Hassled in Cairo

To date, I always thought that Cairo was an extremely safe city-safe for single women, safe for women to go out unescorted in the nights. A number of my expat friends and acquaintances have felt otherwise, they insisted that it is not “all that” safe - they had narrated incidents of kerb crawling and catcalls! But I was not convinced!

I believe them now after what I witnessed from my apartment window last night. Saw a smartly dressed woman walking on the street below. A man and a child were walking besides her and the man seemed to be saying something to her. They looked like a family to me, probably returning home after dinner at one of the nearby restaurants. But then I saw the lady suddenly dart in front of the man and rush to cross the street-she seemed to be avoiding the man. It then stuck me that the man was not known to her and had actually been following her trying to chat her up. To add to her woes, a car came and braked next to her and then started kerb crawling her…..Hey stop it! Leave her alone! I felt like shouting out to the men harassing her. As the lady continued walking, and the men followed her (one in the car and the other on foot), I could no longer see them. Was quite disturbed by what I saw. Is this the “real” Cairo and is this how the Cairenes behave?

Just last week, when I had cousins visiting from India, I had emphatically declared to them that Cairo is very safe and probably even more safer than Bombay (Mumbai) for women…..don’t know what to say now?.

Taxi!

SCENE 1

A woman is trying to get a taxi for some time; she flags down a cab, tells the taxi driver her destination and the taxi drives off-without her. Finally on her nth attempt, she finds a cab that is willing to take her to her destination.

SCENE 2

Another woman is crossing the road, she hails a cab even before she has reached the other side, does not bother giving her destination to the driver, opens the rear door of the taxi, gets in and the taxi roars off.

I was a witness to both these scenarios today-So which is a better way to "bag" a taxi in Cairo?

Wust El Balad

I had never wished with such intensity that I could understand/ speak Arabic- as I did last night when I went to see Wust el Balad perform at the El Sawy culture wheel. Wust el Balad (‘downtown” in Arabic) were fantastic…moving from soulful songs to “foot tapping” music effortlessly and the audience knew all the lyrics! The fans clapped in rhythm to the music, some danced to their music and still others sat enthralled by their music. I just loved their music- though I didn't know what they were singing about- a blend of oriental and the western. Their three vocalists have such powerful voices; each with his distinctive style of singing -they are backed by five others on drums, guitars, oud and the keyboard. Together they are pure magic!

And contributing to the magic was the venue-the 400 strong amphitheatre at the El Sawy, by the side of the river Nile. You can find this “happening” place tucked away under the 26th of July Bridge, and is the scene for everything from plays, movies, musical performances to yoga programs and even painting, photography and arabic classes. And all of this at very affordable prices-the ticket for the Wust el Balad concert was LE 25, (approx INR 175). The good things in life were never so accessible! A place very similar to the Prithvi theatre in Bombay which is also credited for showcasing “untested” talent from all over the country. El Sawy is an absolute “must visit”, whether for a movie in the wisdom hall, or to borrow a book from its library, grab a coffee by the river Nile or be part of a thrilling Wust el Balad performance!

Though the band was formed in 1999 by two of its current members, they have only just released their first album-till now a live performance was the only way to get your “Wust” fix. If you want to know more about them, check out their website at http://www.wustelbalad.com/

Music is a universal language-this came true for me last night. Hopefully, the next time I attend a concert of Wust el Balad, I will be the audience that sings along to their music!

Football Frenzy!

What is it about sports that drives people crazy?…a win for their favorite team can be a cause for celebration; at the same time a loss for the team they support can completely ruin their day and mood. What amazes me is the immense degree of involvement in a sport, which one probably doesn’t even play!- this passion for sports, represents to me, the ultimate in vicarious pleasure.

Here in Cairo, football is the most popular game, it can drive people crazy and how! Last night after Egypt’s win over Sudan in the Africa Cup of Nations, the streets filled up rapidly and the traffic scene was a nightmare. The fans celebrated their country’s win by honking, waving the Egyptian flag and even lighting up flares on the roads. It was a sight to behold! I was only thankful that I was watching the celebrations from the safety of my apartment window and not stuck in the “snail’s pace” traffic below. This outpouring of emotion reminds me of the times when you can see similar scenes in India after India’s win in a cricket match.

