Interpreting Egypt

There are truly so many things, even after seven months, that are striking experiences here some are even small moments in my mind. I truly never want to forget any of them, but am sure I've already become immune and will become more immune..or desensitized to happenings around us. To try and put these into words seems impossible...to give you even a glimpse seems daunting. I'm not sure I'm giving you even a glimpse here...perhaps it's a microscopic speck when I attempt to interpret my experiences here to you all.

First, thanks for continuing to read! I am sorry, there has been no good way to put a contact up here for you to be notified via email. Some of you requested it early on and are on the list of 10 people (restrictions set by blogger, not me) who get these notices via email.

Being Black in Egypt -
I have been blessed to live in a diverse community in the US where socio-status and skin color are noticed but in general we live together.....Egypt is far behind that....I'm sad to say!

Example - last week (true!!) a Sudanese girl (she's black, if any of you want me to get politically correct, get over it....we're not in America, she's black, not African American, and not all Africans are 'black' so bear with me!). Last week, a Sudanese girl age approximately 10 but not over 10, was hit by a "microbus" out in front of the school where I volunteer on Tuesday's.

Do you call an ambulance? HECK NO! there's no time for that here!

She was put into a taxi with a white teacher....they rushed to a hospital where

SHE WAS NOT ADMITTED BECAUSE....SHE'S A REFUGEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They ARGUED with the white teacher....who was more than happy to pay all costs...she was treated and sent home.....thankfully she is fine, but she was NOT given proper care.

Another example - a black friend came to visit me (well, many of my friends are black, this is just one example) a few weeks ago and BEFORE she even GOT to the boab (doorman) he noticed she's heading this way...he flew his hands around and shoo'd her off!

Just yesterday, I got a taxi for a different black friend because we knew my blonde hair would get FAST attention.

These types of things cut years off my life trying to just work around them without belittling the people DOING such injustice! Because....without knowing the language and culture intimately, there is NO way to interpret their disgusting behavior appropriately to them in an educational manner.

Learning about Islam - even after 9-11-01, I (have other faults, no worries) did not join the "anti-Islam" bandwagon.....and am so glad...because living here with an Islamic people....I cannot tell you how much I enjoy their compassion in general for "most" people. Barring above statement of course! It is amazing to see the poor give to the destitute widows and handicapped peoples!!! Since the Quran is written in Fous-ha, THE MAJORICY OF MUSLIMS have NO idea what it says. However, a good friend of mine not only reasons fous-ha but understands the Quran and we have some VERY good spiritual talks! I love how he can make me really think through my faith...and I like stumping him! ha ha!!

RamaDaan - alright, no matter how I tried to just "accept" it was RamaDaan...I still after 1 month, cannot get my head around it to just "accept" it! It was very difficult emotionally for me as a 'do it now' American type (which is quickly dying thankfully).....it's difficult to explain what it's like to change the time 4 times in 5 months as well...oh and we'll change AGAIN in 2 weeks.

All weekend, it was DEAD here. Silence! no beeping!!!!!!!! NONE! no taxi's racing! NONE! I could leisurely cross 3 lane roads that usually hold 5 lanes of traffic.....with Jasmine WALKING...no yelling, no panicking, no holding up my hands and instructing the kids to make a mad dash and hope I make it too.....really quiet!

Twice, people told me "Merry Christmas" - oopsie! They meant Happy New Year....and that's oK, I appreciated their attempt...I'd tell them "koll sana wa enta Taweb" and that's to wish them blessings into another year..and they'd tell me they're celebrating Christ! YEEE HAW! tee hee!!

RamaDaan has past...we're in a new Islamic year. In approximately 37 days from now, animals will be sacrificed like crazy to bring blessings for their new year.

Sacrifice....it is still practice here to slaughter for a birth, a wedding, a death...a new building, etc......it's a bloody ordeal, I've seen photos of the "ground floor" at residential buildings...I am hoping no one in my building will practice this..or human bile may join the animal remains...

anywho - they will dip their hands in the blood and make handprints to either curse or bless a building.....I thought it was paint.

