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Having been abroad on vacation for a month has done wonders for my psyche and my spirit. I can’t remember the last time I felt so relaxed and rejuvenated. The daily stress of everyday life was put aside and the only worries that I had whilst I was away were 1-Is my sister taking care of herself while we are away? 2-What/where am I going to eat out today. 3- What wondrous bargains will I find on today’s shopping expedition. (You can’t walk by a 70% clearance sale and not check it out? T-shir for 10$ or less you buy it even if you hate the colour and the way it looks on you! You won’t find T-shirt’s back home for that price, It’s a steal!)
Life abroad is a lot simpler. Simpler in the sense that the chaos that we have here in Egypt is minimal there. Chaos like the traffic and having to plan your daily activities and life around the traffic. ‘ If I need to be in Mohendisseen by 7pm, then I will probably have to leave Heliopolis between 5:00 and 5:30pm, giving me some extra time in case traffic is really congested or if I get lost.” If what your wearing is conservative enough for going out in, “Am I going to get hassled if I wear that in a taxi or walking down the street somewhere? Are the pants too tight, skirt too short, is the shirt see through or is part of my cleavage showing?” Having to get something repaired in the west you look up a couple of plumbers, carpenters or electrician in the yellow pages, give them a call and tell them what the problem is. They theny give you an estimated quota and if your agree with the price, then Bada boom! They give you a date and time of when they’ll be starting. The great thing about that is THEY ACTUALLY SHOW UP and KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING! Here you have to turn in to a serial nag of a stalker and practically pass by them at their place of work, beg them to come, drive them to your house , make them endless cups of tea while they repair what ever it is that needs fixing and drive them back, leaving your house in a mess and the stench of cigarettes behind them! If you don’t go and get them you could be waiting days or weeks before they show up. I’m DEAD serious!! My Dad takes great pleasure in hounding workmen. Just when they think my Dad isn’t looking, he’s there standing over their shoulder watching their every move like a Doberman. Grocery shopping is bliss abroad. I could spend an entire day wheeling a trolley up and down the isle. It’s so QUIET and the shelves are neatly stocked, labeled clearly with the correct price for the item and when you are at the check out counter everyone stands waiting PATIENTLY for their turn. Carrefour is like that at 10am but somone must have told someone who told some one becuse now, it doesn’t matter what time you go! It’s crowded and noisey like a mokeys cage at a zoo. To add to the fun of grocery shopping, Ramadan is right around the corner, you have people who think that they need to get to the supermarket before Ramadan becuase the shelves will be empty and out of stock. (It’s funny how EVERYONE has that very same thought!)
If you have never experienced the scene of pre Ramadan, Ramadan and Eid shopping you have been spared! It’s like watching bulls in a china shop. I’m guessing that this is what goes through a shoppers mind, “Ramadan is going to start in the next week, so, I better go to the super market now and stock up on 60 Liters of oil, 13 Kilos of rice and pasta, I mustn’t forget about the kilos of onion, garlic and potatoes that I will be needing. I almost forgot Milk for the Um Ali and Rice Pudding, Oh and at least 20 packets of sugar, OH, I almost forget about the cheese, butter and drinks that we will need to break the fast with. Yohgurt lots and lots of yohgurt for the vine leave dip and suhour (a light meal that is had by most before dawn prayer, to commence another day of fasting from sunrise to sun set.) !!” It’s Ramadan!!! not a hurricane or a draught!!! The food and items will still be there!!! They get so stressed out! I’m sure it isn’t good for them. Another thing that I love about being abroad is that people don’t want to know your business or care to know. While here they make it their business to know EVERYTHING!! “Look their back from their vacation, they brought 6 bags back with them, when they only left with two. I wonder what they bought. The food there must have been good, she’s put on weight. Are those new sunglasses and shoes she’s wearing?”
It’s such a shock to your system when you land. The first thing that hits you is the increase in temperature, then the noise level is cranked up a few decibels and the organization and simple logic fades to a distant memory and the motto of ‘One for all and all for me’ comes back. You shake your head in disbelief, look at your family members to see if they are feeling or at least sharing your thoughts of ‘We’re Baaaaack! Why did we come back again?” You need a vacation after the culture shock!
Having said that, ( I know I’m going to sound like a hypocrite) there are lots of things I miss when I am away. My own bed, my house, my friends, the warmth of the sun, the agami sea with all it’s magary (sewerage) but especially one of the GREATEST inventions that in my opinion is right up their with the air conditioner and that is the SHATAFA or as my Uncle in Canada has so aptly named it ‘The Shit Offer’. For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s a hose that is located next to the toilet and after one has gone about doing their business they can clean themselves. The French have a fancy name for their contraption, they call it the bidet (pronounced beday). Theirs, however looks more like a sink to wash your tush in. While I was away, I was getting so tired of having to have a shower every time I wen to the loo!! Can you imagine how many showers a day that is?! (now times that by 3 (each person in the flat) ). I know what your thinking, why not use wet wipes. I’ve tried it and it’s just not the same. I was getting so desperate at one point I was considering purchasing a garden hose or a water gun! I seriously think that someone needs to export the Shatafas or toilets with a built in one to the West and Europe. They would make an absolute FORTUNE!!!
