Egypt Initiation - Do you pass the test?
10 Comments Published by Tom Gara on Sunday, August 5 at Sunday, August 05, 2007.
This one is for the Misr crew, although I am sure nomads everywhere can identify with many of the sentiments...Inspired by the "You know you have spent too long in X" lists, here is my own little production:
You Have Passed Your Egypt Initiation When:
- Ice, spring mattresses, toast and red wine are exotic commodities that you associate with hotels.
- Going out for a fruit juice at 1am seems like a pretty cool thing to do on a Friday night.
- You never walk on the footpath/sidewalk.
- You can tell the different between six different kinds of insane cab driver just by the way they say hello to you.
- When you want a Coke, you ask for a Bebs.
- Going-away parties are more common than birthdays, housewarmings and welcome parties combined.
- You have lost all instincts to queue in an orderly line.
- You never, ever go to Nasr City unless you live in Nasr City.
- A man in a uniform standing on every street corner holding an AK-47 is perfectly normal. Don't they do that everywhere?
- Your initial fear of death upon crossing the road has been replaced by a rational understanding that you are immortal when crossing the road.
Any other Cairenes or people who are now happily at home in the craziest corners of the world, feel free to share any additions in comments...
You Have Passed Your Egypt Initiation When:
- Ice, spring mattresses, toast and red wine are exotic commodities that you associate with hotels.
- Going out for a fruit juice at 1am seems like a pretty cool thing to do on a Friday night.
- You never walk on the footpath/sidewalk.
- You can tell the different between six different kinds of insane cab driver just by the way they say hello to you.
- When you want a Coke, you ask for a Bebs.
- Going-away parties are more common than birthdays, housewarmings and welcome parties combined.
- You have lost all instincts to queue in an orderly line.
- You never, ever go to Nasr City unless you live in Nasr City.
- A man in a uniform standing on every street corner holding an AK-47 is perfectly normal. Don't they do that everywhere?
- Your initial fear of death upon crossing the road has been replaced by a rational understanding that you are immortal when crossing the road.
Any other Cairenes or people who are now happily at home in the craziest corners of the world, feel free to share any additions in comments...
-when you consider fuul as an acceptable breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, and supper meal
was reading this and remembered my own feeling of that one time in Cairo - oh how much I relate myself to the traffic comments!!!
and i'll think of Sydney initiation list :)
From an outsider's view, perhaps...
...When you need some fresh air, you grab a cigarette.
...Your doorman is one of the most important people in your life, and much of your experience of life is connected to his mood.
- You manage to collect a small sand dune on your shower floor from the dirts you get living in the city.
- You assume Stella is the best beer in the world.
- You crave seeing girls wearing skirts.
- MBI (Ma'lice, Bokra, Insy'Allah) will solve everything.
Just to clarify dody's comment for any khawagat (foreigners) who might be reading, Dody is talking about Stella, proud and mighty Egyptian beer dating back over 100 years, which has nothing to do with Stella Artois, a "reassuringly expensive" beer popular among wife beaters, homosexuals and Belgians...
- when you see a working lock in a public toilet as a peasant surprise
Horny Dogs Law:
Every month after the first three months will deduct the amount beer required to see a girl as beautiful by one beer.
- You remember at least 10 Mubarak's jokes and 5 Saudis' jokes.
- You think it's perfectly acceptable to have higher annual population growth than economic growth.
- You invite 20 girls and one guy to your party to have 40%:60% ratio in the end.
When you find yourself eyeing off women in Nikab to check out the figure underneath.
when you start hoarding wads of 1LE notes (20c US) that bear a close resemblance to used toilet paper