But why does someone else’s win make you feel like a winner? Is it a "patriotic thing" that makes you go completely bonkers when the national team wins? But then, I have sat rooted to the T.V while Steffi Graf played a Grand Slam final and prayed for her to win-she is a German and I an Indian….so it can’t be the patriotic thing. Also, the discovery of a life-saving drug or the launching of a satellite by your country does not result in the same outpouring of emotion

Is it the inroads that the media has made in our lives that makes us feel as if we are a part of the game from the beginning till the end? Earlier, it was the radio commentary that had people glued to their radio sets, now watching the games on big screens have become a social event. It is almost as if it is you playing every ball or striving every minute for a win. Then again it is the physical sports that score over those needing you to exercise your grey cells. A Sachin Tendulkar hitting a six on the last ball, taking the Indian team to victory gets the fans screaming for more; a Vishwanathan Anand making the winning move in chess is likely to elicit just polite clapping.

But I am not complaining – because the roads of Cairo are blessedly devoid of traffic when Egypt is playing a football match; but be warned-make it to your destination before the match ends or you could be caught in the “worst traffic jam ever”!

Rain and Dance

This morning while going to my belly dance workshop, I had a feeling of déjà vu. For a moment, I thought I was back on the roads of Bombay – the rain hitting my car’s windshield was reminiscent of the Bombay rains. I was traveling from Mohandissen to Maadi; strangely once I crossed Mohandissen into Zamalek, I encountered a perfect day –the sun out on a cold wintry morning. Had I just hallucinated of the rains? But no..wait, the rains soon caught up with me at Maadi….. I never knew it could rain so much in Cairo, it makes traveling such a chore. I know, coming from Bombay, I should not be complaining; there it rains for four months and it could be 4 days of continuous torrential rains!

My driver was incredulous when he heard this-“how can it rain so much? Cairo would be submerged!” But then Cairo is not equipped for such weather-where are the drains? Half an hour of rain leads to water logging and brings the traffic to a standstill. You can see these “water-pump vans” on the roads trying valiantly to drain off the water….but they are not effective and you can only pray for a sunny day to dry up the roads. People who have been residents here for a number of years say that they have not seen such rains in a long time-is it global warming at play? Dubai and Sharjah have been flooded this year...again the lack of drainage system has wrecked havoc with the city. The changing world weather will require re-thinking on the way we plan our cities-Will the “desert countries” have to invest in a drainage system and the tropical countries in desalination plants?

Onto my belly dance class-I am still getting stuck on the “camel” movement-am still the “vomiting camel”. This time the class was more fun-there were six of us and we had all levels-right from a lady attending for the first time to a semi-professional one. The teacher (Lorna Gow-she is a great teacher and I think anyone who wants to learn belly dancing must attend her workshops) is an extremely fun person and I liked it best when she made us pair up and then dance solo for the partner. Dancing solo for an audience of 7 would have been intimidating! You, kind of “freeze” thinking what movement to do next. But the key to making progress is, I think, to keep going and that’s exactly what I intend to do!

Knowing the Language is Knowing the Culture

My arabic classes are really interesting these days, the school (Kalimat in Mohandissen; would definitely recommend it) adopts an interactive way of teaching and the focus is on communication, not just learning grammar and vocabulary. Learning a new language is like getting an insider’s view of the community you are staying in.

For example, while learning the arabic word for “friends’, I got an interesting insight into the Egyptian cultural values-having friends of the opposite sex is not widely “accepted” here, except among people who are educated and have been exposed to “western” culture. So if my teacher were to introduce his female students to his conservative wife, he would refer to us more formally as “asdiqai”. He would use the more casual term “ashabi” while introducing a group consisting of both male and female students. As for your live-in boyfriend, you simply refer to him as “goozi” (husband) and avoid any disapproval and raised eyebrows-live-in relationships are a taboo in the Egyptian community.

