I'm 21 today. It's pretty crazy, I don't really feel that grown up, although I guess you never really do. Anyways, I think turning 21 in Egypt is a bit anti-climactic due to the significant differences in law (i.e. there are no laws here), but I am still excited. Have my big fusha (written Arabic) final tomorrow, so will have to do the main celebrating tomorrow, but am planning to go eat Indian food (thank God!) tonight with some friends.
Funny thing that I will remember always is that I turned 21 while watching an Arabic movie in Cairo. Last night I went with a couple of friends to see this movie "Morgan Ahmed Morgan" in one of the oldschool cinema halls downtown. The movie was supposed to be at 10 PM, but it started at 11:15....standard. The movie was pretty good, it was basically a comedy like Billy Madison, in which an old and successful business executive (played by famous Arab star Adel Emam) who is very corrupt and good at blackmailing decides to go to University to impress this woman professor who he likes. Shenanigans and hilarity ensue. The movie was completely in Arabic and no subtitles, so it was hard to follow always, but I got the general gist. It shared a lot in common with Bollywood, though was much shorter and had only one song-and-dance routine (ha!).
So while most people turn 21 while blackout, I was watching an old Arab man on screen hit on cute young Arab girls. How can you beat that?
Tuesday, July 24
Tuesday, July 3
If Aliens came to Earth...
I met this British guy Lou the other day who is a freelance film producer here in Cairo. What I remember most from my conversation with him was him telling us how teachers in Cairo are paid about 500 Egyptian Pounds per month, and that this is so little that they withhold teaching some subjects at school so they can teach private lessons for more money. When I got back to my room that night, I thought about 500 pounds a month, and that astounded me. I just can't see how it's possible for any individual, let alone a busy teacher, to be able to live in Cairo, rent an apartment, pay for food and transport, for 500 pounds a month. Then you look at the Egyptian students who are at AUC, the way upper class of Egypt who come to school chauffeured in BMW's and Audi's, and the concept of "income inequality" really becomes clear. While all the economic indicators show that there is a ridiculous income gap in the US, it is just so much easier to see such things in a country like Cairo (or India, Kenya, etc.).
Since I've been here, I've really thought about how strange this world might seem to aliens who randomly visited Earth. Teachers, perhaps the most important if not one of the most important groups of people in society who are primarily responsible for allowing us to progress, learn and innovate, are being paid less than a living wage, not only in Cairo, but even back home in California. On the other hand, there are people on Wall Street who take money from really rich people, invest it into an arguably "imaginary" system of ownership and equity markets, and through some series of events I don't understand become among the wealthiest in the world. The rewards just never go to the people or groups that are directly trying to help other people and groups. It just seems quite weird---I don't really know what to do about it or what one can even do about it, but I'm sure the aliens would probably be like, "later earth we're going back to our planet" (obviously if they can come to earth they are more technologically advanced, so they would probably like their own planet better anyways since it would have all types of awesome video games).
Since I've been here, I've really thought about how strange this world might seem to aliens who randomly visited Earth. Teachers, perhaps the most important if not one of the most important groups of people in society who are primarily responsible for allowing us to progress, learn and innovate, are being paid less than a living wage, not only in Cairo, but even back home in California. On the other hand, there are people on Wall Street who take money from really rich people, invest it into an arguably "imaginary" system of ownership and equity markets, and through some series of events I don't understand become among the wealthiest in the world. The rewards just never go to the people or groups that are directly trying to help other people and groups. It just seems quite weird---I don't really know what to do about it or what one can even do about it, but I'm sure the aliens would probably be like, "later earth we're going back to our planet" (obviously if they can come to earth they are more technologically advanced, so they would probably like their own planet better anyways since it would have all types of awesome video games).
