Assimilation

I believe that I have begun to assimilate. It seems as though Egyptian culture is slowly weaving its way into my thoughts and actions. I will present you with a few examples:

1. Dahab is an “Egyptian” beach town on the southern tip of the Sinai mostly inhabited by Western tourists. A group of 9 other students and I recently took a week long vacation to Dahab for Eid ul Fitr. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_ul-Fitr) Upon arrival I was reluctant to strip myself of the cardigan and jeans I had been wearing in order to make way for my oh-so-riskay one-piece speedo accompanied by gym shorts and a tank top. Western tourists were walking around in almost nothing, sporting bikinis or less and here I was feeling dirty in my one-piece suit. For a month and a half any sign of shoulders or knees and I would have attracted more attention than a polar bear in the Caribbean and all of a sudden I see a topless woman and a man in a speedo sitting casually on the beach. Wait, what? People show their bodies. Haraam.

2. I find myself being surprised when people tell me the temperature. I am now perfectly comfortable in pants and a long sleeve shirt even though it is still at least 85 degrees outside. I also notice that I mention that it “feels nice” or is “cooler” anytime the temperature drops below 95. I don’t sweat as much. Walking to the grocery store and back does not require a change of clothes. (This is partly due to the natural drop in temperature as “winter” approaches but I would also like to think it has something to do with my adaptation) And the bad part…I had to wear a sweater and wrap myself in a blanket at the top of Mount Sinai where it was maybe 50 degrees. I am going to freeze when I get back to Wisconsin.

3. I say shukran (thank you) and iwa (the colloquial version of yes) to white people.

4. My bus was 25 minutes late today and I just stood there. No one cares about lateness. Nothing actually starts when it is supposed to so why make it a big deal. Everything will be there when I get there; probably won’t have started yet anyway.

5. I can get a cabbie back to Zamalek without them having to ask for directions once. And even better, I pay an Egyptian cab fare rather than a tourist cab fare. The trick? Don’t ask the cabbie how much, just hand him what you know is right at the end of your journey.

6. I have had no digestive issues in the recent past. I can eat street food, vegetables, etc. and have a regular bowel movement the next day. I cannot tell you how exciting this bit of assimilation is.

7. A very useful skill I have learned is the ability to ignore absolutely anything. So there are 20 cats whining at your feet while you eat, sleep, walk, I don’t hear anything. So there is a man making comments as you walk past in English/Arabic, trying to sell you things, I don’t know what you are talking about. So there is a street-full of men smoking she-sha staring you down as you pass, stare back. I have become a master ignorer. Could be interesting when I get back…sorry guys.

So as you can see, there are many aspects of Egyptian culture I have begun to adapt. It is interesting that in a month and a half some parts of you can so easily convert while others cling to the small hope that someday you will return to normalcy. I am not sure I will ever break myself of the habit of forming a line rather than a giant mass. I mean, the act was drilled into me since preschool. “Line up…come on single file or we are not going to leave this spot…get in a line or you are not going to be served,” etc. whereas here it is every man for himself. “Push your way to the front kid or you will never get to eat.” Even though sometimes I am reluctant to let go of what I know, I learn more each day and am grateful for the people who teach me. Mahmoud, the 60 some year old man, high on hashish, taught me dominoes, the teachers/ex pats who I go hashing/play softball with teach me how to be a white person here and not get ripped off and show me where to find the comforts of America if needed, my classmates offer to help me with Arabic more than I could ever actually accept and so much more. Even though next to nothing goes as planned and the kinks of my actual education are still being worked out, I am truly appreciative of my experience so far and look forward to the next 7 ½ months of continued learning.