Very similar to the Indian culture where you definitely don’t flaunt your “boyfriend” or "girlfriend" and you make it “public” only if marriage is definitely on the cards. And live-in relationships are something that you can get away with only in the anonymity of big cities. Elsewhere, everything you do becomes everyone’s business, right from how much you earn to why you are pushing 25 and still unmarried!

Here in Cairo, don’t be surprised, if the person you just met asks you how much you are making every month or while taking a ride in a taxi, the cabbie asks you whether you are married and undeterred even goes on to ask whether you have children. I now have the perfect answer in Arabic-“DI HAGA SHAKHSIYYA”-“It is a personal thing”

P.S: the Arabic words have been written minus the dashes and dots that have to be used while writing the transliteration.

Cold in Cairo

Brrrr….it is extremely cold in Cairo. The temperature was -2 degrees centrigade last night. Unbelievable!

Have been wearing three layers of clothing at the minimum and also socks,…but the cold is chilling to the bone. Even the Cairenes are feeling the cold this season; apparently this year is the coldest ever in a long time.

Have got ourselves a portable heater –in addition to the heaters already provided in every room. In Bombay, the temperature never dips below 15 degree, if ever. Can now empathise completely with my Delhiite cousins and friends - it is really too cold to bathe everyday!

But I still love the cold-beats the summer anyday. Am enjoying using all my “woolies”. Will be definitely sad to see the end of winter…..

Contrasts in Cairo

Looking out of my window on the busy Gameat al-Dowal al-Arabiy street, I see a park that runs through almost half its length. People who visit this park seem totally oblivious to the din of the cars whizzing past them on either side. I marvel at the contrast that it provides-an oasis of greenery in the urban jungle of Mohandissen and that too smack in the middle of the busiest streets in Cairo! But then that is Cairo for you- a city of contrasts and contradictions. Picture this; ladies covering their hair with colorful scarves, tied securely around their heads and ladies flaunting the latest in hairstyles and hair colors. You will come across both of them on the streets of Cairo. It is not unusual for this contradiction to be visible in the same family-the mother wearing the hijab and her daughter choosing to go without it.

It is a relatively conservative society, yes, but at the same time, it also has a very active “disco’ scene as I discovered the other night when we went out with friends to Latex, a nightclub at the Nile Hilton. Here we saw young Cairenes dressed in the latest fashions and making the right moves to the latest English hits. They seemed completely at ease in such a setting.

There are the obvious contrasts that is part of a developing country-new high-rise buildings next to centuries old structures; affluence and poverty, the golden arches of McDonalds next to an Egyptian eatery etc. However, ever so often, I come across something that totally blows away the stereotypes and preconceptions that I have about Egypt! I am sure it has many more surprises in store for me, especially after I once saw the latest model of BMW vying for space with a cart being pulled by a donkey, on the busy streets of Cairo!

Arabic class

Yesterday was the first day of the new term of my Arabic class. When I did level 1 last month, I was not sure that I would continue….but have realized the benefits of knowing the language of the country you reside in-I don’t need to call up my husband’s secretary in a panic to translate what my maid is trying to tell me-(is she asking for a day off or a raise?), at the neighborhood grocer, I can confidently ask for help to locate things and the other day at the Attaba market, I even bargained in Arabic!

Last evening at the class, we started with Arabic alphabets-level 1 was only ‘spoken” arabic. Arabic has 28 alphabets and our teacher has promised us that we shall finish the alphabets in two hours!!! Ambitious? I find it incredibly hard to believe that I shall soon be able to read and write arabic-the script looks so intimidating. Arabic has no vowels, in place of vowels, you use dots, slashes and a “comma”, placed above or below an alphabet to change its pronunciation-it could then be a ‘ba’, ‘be’, ‘bu’ or ‘b’. But in typed or printed arabic, even the “vowels” are missing-so you have to guess the word, which is fine if you have a good grasp of the language. Otherwise the attempt will definitely end in disaster!

