Is Egypt a Muslim Country?

I’ve been thinking about this topic for a while but since hearing of the news back in the States at Ft. Hood I thought I would write about it. Since being in Egypt I have been surrounded by Muslims and have noticed one thing, Islam (the religion) is perfect, Muslims (the people) are not. I’m not sure why when a Muslim (or someone assumed to be Muslim) in America does something crazy Islam and all Muslims are to blame. When others do wrong they are labeled psychotic or crazy.

Anyway, enough about that issue. Possibly the obvious thing I’ve noticed since arriving is the choice of dress by some in the younger generation. Islam does not dictate a specific wardrobe, but there are guidelines on how women and men should dress. I don’t mean to judge anyone because we all have a choice of what we feel comfortable wearing, I just don’t understand what some girls are thinking. In Islam women are to dress modestly, covering their bodies (except for necessary parts like hands and face) and not showing their shape.

I have heard comments like “Hijab is taking Egypt by storm”, and it’s true, 99% of women I’ve seen wear hijab (the head scarf) and many wear niqab (the additional face veil). However, hijab in Islam is more than a hair cover. It is a measure of modesty, not merely an accessory. In Islam there is mention of the signs leading up to the Day of Judgment. One of these signs is that women in the streets will be “dressed but naked”. In light of this, I found the scene in the picture below very interesting.

The old and the new…

Food!

Either my sisters in law are really good cooks or the food here is just really delicious. Or, maybe it has something to do with the ingredients. Processed food here is very expensive and farm fresh food is much cheaper. Here is some of the tastier dishes we’ve had so far, and some other yummy things.

Fayrouz pineapple sparkling malt beverage, very interesting taste at first and now I love it more than any other soda

Fried fish (bolti=talapia) and Cabbage rolls (MaHshi)

Crab, BBQ fish (bolti) and salad

Teen, sort of like a fig. We found these growing on a tree in the park one day, they made a nice snack.

Red date. Very weird at first as I’m only used to medjool dates, but now we’re out of these and I’m craving some right now. Roqaya also especially likes these. (madjool dates start like this one and they are preserved through a process of deliberate and delicate drying over a period of time and under controlled humidity and temprature)

Fried cauliflower (qarnabeet)

Koshri. Major carbs but very delicious—rice, brown lentils, pasta, sauce, fried onions and garbanzo beans (humus) and a spicy dressing to go on top.

For each picture I added I want to say that dish is my favorite but then I remember the next picture and say, no that is my favorite. So, they are all my favorite :)

Driving While Egyptian

Ok, streets here are just crazy and I'm pretty sure I will never attempt to drive them, walking is enough of an adventure. The government likes to waste time and money painting lanes on the roads, but no one adheres to them. There can be a 3 lane road but 5 lanes of cars.

There are no stop lights, or traffic signs at all other than street names. There are no crosswalks. Drivers have come up with their own system of traffic control consisting mainly of honking and flashing their headlights. As we drove from the airport in Cairo to Alexandria I noticed the honking. I told my brother- and sister-law later that of all the years I’ve been driving I’ve honked my horn 5-10 times. They asked “well what do you use it for?” In the same tone that I asked “what’s with all the honking?” My brother-in-law who drives explains it as a way to get others’ attention, but in a very casual way. When I walk down the street and a car passes, the driver honks telling me he’s coming and for me to get out of the way—something that I would find very rude in the States, but here it’s normal. When crossing an intersection (most intersections have no lights and no right of way) drivers flash their headlights as an indication that they are crossing. In a way it’s nice because traffic jams are rare, and I have yet to see an accident.

Remember, I said there are no crosswalks. When crossing the road, pedestrians must weave themselves between cars. Traffic in the city moves pretty slow—30mph max—but this will take some getting used to for me. Luckily, most places I go by foot don’t require crossing any big streets. If we need to go somewhere far we have to find either public transportation or private services like taxis. There is a light rail, but I haven’t been on it yet. There are large busses like in any other city, which I have not been on either. Then there are mini-busses which seat 20ish people are very comfortable for trips around the city. For shorter trips there are micro-busses, basically mini vans with seating for 10. These are cheaper but crowded and don’t seem to follow a set route, you just have to call out when your stop is coming. This gets a little hectic when the bus/van is full. Yesterday I went out with Asmaa and we got seats on a micro-bus, but we were the last ones in so were sitting next to the sliding door. Every time we made a stop, I had to get

out, fold down my seat, let the people out and climb back in. The driver is not very patient and wants to keep moving, so if you don’t move quick enough he will drive off even if you’re not seated—this happened once while I was getting back in, with the door still open. We did this in-and-out about 3 times in a 5 minute trip.

This microbus is smaller than than ones I’ve ridden, but you get the idea…

The easiest, but more expensive choice is the taxi—they are everywhere and easy to spot. All taxis in Alexandria are black and yellow and I’m pretty sure they’re all the same make and model. Each taxi is privately owned so it is up to the passengers to negotiate a price with the driver before getting in the cab, otherwise he could make up any fare upon arrival since meters are not used. This taxi is pretty plain, but I’ve seen some with neon flashing lights, multi-colored fringe framing the inside trim or elaborately decorated dash boards.

