SANDStorm

My six-year-old niece and nine-year-old nephew checked out some books on Egypt from the library recently and, after doing their diligent research, they have a few questions for us, as well as advice. So here are responses for you, B and E, to the best of our ability:

1. Have you been to the Papyrus Museum to see how it is made?

No, we haven’t – in fact, we didn’t even know there was a Papyrus museum. Cairo is so big and there are a lot of museums to visit, so I will check our guidebook and maps to see where it is located. Maybe we will go there next week. Thanks for the tip! I am a little concerned about the veracity of this museum, if it aims to do anything more than present the history of papyrus. Apparently the plant that papyrus is made from is almost extinct. Listen up kids, you’re never too young to appreciate of ironies of man’s interaction with the natural world!

2. Do you think that you will ever be invited to tea at the Gezirah Sporting Club, once the playground of British wealthy and now reserved for Egyptian wealth? It is on the island with Cairo Tower, another must see.

I sure hope I will be invited to tea at the Gezira Sporting Club because it looks pretty fancy from the outside walls. I think there might still be a few wealthy Brits inside, but I’m not sure… They sure would be old though!

We haven’t gone to the Cairo Tower (but you can’t miss seeing it because it’s very high), but we went to the Fish Garden which is located right outside of the Sporting Club on the northwest corner. It has lots of old, big trees with benches under them to sit in the shade and watch the stagnant lotus pond. There is also a big man-made cavern full of nooks and crannies to run around in, hide, and jump out and scare your friends. There are even real bats hanging from the ceiling. When we were there a guy was throwing stones at them to entertain his kids. The lessons never stop!!
(Mark – you remember the Long Beach Aquarium lorikeet cage? Terrifying. My behavior in the Fish Garden cave was a bit more reserved, but not by much).

3. East of the river is Egyptian Cairo and west of the river is European Cairo. Do you see the difference?

Hmmm, I do see a difference through the smog! Now, we haven’t been here very long and we haven’t seen a lot of the city yet, but right now D and I are on the west side of the Nile. Many of the buildings are turn-of-the-century mansions and there are cafes with wireless internet access on every corner. But overall the entire city is all dusty, noisy and smells slightly off.

4. Don’t book an apartment in the Cities of the Dead, but do go to visit it.

Check, and check.

5. People who live in Cairo are considered Cairenes. Are many women still covered head to toe?

Do you mean covered with dust and diesel exhaust? Then yes. Almost every woman wears a head covering, but not the full veil deal. They just have head scarves, in a variety of fashionable colors and fashioned onto their heads in a variety of stylish ways. Some younger women wear skin-tight tops covering their arms and long skirts, in addition to the headscarf, while most older women wear long, loose dresses that cover everything. This a good lesson in tradition and individual’s relations to their culture and religion. Kids, ask your parents to explain THAT!!

6. Does conversation stop when you enter a coffeehouse?

LOL. Well, that’s a good question. As far as I can tell, there are two types of coffeeshops; one for only men and another for rich people. I haven’t gone to the one for men yet – it’s a little intimidating. But so far, no one has stopped their conversations when I walked through the door of a coffeehouse (however, in an aside, I did almost cause a traffic accident in Maadi when a young man driving a BMW stared a little too long in my direction. Teehee).

7. Have you seen any girls playing hopscotch? It is apparently popular in the streets.

Hmmm, I haven’t seen girls playing hopscotch yet. In fact, I don’t think I’ve seen a lot of girls…only boys playing soccer in the alleys or selling bread on the streets. I’ll keep an eye out for hopscotch games and maybe they will let me join.

8. Have you eaten steamed sweet potatoes from a street vendor? You can find them in front of schools at dismissal time.

I haven’t seen steamed sweet potatoes, but maybe because it is summer vacation right now. Maybe I’ll see it in September. I do see many street vendors who sell roasted corn at night. The vendors fan the sweet corn so you can smell it from around the corner. It looks pretty good to me, but I haven’t had a chance to try it yet.

9. How does their Metro rush hour compare with Seoul?

Ha! It doesn’t compare at all! Rush hour in Seoul was incredibly packed – I remember when the train stopped at the station I couldn’t believe I could fit in the car, but then someone would push me from behind and squeeze me in. The doors closed and I would look around to find you and your Mom squeezed right next to me with no room to move. I don’t know how we fit, but we did. The metro in Cairo is much less crowded. I usually can’t find a seat, but I have room to move around. I’ve ridden it a few times and it is clean and effiecient, but hot and smelly. One time on the metro an old man with a cane got up and gave me his seat. I tried to refuse, but he was very insistent, so eventually I gave up, thanked him, and sat down (after he then kicked a little girl out of the seat he had just vacated for me).

– S (with a little bit of D’s humor added in)

Tags: Egypt, Tag Index

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