The Dravidian languages of India, such as Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Telegu (widely spoken in south India) seem very alien and “unreadable” to north Indians like me. Hey, but not any more, once I have mastered Arabic, these languages will be a cake-walk!

"You know Amitabh Bachchan?"

As we walked through the Khan-el-Khalili, we were assailed by inquiries of “India?”; “India?”. I was quite used to such questions and also knew what would follow next. But my friends visiting from India were quite surprised when they heard the name of "Amitabh Bachchan"- an extremely popular film star in India; iconic in stature-mentioned next. To hear his name from the merchants of Khan-el-Khalili, so far away from home, was a revelation.

I remember being pleasantly surprised the first time I heard the name of this Indian legend mentioned so casually on the streets of Cairo. By now, his name has been thrown at me so many times - while shopping at the Attaba market, while visiting the pyramids at Saqquara and Dahsur, while buying vegetables from the roadside vendor! He seems to be the favourite actor of the Egyptians. According to an article that I read on the Net, some years back when Amitabh Bachchan visited Cairo, he was mobbed by a horde of Egyptian women! Movies can really make magic:)

But where are the theatres in Cairo screening Hindi movies? We, Indians living in Egypt have to rely on the DVDs carried by visiting friends for our regular fix of movies from back home. The Amitabh Bachchan magic should at least be able to get us “screen” space in Cairo.

The next time I hear the words “Amitabh Bachchan” thrown at me, I am tempted to let them know that the superstar is now on the wrong side of 60 and his son is on his way to becoming a superstar in his own right! But then again, maybe I should let the magic continue…let the illusion of a young, tall, dark, handsome and angry Amitabh Bachchan stay alive!

Renting in Cairo

The only other time that I have ever lived in a rented house in my life, is when my husband and I were living in Saudi Arabia. And that really spoiled us-the best of appliances, good furniture and above all hassle-free maintenance, just a phone call away! But renting an apartment in Cairo is a different ball game -as we realized within a couple of days of moving into our apartment in Mohandissen. We must have told ourselves countless number of times–“Wish we had checked on this before” or “Wish we had insisted that the landlord take care of this before we move in”! Here are a few tips so that you don’t have to utter these words!

Bathrooms- The plumbing scene in Cairo is really bad, the pipes are very old and most of the work has been done in a very haphazard way. Flush the toilets, make sure there is no leakage and the WC tank fills up after the flush. It is important to check the water pressure, especially if you are renting an apartment in a high-rise building. Showering with only a trickle of water coming through is definitely not enjoyable. During the winters, Cairo gets really cold-you will need hot water in the bathrooms, so check that the heater actually works.

Kitchen -Fill up the kitchen sink with water and make sure that the water drains out. Or be prepared for the following scenario-you are in the midst of washing a sinkful of dirty dishes and the water just refuses to drain out, it is late evening and you can’t get hold of any plumber or the landlord/landlady (you will want to pack your bags and run away:-)) . Again make sure that the sink has hot water.

Appliances-Check whether all the appliances are provided. Most of the apartments here come equipped with a refrigerator, cooking range, washing machine and in most cases a dishwasher. If you want any additional appliances or you want any of them changed, the right tim to ask for it is before you sign the lease papers. I have not seen a microwave provided with any house. You might want to confirm that the washing machine is fully automatic and the dishwasher actually works! Air conditioners and heaters-make sure they are in working condition, you will need them.

Cupboards -Make sure that the doors of the cupboard close securely-Cairo is very dusty. Also, if you are planning on hiring domestic help, it is advisable that some of your cupboards have locks.

Telephone: Pick up the instrument and check for a dial tone, maybe even dial a number to ensure that the phone actually works. If you intend using the internet at home, a working phone is essential.

