Faux- guesting and bootie shorts

From time to time I think it will be nice to have some 'guest' bloggers, or at least share some thoughts I have gathered from other students or Egyptians. My colloquial teacher has included a lot of cultural advice in all of her lectures ( most times responding to our limitless questions about proper behavior), and I thought it was very interesting. Though she does not wear a hijaab (the head scarf - but no veil in front of the face) she is a 54- year old Professor who describes herself as religious and old-fashioned. I still don't know quite how to read that; I haven't talked with enough Egyptians to make any kind of judgements on to what extent her opinions are widely shared (though I expect many are).

Some of her quotes in class:

" I don't lift my eyes to my husband's friend in the street unless he addresses me first... and you want to address women with your blond hair and blue eyes? Never."

Her response to a fellow classmate's questions on whether or not it was appropriate for him to say hello or ask women questions in the street.

" AUC? The people you see on the way out are not Egyptian. I'm speaking for the 99 percent of Egyptians."

I can't really comment on this one- though University education in Egypt is free, so students who come to AUC tend to be wealthy.

"Egyptians have the highest phone bills in the world."

(In response to the question "Do women vote?" ) "Yes, but they remember to cook breakfast first. The husband is more important than any election."

In response to international pressure (i.e. the US) and probably other factors, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt announced earlier this year that an election will be held for his office on September 7th, 2005. I don't think anyone has doubts about him commencing his 22nd year in office, but there are opposition candidates, though I have seen no evidence of them.

"Islam is all about treatment: how you treat other people. What you see all over the news is not Islam."

We also talked at length about many other cultural norms that will no doubt come up in future posts. Two days ago I taxed her because in a discussion about marriage and qualifications for women ( among other things virginity is essential- in Shari'a ,Islamic Law, it is legal for a man to kill his wife if he finds she is not a virgin after marriage) I was asking about expectations for male virginity (there are none), and many other students were chiming in as well about the discrepancies. Perhaps as payback, or, more seriously, a reminder of how so many American standards seem as horrifying to Egyptians, we discussed homes for the elderly. In Egypt, though she reports the waiting lists for these kinds of institutions are becoming longer, it is still considered shameful for the elderly to be apart from their children. She explained that it made the children look like they were ungrateful for being cared for when they were children and had no patience or generosity to return the favor for their parents.


That is all for now. I went to the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities today, which will merit another post, but I cannot resist posting that I saw two women wearing shorts that were clearly designed to reveal what most shorts are designed to conceal. I felt awkard. I was pleased to note that most of the museum's visitors were conservatively attired.

P.S. I heard a rumor that Shakira is coming to Cairo! ( I.e. "Extremely beautiful Colombian singer with an incredible body and moves like you have never seen might be igniting the hearts of Egyptian men, and lets face it, women too, in Cairo soon." )
P.P.S. I had my first falafel!!!!! A sandwich was essentially 25 cents. I think Egypt has America beat now for cheap, unhealthy food.

Sincerely,

Girl waiting for her stomach to realize it is now in Egypt.