If you want an adventure and need to get somewhere quick, the best choice is the Tooktook. It’s like a combination between a motorcycle and a cab with a steering wheel and seats for two in the back. I have been told that these drivers typically don’t have licenses and are not trained in road safety. Again, this one is plain, but the tooktook drivers get especially creative pimpin’ their rides.

Only in Egypt

If you are newly engaged or married in Alexandria, the place to go is the pier. The night we went was a Thursday (equivalent to Saturday in America) so there were a lot of weddings. We saw at least 5 wedding parties strutting their stuff, showing their dresses and having their day documented by a photographer. After the walk, they drove away in their decorated cars with people cheering and honking for them. I found this practice a little amusing because there were so many of them in a small area doing the same thing—walking the pier, stopping for ice cream, taking pictures and driving away. I guess it’s their way of showing their dresses since weddings here are a little different—there’s not usually a walk down the aisle or standing in front of a bunch of people reciting vows.

The side of this building was actually a really good backdrop for pictures, I will have to go back and get a shot of the whole thing

Last week Mariam and I went to Karim’s school to finish his enrollment papers and as we were waiting for the headmaster I heard a voice over a loud speaker. I asked Mariam if it was a school announcement or something, she said no, it is a guy selling potatoes. People like this, farmers, come from the country to sell their produce on horse/donkey/mule drawn carts and use loud speakers as their form of advertisement. Mariam translated the message as the guy saying he had the best potatoes at the best price and that he had other stuff too. I wanted a video of this but was inside, but later I found a similar cart and guy selling gas tanks for use in the home, usually stoves. I’m not sure if these guys were farmers or just merchants though.

Apartment buildings in Egypt are not really designed with the occupants in mind—it’s all about getting the most building in the smallest amount of space (or so it seems). Our building has four apartments per floor so to give air circulation and window access on two sides of the apartment the builders created a light/air shaft in the middle. One side of the building opens to the outside (one window in living room and two access points to balcony in dining room and bedroom) while the other windows (one in master bedroom, one in bathroom, and one in kitchen) open to the light/air shaft. It is difficult to explain/capture the idea without really seeing it but here are some pictures

This picture was taken from the stairwell outside our door

The floor of the light/air shaft is sometimes used for storage. People leave things with no fear of them being stolen or damaged. I’ve seen some with bikes, furniture, and other large items. People also keep their shoes outside of the door, although living on the ground level is probably a little more risky because there is a potential for more traffic. In fact Ahmed had a pair of expensive running shoes stolen when he was in college—still a painful memory.

Here is a picture of the mango juice from the stand, it is freshly squeezed and given in a glass that we drink in the street and they wash and reuse in the juice stand. The kids gets unique to-go ‘cups’, something Karim really enjoys. So much so that he refuses to drink from the glass, he must have his juice to-go

And Karim with his juice in the entrance of our building. A lantern and other decorations still hanging from Ramadan celebrations

That is all for now, I’m sure I will have more to add to this category…

Karim’s First Day of School

We have been looking for a good school to enroll Karim since he was about 2. None of the schools in our area in Maryland were what I wanted—either they were too expensive or not the right environment. Before leaving for Egypt we decided to try a school here and were able to find the perfect fit. The Delta Language School is inexpensive, at least by American standards, it is a bit pricey relative to the Egyptian pound. We took Karim a couple times to tour the school and he really loved it, but today was the day to leave him there alone. He did really well, he didn’t cry. He wanted me to stay but after we left we watched him from the window outside and he seemed to adjust right away. I went to pick him up 5 hours later and he was so happy to see me. I don’t think I’ve ever left him that long with someone he doesn’t know.

All his teachers are really nice and they speak enough English that we are able to communicate. His head teacher’s name is Miss Ranya. Today they had an English lesson and learned “What is your name?”, “I’m Karim”. Of course these are things Karim already knows but they will learn other subjects, and I’m sure Karim learned a lot more during his day other than what was taught by the teachers. He will continue going everyday except Friday and Saturday (the weekend in Egypt and other Muslim countries) from 7:30 – 12:45.

I thought it would be fun to take to my niece and nephew to pick up Karim since they were getting out of school at the same time I was leaving. I let them lead me to the school and we got lost because they thought Karim went to a different school. Luckily we found our way back and arrived on time to pick him up.

Here are a few picture from his first day

So serious. My sisters in law tell me that Ahmed was the same way. Going to school was a serious matter and no time for laughing :)

In the classroom, Miss Ranya in the background

Sitting at his desk

From outside the window, he looks really sad but right after this I saw him smile at his teacher

After we picked him up, I didn’t get a shot of his first reaction, maybe tomorrow

First Week in Egypt

Last night marked the one week point since arriving in Egypt last Tuesday. We finally are getting into a normal sleep pattern. Before last night the kids had been going to bed around 2-3am and waking around noon (the normal time according to EST) but last night they slept before 10 and we all woke up at our normal times.