Fittings and fixtures-Wires hanging out of sockets is a common sight in most of the apartments in Cairo-they can look ugly as well as be dangerous. Insist that they be taken care of. Check the electrical outlets-you can plug in the charger of your mobile phone to check whether the sockets are working. Most of the apartments here have huge chandeliers. Switch on all the lights to make sure that all the bulbs are working.

Parking space-Concrete, concrete all around and not a place to park! To get a parking space in Cairo is virtually impossible-the two lane streets here resemble a one-way street because of the cars that are packed on either side! If you are going to self-drive your car, then you may want to ensure that the apartment comes with a designated parking space. Or you could be wasting a lot of time driving around, looking for a parking space; if you are lucky enough to get one, then it may be a considerable distance from your house and also not safe.

If you are particular about cleanliness, please insist that the house, especially the bathrooms and the kitchens be cleaned completely to your satisfaction, before you move in. The cooking range and the oven need to be inspected carefully; it could take you ages to get rid of the grease or just insist on a new one!

There is no such thing as "later" in Cairo....whatever you need to take care of...you need to do it before signing on the dotted line!

Charwoods

More than a month since we came to Cairo and though we have dined out on a number of occasions, it has been exclusively at restaurants serving Indian cuisine. But eating Indian food in Cairo is not what a true gourmand would do. We love trying out different cuisines and different restaurants and hence we decided to venture out for non-Indian food. We chose Charwoods on Gamat-al Dawal Street. We cannot be as adventurous and just go out to any restaurant/ eating joint that takes our fancy because as vegetarians, our choice is severely limited.

The entry to Charwoods is quite unassuming and you are likely to miss it, if you are not looking for it. The interiors are done up in very pleasing warm shades and the ambience is extremely cozy. The menu is written on blackboards inside the restaurant and you just walk up to the board nearest to you and decide on your dish for the day. Alternatively, there is a lovely lady there who is extremely helpful and cheery and guides you through what the restuarant has to offer and also makes excellent recommendations. Will be sure to ask for her name the next time I go there. This is what I liked the best about the place because sometimes the best vegetarian dishes in a predominantly “meat place” is what the chef improvises and puts before you. We started with cream of broccoli soup and cream of tomato soup. The broccoli soup was absolutely divine. We followed it up with a scrumptious wood oven pizza. We really wanted to try the apple tart but we were stuffed and would not have been able to do justice to the tart. A word of advice-go easy on the complimentary bread and salad that they serve at the start…if you want to sample their desserts too. There are a couple of more pizzas which the vegetarians can choose from. Apart from pizzas, you can also have a dish of grilled vegetables served with baked potatoes and French fries.

No Smoking, Please!

Every time I step out of my house in Cairo, I feel I am having a smoking bath-the air pollution on the streets and the ubiquitous cigarette/ sheesha smoke in the public places. Last evening, at Café Pasqua, the cigarette smoke was so thick that I found it difficult to eat my dinner. It is virtually impossible to find a smoke-free restaurant in Cairo. At the Al-Sawy theatre in Zamalek, despite a specific announcement of “no smoking” for the duration of the play, a number of people lighted their cigarettes. Here, people seem impervious to requests of non-smoking -as was the plumber who entered my apartment, puffing away on his cigarette ???. Hey! I always thought that smoking etiquette requires that you seek permission of the hostess before lighting a cigarette. When I requested him to snub it, he looked blankly at me; when I repeated my request, he gave me a charming smile and tried to convince me to allow him to smoke! Incorrigible!

Apparently, Egypt has the highest number of smokers in the Middle East and the North African region. The Egyptian government, in an effort to curb Egypt’s smoking culture passed a law in June of this year, which includes among other measures, a ban on smoking in indoor areas and on the sale of tobacco to those under the age of 18. Read all about this on http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2007/850/eg5.htm. I dont know to what extent this law has actually been implemented and to what extent is it being enforced. Need to check up on this-will post an update on the status of the legislation.

P.S You know you are in Egypt when your husband who has given up smoking five years ago comes home smelling of cigarette smoke and you think that he has reneged on his promise to quit smoking -In reality, he is only a passive smoker!