GREETINGS FROM CAIRO

You just can’t get down straight to business in Cairo: whatever be the situation-whether its an official setting or you are just asking for directions. This is how your conversation will most likely progress-first, you will obviously greet the person (that’s fine…we were all brought up to be polite and civil, though in Cairo, the greetings can stretch out a bit too long!), then inquire about his/ her health and the health of the family members, next assure them that everything is fine with you and the world (whew!) and only then slowly ease into the “real purpose”. By the end of it, you can’t be blamed for having forgotten what is it you really wanted to talk about.

In the beginning, this laid-back attitude of the Cairenes is very difficult to fathom. Having lived in Bombay the whole of my life (except for the past 3 years), where everyone is always on the go and there is absolutely no time to be wasted on small talk, it takes some time getting used to. I am still fascinated by the way two Cairenes greet each other- their greetings will be so effusive and so drawn out, as if they have met after a long, long time and they are twins who were seperated at the “kumbh mela”. In reality, they could be meeting every day. Even if it is two strangers meeting for the first time (and probably the only time!), they can soon be engaged in a deep conversation and with so much of camaraderie that it may seem they have known each other for years. It can definitely be frustrating at times, but there is something reassuring about it too-as if everything is right with the world, there is no problem and no stress.

One incident in particular, made me really appreciate this attitude of the Cairenes. If you know anything about the traffic in Cairo, you know that it is really bad, getting a parking space near your destination near impossible, and if you are lucky enough to find it, then maneuvering your car into the tiny space is definitely a superhuman achievement. But it is also only in Cairo that a person would break away from a deep conversation that he is engaged in with another man, come over and patiently guide you into the parking space (without being asked to) and walk away without expecting a thanks!. And one evening, when we were late for an appointment, my husband and I were lucky enough to come across such a Cairne. Have you had a similar experience?