3aiid - the feast this last weekend that began the Islamic New Year was the last time to give "bonuses" - remember my talking about that previously? Well giving is a very open "look at me" type of business in general here. I'm just stating that matter-of-factly for information....because on the day to give, the night boab actually called me to REMIND me that he was there and it was time to give if I thought he was worthy! I couldn't put aside my Wendyisms to go down and give him the money...he had to wait a day - I'M SORRY BUT STOP LAUGHING! I REALLY DID MAKE HIM WAIT!! I can only accept so much in my American brain!!

"If God Wills it" or "By God's Grace" - I know the Bible tells us not to go making plans as if we have control over it...but sometimes we all take that a little too far and make it an "excuse" - Saturday, I got groceries without problem since it was a holy day, I was the only customer. Easy peasy! (WC that was for you) I requested delivery, confirmed they'd do it within 15 min....

one hour passed...I called and they told me Insha' Allah (see above in quotes) and I said "15 min!" 20 MORE minutes went by..I walked back to the store....they had lost the order I had PAID for....

I found it.

I had to go thru it...

had to replace some cold items.....

and when the female manager found out, she was screaming and yelling...I was starting to agree with the public humiliation part of learning (blushing at admission).....she told them that they would indeed deliver NOW in one of their vehicles (normally it's by bike) and that THEY WOULD GIVE ME A RIDE! Seriously....wish I could interpret how hilarious THAT was!

Rob did his own interpreting with angry looks and MINIMAL tip...I urged him to do so....later, I got a call from "my guy" at the store, apologizing profusely.....apparently he also yelled at those other guys.....

hmmm....just "odd" scenario really! and doing it all in Araibc...well, almost all of it, at one point I had to call my landlord to tell them something (the part about I was already here not WANTING MORE RIGHT NOW).

Adoption - I sometimes think that the "next" person who feels sad for me and pats their own tummy, telling me they wish God's blessing upon my troubled uterus....I may knock their teeth out - THEN I have to interpret it quickly..and realize there's NO understanding for why we'd ever want to increase our love by adding a someone not of my blood - guess they marry in their own blood line (said with sarcasm).

Recipes - the flour is not the same..doesn't work the same or act the same. The brown sugar is "granule" - I think that's what I'd use? it's NOT the soft squishy stuff - tho I did find 2 bags of it one day and of course purchased them both. The butter doesn't act the same....the table sugar isn't quite as strong..HOW to you interpret a recipe to make things work? ~sigh~

Do you all know the head nod and "uh huh" thing we do in the US? Apparantly that IS unique to the US - well I have almost officially moved over to the Egyptian translation. it's a deep tone, mouth open, nasally "ah" - it's not a "light came on ah-ha" moment in English tho.

Children - wow, the extreme poverty here that some of you have seen in Brazil or Portugal or Guatamala and even Mexico - the children are like animals. I have not yet figured out how to "interact" with them on a human level. They bite, they pull, they growl, they are animalistic! I'm not being mean....I am trying to explain....I pretty much tell the kids not to look at them or smile or talk to them..if we do, they are like wild dogs, under foot, trying to pull my purse while growling, taking food out of my bags..it's quite...well...it's as if I should bring them food but then throw it 50 yards away and make a run from them! But since I live so close, I find it safest not to give to them at all...I can't find a way to interpret this to their family - I'll give you food, but do NOT act like animals and terrifying my children, thank you very much, here's some bananas and meat!

