A Compilation of Random Observations

In no particular order, a compilation of random observations:

1. There are three English words that everyone knows. These words are “Welcome to Egypt.” Try to get from one place to another without hearing them directed at you; I’ll bet you a falafel sandwich it won’t happen. I’m in the process of concocting a witty response in Arabic, because by the end of my six-month stay I’m sure I’ll be tired of hearing it.

2. There are cats everywhere. There’s not a dog to be found (they are considered unclean), but in almost any given area, look around and listen carefully, and you’ll notice a cat. Fat cats, thin cats, old cats and kittens; cats in garbage dumps, cats in smashed in headlights of broken down cars, cats in just about every nook and cranny imaginable… Occasionally, even the dead and decaying kitten in the middle of the sidewalk. They’re also fearless; you could run up to one as if you’re about to take the game-winning 50-yard field goal, and it won’t even flinch.

3. Crossing the street is an acquired skill. In one of my all-time favorite quotes, G.K. Chesterton described courage as “a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die”: an apt description of what is required of you when you cross a street such as Alexandria’s seaside Corneish. Since there are no traffic laws in Egypt, there are generally two ways to approach crossing the street; one is to stop at each anticipated space between oncoming cars, say a three second prayer for dear life, then carry on, or to just pick a pace and book it with complete disregard for oncoming traffic. The former is best for fast traffic, and the latter for slower traffic, but tactics only go so far. Within the month that I’ve been here, I’ve had three near-death experiences involving two busses and a police car. No funny jokes about chickens crossing the road in Alexandria, unless you don’t mind some pavement in your shawarma.

More to come later.