Streets of Doom
Traffic in Cairo can be summed up in one word: out-of-control-madness-insanity-fun (hyphenated words count as one word!). I think the only place I've ever seen anything close to comparable is in Delhi, but as I have only traveled there and never lived there, I didn't really experience the craziness from the pedestrian vantagepoint. Essentially, there are no such things as lanes, traffic lights, street signs, right of way or even headlights in Cairo. Of course, all these things do "exist". Yet they mean nothing. On a three lane road, you will have 6 amorphous lanes of tiny fiat taxis (at night these taxis are lit up with neon glowsticks, but for some reason don't turn on their headlights!), old soviet era cars, out of control microbuses, and mercedes benzes all trying to get in between the gap up ahead of them. At many intersections, I see the traffic light is red, but cars continue to turn right, left, go straight through and even reverse (on a one way road) without regard to the red light. The only time these traffic lights are "on" is when the municipal police (who number approximately 1 
bazillion) are on the street directing traffic.
Aside from driving, perhaps the scariest (and coolest) thing about the traffic here is life as a pedestrian---its a thrilling, life-or-death adventure every time you cross the street. Pedestrian crosswalks, though they exist, have no function. As noted above, cars don't follow traffic signals, so in downtown Cairo, a road can be full of cars for three hours straight. So you have to just walk through the insane traffic to get to where you need to go. You wait for the tiniest gap, then make your move and then just cross slowly, staring down drivers who're coming at you. These drivers never stop, they just masterfully change their speed and alter their angle a bit so they drive right past you.
After a month here, I've learned that there are actually rules to this madness. Drivers honk at you from far away to let you know they're coming (difficult to catch sometimes since everyone is just jamming out on their horns, creating some phat beats sometimes), and at night they flash their headlights if someone is coming around a turn. The most fundamental (and life-preserving) rule of pedestrian crossing is always cross the street slowly, without stopping or running, as you throw off the people in cars who are trying to avoid you. When you stop in the middle of the street, don't expect cars are going to stop for you. In the first week I was here, I definitely stopped in the middle of the street and stood there for like 45 seconds as cars on both sides from me (I could probably touch them if I moved my arms out just a bit) drove past me at 30 mph, it was scary as hell ! The cardinal rule: NEVER start going, then turn back---basically assures sudden death and mutilation by another car who assumed you'd be out of there like any good Egyptian pedestrian.
My flatmate Colin posted a video of crossing a street in Cairo on YouTube, check it out for real-life footage woohoo!
bazillion) are on the street directing traffic.Aside from driving, perhaps the scariest (and coolest) thing about the traffic here is life as a pedestrian---its a thrilling, life-or-death adventure every time you cross the street. Pedestrian crosswalks, though they exist, have no function. As noted above, cars don't follow traffic signals, so in downtown Cairo, a road can be full of cars for three hours straight. So you have to just walk through the insane traffic to get to where you need to go. You wait for the tiniest gap, then make your move and then just cross slowly, staring down drivers who're coming at you. These drivers never stop, they just masterfully change their speed and alter their angle a bit so they drive right past you.
After a month here, I've learned that there are actually rules to this madness. Drivers honk at you from far away to let you know they're coming (difficult to catch sometimes since everyone is just jamming out on their horns, creating some phat beats sometimes), and at night they flash their headlights if someone is coming around a turn. The most fundamental (and life-preserving) rule of pedestrian crossing is always cross the street slowly, without stopping or running, as you throw off the people in cars who are trying to avoid you. When you stop in the middle of the street, don't expect cars are going to stop for you. In the first week I was here, I definitely stopped in the middle of the street and stood there for like 45 seconds as cars on both sides from me (I could probably touch them if I moved my arms out just a bit) drove past me at 30 mph, it was scary as hell ! The cardinal rule: NEVER start going, then turn back---basically assures sudden death and mutilation by another car who assumed you'd be out of there like any good Egyptian pedestrian.
My flatmate Colin posted a video of crossing a street in Cairo on YouTube, check it out for real-life footage woohoo!
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