Touching - I had just gotten "proud" of myself for not touching anyone in a LOOOONG time, then......after being here more than 7 months now, I touched the man who cleans the buildling. mohamed is a wonderful young man, even tho we never pay him directly (until RamaDaan bonus which I tell you about not to brag, but to interpret the society to you! please don't compliment us or feel we're boasting PLEASE).....he has always been helpful to me and never waited around for me to tip him...EVER! Well, when I gave him the New Year bonus, I touched him...I reached out my hand and the minute I did, his face got weird, so I dropped my hand....so I guess we didn't touch afterall, but it was a VERY weird moment! thankfully, he interpreted it kindly and went straight to a smile and an Arabic conversation with me about the weather...PRAISE GOD nothing has been weird with him since - WHEW!

Now the Sudanese and the Congo - wait what? People from Sudan and people from the Congo are touching people :) Congo-ese? tee hee...

Sudan taps the shoulder - right hand to left shoulder or hugs, depending on gender, marital status, age, etc....sorta like in the US I suspect with hugging....and then the people from the Congo all hug if they know you well and touch cheeks - I LOVE THAT KIND OF HUG! Reminds me of my friend BW from Excel who'd hug me like that when my momma was facing cancer!! LOVE that kind of full force love poured out so innocently!! Altho, people don't whack each other like I tend to do when talking sometimes......so I have to still contain myself...tho sometimes my male Sudanese friends get a whack on the bicep - thankfully, it is always interpreted sweetly and it doesn't stop conversation or laughter (like the time I did that to Wyel) and it doesn't cause weird looks or excited eyes (oh dear! yes that happened to me once....and I paid for it a day later..now I don't talk to that Egyptian man EVER in Arabic...EVER..and I only respond to hellos and pretend I don't hear the other questions).

Foreigner judgments - went to sign Joshua up for soccer at an international school.....was told it was NECESSARY to belong to any international school, you couldn't just be a "local" here - and local was said with such disdain I haven't heard since some extended family spoke about "those black people" (eye roll insert there). I pointed to my hair and snottily said back "do I looook like a local?" to which she said - but he's JUST homeschooled (my word, I'm thinking in her tone, local and homeschool should be in the dictionary next to "vulgarity")

so I had to actually tell her more than I'd have to tell the government of Michigan to validify his education.....THEN...I had to sign up THREE other homeschool families...THAT WAS FUN! whew! They were all Americans, (saying with more disdain from me and sarcasm) because ANY other foreigner might be BLACK!

I'd like to give a round of applause that this was a WHITE ENGLISH WOMAN who said this....and she was younger than me! I'M SO PROUD TO SAY IT WASN'T AN AMERICAN WHO SAID ALL THAT TO ME!!

Interpreting - sorry, this is going to sound like a British bash - it's not, just my experiences here :) My attempt to tell you! I happen to enjoy and love some Brit's here!

anyway, I have been pleasantly surprised that Egyptians, Sudanese, Nigerians, Philipino's, Japanese, Chinese, Australians and Italians don't throw around vulger language! it's INCREDIBLE to me! but, the British seem to be the worst! Second would be the Koreans (sorry, Jasmine) and the third would be......can you guess? Yep...Americans! but they are NOT the worst at least! ha!! It's been incredible to notice!

Oh - the other day I said to Rob...go ask George at the church, he'll know..

Rob says 'Great, I don't know who George is' and I said to him "he'll be the one guy who looks American" and he got this weird shocked looked on his face and said "do you mean he's not black" to which I said "HOW DARE YOU!!!!!!!!!!" and then he left in a huff...

when he returned he said "it was SO obvious! it was the clothes and the earbuds that gave him away among all the Egyptian and Black men" (all of the men are some dark shade of brown, but George stands out as an American)

see! :) Americans..it's not the skin..it's something else....walking proud, all the electronic gear the young generations must carry (including my husband ha).

Well, this is QUITE a long and boring post! I'll be amazed if you can understand any of it! you may need your own interpreter!!! I can ask for it in Arabic if you'd like....ha ha ha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Joshua's doing GREAT reading fous-ha Arabic!!! he tries to sound stuff out, etc..of course usually we don't know what it means tho! HA HA HA! except at the stores, because I speak it...so I know what it is then.