I have adapted quickly to the change of pace in Egypt. At home I was used to things being very quiet (except for the normal kids noises). But here there is a lot of family interaction, not to mention the non-stop activity in the streets. I’m pretty comfortable with the traffic now. Driving in Egypt is a little chaotic, but the drivers seem to understand some type of protocol that is followed making for relatively safe roads. I'm not too great at crossing big streets but I’m getting there. There are no crosswalks or pedestrian lights, or right of way for that matter. You just have to go and dodge all the cars (normal speed in these areas is very slow due to the high volume of pedestrians, so it’s pretty safe).

I have found car seats and strollers to be pretty much useless here. We don’t have a car so we either walk or take the bus and the sidewalks and stores/markets are not designed for easy stroller access, so I’ve found it best to just leave it all behind. When I wanted to use the car seats on the airplane, everyone looked at me like I was crazy and it took me 20 minutes to explain to the crew what they were and their function.

The flight was pretty easy. It was 10 hours, not counting our 3 hour drive to NY and 5 hours waiting in the airport because the flight was delayed. We arrived in Cairo around noon the next day and were greeted by Mohamed, Mariam and Ahmed (Ahmed’s brother, sister and nephew). We then took a van from Cairo to Alexandria—another 4 hours. I enjoyed seeing Cairo but it got dark before we left the city so I didn’t get to see much, I look forward to going back, but not for a while. Here are a few of the pictures over the last week, I will post more later and some on facebook.

Karim and his cousin Ahmed in the van from Cairo to Alexandria

Cairo

Roqaya and Ahmed’s Uncle Saleh

Me and baby Hashim (nephew)

Karim and Uncle Mohamed (his favorite person I think, because he looks just like Baba)

Roqaya and her cousin Habibah (they are one year apart but almost the same size)

Having some ice cream by the pier in Alexandria (with the yellow car, Karim’s second favorite thing)

The Mediterranean is in the background, but it was dark

Our special dinner on Friday—barbequed fish, crabs, and salad—delicious!

Karim waiting impatiently at his school before seeing the headmaster on Monday

Karim and his Uncle Mohamed having some sugar cane juice—the juice stands are everywhere, like Starbucks in America, and they’re always packed. So far we’ve had sugar cane juice and mango juice, both were very good

The market where we went to buy Karim’s shoes and bag for school. It was hard to get a good shot because it was dark, but it was packed with people and cars and shops

Rules in Egypt are very different, there are no real laws for driving and no one uses car seats—most cars don’t have seat belts. We let Karim ‘drive’ down the small street where our apartment is, just like my dad used to do with us :)

This is the front of out building. Egyptians don’t put a lot into outward appearance, most buildings are brown like this with minimal design. The inside looks much better than the outside. I saw some buildings that looked fancy from the outside but was told the apartments inside were no good.

Ok, that’s all for now…

Big Changes

wow, it’s been awhile since I’ve visited my blog, things have been a little crazy around here lately so I guess that’s probably part of it. The kids are doing well and maturing everyday. Karim’s vocabulary is perpetually increasing and it’s really exciting to see him learning and becoming a big boy. He will be 3 Sept. 28th and we plan to enroll him in preschool soon after that. He is finally fully potty trained, but the funny thing is that I think it was more an issue of me not knowing what to do rather than of him not being ready. We went cold turkey, no more diapers over a week ago and so far, so good.

Roqaya had her first birthday August 12, it’s amazing how fast that year went. She loves watching her brother and learning new things—like sliding down the stairs on her belly, she goes really fast. Here are some recent pictures from our Picasa gallery.

Now for the big news—the kids and I will be traveling to Egypt at the end of this month. Yes, a 12 hour flight with two kids—I’m not really looking forward to that part but hopefully it won’t be too bad. We will arrive in Cairo the next day where we will meet my sister-in-law for the first time. She will travel with us to our final destination in Alexandria, on the Mediterranean coast, west of the Nile delta. We will then get the opportunity to meet the rest of our family members living in Alexandria—two other sisters-in-law and brother-in-law and his wife, numerous nieces and nephews as well as many extended family members. We plan on making time to visit the pyramids in Cairo and Luxor, and any other must-see tourist sites.

I’m really excited to have this opportunity to meet our family members and experience a new culture. Ahmed, unfortunately, will not be able to join us this time because he is unable to take such a lengthy vacation away from school. He just started his master’s program this month so he’ll have plenty to keep him busy while we’re gone.

After verifying that the kids have all the shots needed for travel (and they did) I realized that I needed to catch up on boosters. I went two weeks ago to get Hep.A and Tetanus, not I know why the kids cry when I take them for their shots, it really hurt! Well actually, the Tetanus wasn’t that bad, but the Hep.A made my arm feel like it was going to fall off, then, from the pain or something, I fainted and had to stay with the nurses until I felt well enough to go home. The Dr. recommended that I get another round of the Hep. A, but now I’m a little nervous that I will have a similar reaction.

We got our passports and visas all ready to go so we won’t have to stop at customs in Cairo. We also have loaded up on tons of gifts for Ahmed’s siblings and their kids. I’m not sure how I’m going to manage all the luggage, but with the help of the flight attendants, we’ll get it figured out.

I will probably be more regular with my blog during our trip so I can keep track of our adventures while sharing with others at the same time, so stay tuned…