NYT article on the right). During the Muslim month of Ramadan (the Islamic calendar is a 10 month calendar so it doesn’t always fall on the same dates of our calendar), it is a sign of piety and respect to fast from sun up to sun down. This means no food or water, and Muslims who don’t abide by this usually hide their food as it is seen as shameful. When the sun goes down, everyone is out eating and shopping. Stores are open until midnight or later and cafes are open until sunrise. The Eid, or end of Ramadan (September 10th this year), is a huge celebration and people are buying new clothes for the celebration as the date is approaching. While this is all very exciting, it has definitely been challenging to find food during the day. Every day is a new adventure as far as lunch goes. And the traffic gets significantly worse in the city as the iftaar (break fast, or sunset) gets closer. Ramadan in Cairo has definitely been an experience, and next time I come back Cairo will be cooler (in temperature) and most stores will be open.
A final note on Cairo is the haggling. Like many other places in the Arab world, haggling is a big part of daily life. I haggle to buy my bottles of water, haggle for the toilet paper in the bathroom at the Egyptian Museum and I haggle for taxis. It is important to stand firm when haggling, and also to know what is a reasonable price. When a cab driver offers a high price, you give him a counter off and then walk away if he refuses. More often than not he will call you back and the cycle will continue once or twice more until he concedes or you walk away for good and find a new cab. This is yet another piece of daily life in Egypt that separates it from my life at home.