Unmatched Hospitality

I've been told that travellers are considered to be like orphans, in need of extra care and shelter.

Just a few weeks ago, when the revolution here in Egypt was just getting underway, there was an evening when we found ourselves on the streets after curfew and needed a place nearby to stay. A woman who was a "friend of a friend" took us in. All NINE of us, complete strangers. And treated us as if we were family.

The expression "A friend in need is a friend indeed" can easily be changed here in Egypt to: "A stranger in need is family indeed."

Now, crisis situations do have the tendency to pull people together, but this sort of hospitality is not just limited to emergencies in Egypt; it is the norm.

This sort of welcoming environment makes it easy for foreigners to quickly call Egypt Home.

Resourcefulness

A Protestor protects his head
in the Egyptian Revolution
Photograph: Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images

Egypt is a country of fabulous resourcefulness.

Walk Like an Egyptian

Mad about Rain

In a water scarce country such as Egypt, water comes at a greater price than other places on earth. Unlike the song about rain that I grew up with in Canada "Rain, Rain Go Away, Come Again Another Day", Egyptians sing a slightly different version, that welcomes the rain.

The song goes like this,
"Ye matera, ye matera, ruhi ruhi, ala ara2at bint okhti" Come rain, come rain, hurry hurry, fall on the bald head of my niece.
This year, Egypt has seen an unprecedented amount of rainfall - more than I can recall in any year previous year I've been here. But I saw my first Egyptian rainbow last week, and its fabulous arch painted the entire sky. Let's hope for more rainbows.

One thing is for sure, after the rain is gone -
Cairo shines and sparkles

Encouragement when Learning Arabic

Arabic calligraphy needs its own post,
but I couldn't pass the opportunity to
display how beautiful the language is.

In Egypt, people are MOST encouraging when it comes to learning their language. The Egyptians are fully supportive of anyone trying to talk the talk.

From my earliest visits here, when literally all I could utter was "Salam Alaykum" (peace be upon you), the people would be so encouraging and clap their hands and say how fabulous an Arabic speaker I was - and basically, all I knew was "Hello".

That sort of encouragement goes a long way, and it really makes it a pleasure to learn a language, as challenging and dynamic as Arabic, in both colloquial and classical forms.

Fabulous Tailors

I always love going to these open shops in Egypt full of piles and piles of fabric and sometimes a sewing machine halfway into the street. You can get your curtains sewn, buy cushions for your sofa, fix broken zippers, reupholster all of your furniture - or at other tailors, have entire suits and evening gowns made, wedding dresses, or just get your pants hemmed. I've even seen one that sews "imported hair" together to make ladies wigs. It's easy, its inexpensive, often its quite nicely done.

Fabric/sewing shop in Heliopolis.
Note the stacks of cushions for outdoor patio furniture.
I had some made for my balcony.

A Beauty that Doesn't even Recognize Itself

Egypt has beauty that doesn't realize its own beauty. Sometimes the harsh sounds and the startling images blind us to the beauty right before our eyes. Beauty that lies in every step, in every gentle rosy sunset, in every silently whispered prayer, in every aspiration and dream kept chained inside. Loveliness moving in and out of the cascade of colors and onslaught of imagery: Glimpses of tenderness. Kind words. Splashes of color. Lyrical language. Sweetly sung songs.
Of these, the most beautiful is that which is silently unaware of its own fairness.