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Egypt: Arab Hospitality |
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Written by Stephen Baines
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Thursday, 15 February 2007 |
Last night was an amazing night. The training finished about 6pm, and the three of us got into the taxi as usual. We drove through a part of Egypt I didn't recognise from the previous nights, and wondered where we were going. The roads got narrower and narrower, and the shops started to look less and less international. We then pulled up outside a small block of flats.
"This is where my family lives. You must come in and say hello to my family and have a drink".
I was gobsmacked. It took me totally by surprise! So in we went. The house was about 150 years old, and we went up the narrow staircase to his appartment. We went in, I said hello to his mother, and we were introduced to his nephews and nieces. He asked what we'd like to drink, and a little while later a tray with freshly made Turkish coffee was brought through. We chatted about our jobs, how we came into them, and the differences between how we'd become what we were. Some Arabic sweets were then brought through - some Lebanese and some Egyptian. We ate them, and continued to talk. We spent maybe 2 hours there, just talking about our lives. There was an old Mosque next door to the home, and you could hear the call to prayers - traditionally called - ringing out, and a little while later, though muted, you could hear the prayers themselves.
I can honestly say that never in the history of me doing this sort of work have I been invited to someones house who didn't know me prior to the course, unless there was already someone with me who knew myself and them both well. Such a welcoming and friendly greeting I could never hope to expect. I was greatly touched.
We left our friend at his home, and made our way to the hotel. In the past I've said traffic is bad in various places, and the traffic rules nuts, but nothing compares to the sheer lunacy of Cairo. The road was 4 lanes wide with 8 lanes of traffic... We narrowly avoided hitting other cars or being hit too many times to count. The car bounced on barely working shocks, and I don't think I actually have worked out what side of the road they actually drive on, and people do both, sometimes on the same road. Roundabouts were a surreal experience - traffic was actually going round in <strong><em>both</em></strong> directions, with the traffic cops there to help people get around. You may be in the far left lane, and need to go right - no problem, just cut across the nose of everyone and beep your horn non-stop!
We got to the hotel, unscathed, and quickly got changed and decided to get something to eat. The hotel was a no go area last night, being valentines night, and we got into (help!) another taxi... The traffic by now was even worse, and I honestly feared for my life at times. The roads of Egypt are full of ancient Fiat 127s, 128s, 131s, 133s, Talbots, Ladas and Skodas. It is rare to see a car without dings and remodelled bodywork. A collision with a car in a neighbouring lane only makes your car narrower ready for squeezing through the next gap... I couldn't believe my eyes when one taxi actually had Ben Hur style spikes on its wheels!
We got to our restaurant, and went in. It was, as I hoped, a true Arabic restaurant. I couldn't read the menu. It pleased me greatly! What amused me even more was that the waiter thought I was an Arab. What didn't amuse my companion was that later, another waiter thought he was a westerner and spoke to him in English... My companion chose the food, and we sat relaxed and started to talk. Maybe I am lucky with the people I get to meet, but the people I deal with generally want to talk. They have great interest in what I do and my life, and myself in them. Inevitably the conversation turns to world politics. They want to know what people really think of their area of the world and them. They see CNN, they see George W Bush's & Tony Blair's statements. They see their own news services reports. They want to know if it truly reflects the Western view. I in turn want to know what life is really like for them, why they work where they do, and what it's like for their families. My companion, as I mentioned in a previous post, is from Palestine, and he has Jordanian nationality and passport. He has family back in Palestine and family in Saudi where he works. We spoke at length about the life he has. We spoke at length about the troubles in the different countries and what he thinks is likely to happen. The evening just flew by, the conversation was effortless. It took a while for us to realise that it was now 1am in the morning, and we headed back to the hotel.
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