Do you want an Egyptian husband?

Yesterday after church, Jayanthi and I went to the Cairo University metro stop to meet up with our Egyptian friend Kholood. I'm not sure if I ever explained our connection to the Egyptian girls we know, so I'll briefly summarize it now. Thanks to our German roommate, Lise, we met a girl named Aie (A-ya) in the beginning of the year who was hoping to do an Arabic-German exchange with Lise, but because Lise was too busy Jayanthi and I agreed to meet Aie about once or twice a week to practice Arabic and English. Aie studies German and in the Schoolfor Tourism and Hotels, so all of our new Egyptian friends either speak German or study tourism (mostly both : ) ). Though I am surrounded by Egyptians at AUC, it is pretty hard to get to know them and I have been too shy to speak Arabic with them. Kholood is extremely smart and funny; she wants to travel all around the world but complains that her family won't let her (pretty common with all of these girls) and is always very interested in what we are doing. She even had her older brother, Kareem, call me once when she found out I had a test about refugees because he is in law school and she thought he might be able to help me!


We met her and her younger brother Mohammed at the metro stop and then traveled to their house in Giza (yes, where the pyramids are) which is one of the most recent suburbs to develop and be absorbed into Cairo. Wearrived around 2:00 and didn't leave until about 9:00! What I experienced several times in Moroccoand here in Cairo is the long-winded but very nice socializing patterns that often differ so much.We sat downin their small but very nice sitting room with couches and chairs and talked to Kholood's family forabout an hour before we had lunch. Kholood's father is a lawyer and speaks very clear and wonderfulArabic, her mother I think is/was a lawyer,too, and is extremely kind. We really loved their entirefamily, from the oldest Kareem, to Kholood, Mohammed, and the youngest Ahmed, who is in 4th grade, and was so much fun. Jayanthi and I were excited to practice our Arabic, getting made fun of and encouraged at just the right frequencies.

Lunch was tons of mahshi (stuffed peppers/cabbage/eggplant), a veggie stew, another rice dish, cut up veggies, and coke. As always Jayanthi and I were forced to eat until bursting for threat of "You don't like the mahshi?" and as a result of dad continuously putting more food
before us. I was pleased to use a new vocabulary word that means "big belly "to describe what would happen to me if I ate like this everyday : )

For the rest of the afternoon we sat and talked and watched TV; there is no pressure to constantly entertain guests, they just become part of life. A woman and her children stopped in and sat to talk, and it was natural when the youngest fell asleep and was put on a bed in another room. Some of my friends back in Athens were debating an article in which bratty and loud children were annoying patrons in coffee shops and what kinds of measures should be taken. Though the Moroccan/Egyptian/Middle Eastern cafe is off-limits to kids (and women) , children go everywhere else without any problems. I've rarely seen mis-behaving kids, and I really enjoy how they just go along with the flow.

With these last guests Jayanthi and I struggled to answer questions like "What is Hinduism," "Do you want an Egyptian or American husband," "How much does your apartment cost per month," "What kind of shampoo do you use," "What kind of character do you think I have (the woman asking me)" and "Why don't you eat meat?" It was a workout : ) As I've read in the Culture Shock: Egypt book, there are plenty of questions I can't ask, but not too many limits on questions people will ask me : )