All in all, with the daily chaos of life, pre Ramadan grocery shopping obsession, traffic, noise, pollution and unbearable heat. It’s good to be home!
Sent to the Jordanian Ministry Of Tourism By a Reader.
Dear Jordan,
I can’t begin to thank you enough for having me stay during the spring break holiday.
I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel to many countries around the globe. This was by far one of the most enjoyable and memorable trips I have ever been on. I was a bit apprehensive in coming because this was the first trip where I had traveled solo without the company of my family. Not long after my arrival my fears of awkwardness and foreigners evaporated when I began interacting with your country men and women. They put me at ease and made me feel that I was welcome and at home.
The first thing that grabbed my attention is the pride your people have, not only in who they are but for the country in which they live in. You can see and sense their pride in the way they keep their streets clean, they way the abide by the law of the land and the traffic and especially in the way that your people greet and speak politely with their own kin’s men and the visitors that come to tour your land rich in our world’s history. Their words were so warm and friendly you couldn’t help but be put at ease. I wish other nationals from other countries would be as gracious and speak to their own and to others that way. Perhaps then, there wouldn’t be so much animosity and negativity boiling beneath the surface of their skin.
Your landscapes from the south to the north were not only diverse but mystifying as well as breathtaking. The desert of Wadi Rum with its multi coloured sand, tranquil silence and natural beauty was rejuvenating for my ears, eyes but mostly my mind.
Your Hidden City of Petra had me standing motionless, open-mouthed gaping in aw and marveling at its architectural genius and complexity. It has won my vote for ‘The New Seventh Wonder of The World’ and anyone who disputes it needs to have their eyes checked and an MRI scan.
Your castles in Karak and Ajlun were educational as well as fascinating. My imagination was left to wonder at what their grounds may have looked like back in their prime. As I walked in the court yards, passage ways and tunnels I strained to hear the voices from the past. Walking where Salah El Din, one of the Middle East’s greatest hero and warriors had once been was enough to satisfy my curiosity.
Mount Nebo was perhaps one of the most over whelming places I have been to. The only other place where I was over come with such a powerful over flow of emotion was The World War II (British) Cemetery in Al Alamain, in Egypt. The religious and historical significance of the place brings people from all over the world and the moment that they stand over looking the view that Moses saw many years ago, just for a brief moment I could feel time stop, guards drop, prejudices forgotten and ‘we’ as human beings were all equal.
Jordan you may not be one of the wealthiest countries on the planet but you certainly are one of the richest when it comes to history and cultural heritage. You have so much to be proud of and I want to thank you for sharing your treasures with me.
Though my time in your country was short, I took a piece of it with me. Upon my departure I left with a song in my heart, a smile upon my face and vow to return again to your majestic land again some day.
With best wishes for a prosperous and happy future
Nadia. M.N El Abdin
Planning a vacation to a foreign country is always exciting. Researching all the touristic places you are going to see and reading up on the history is a good way to go, but I think people need to take it a little step further. When coming to the Middle East, I think female visitors and tourists need to find out more about the cultural ‘Do’s’ and ‘Don’ts’ before they hop on a plane to the land of the sun.
Forgive me for being blunt and not sugar-coating this but some times things need to be said out right instead of beating around the bush.
You are probably wondering what the trigger was for me to choose this as a topic to write about. Well, I went on a school trip to the Cairo museum with the Grade Two’s last Tuesday and I don’t want to even try describing some of the visions I saw!! What makes me laugh is that some times the tourists and visitors get offended by the stares and comments that they get and they can’t understand why! So, I’m going to spell it out for them as nicely as I can without being too harsh!
So, here it goes.., If you are hanging out of your clothes and are leaving very little covered or to the imagination don’t be surprised if people’s attention is directed more towards you than ancient artifacts! Just DON’T act surprise, disgusted or flustered when people can’t stop staring! You might be making it really difficult for them to focus their eye sight else where!
I am a big fan of spaghetti strap tops, shorts that are just above the knee and flip-flops. If I could wear them all day long, trust me I would do so in a heartbeat. The reason I don’t is because I respect the culture of the country that I am living in. Egypt is quite a conservative country. It’s more liberal than some of the neighboring Gulf countries but it is still fairly conservative. Walking around in hot shorts, and wearing a tight chest bearing halter top or just baring a lot of skin will most often attract a lot of unwanted attention and some very derogative comments.
I know that back in Europe and in the West it’s normal summer attire and it’s a great way to soak up the sun’s rays to get an amazing tan and it’s relaxing as well as comfortable. When I go back to Montreal for my summer vacations ‘I do as the Romans do’, (or so the saying goes). The reason being because I know no one is going to give me any hassle for what I’m wearing because there are hundreds of other women wearing the exact same thing and even less! If I dressed like that here in Cairo, I would be sticking out like a sore thumb and feeling very conscientious, like when you have one of those dreams where you are naked in the middle of a street or the work place and everyone is staring at you.
I know that the temperature here in Cairo can get really hot and you want to stay cool, trust me the less clothing you wear the hotter you are going to feel. You won’t catch the Bedouins, (desert dwellers) stripping down to the bare minimum when they are out in the sun. The best thing to wear would be a light-colored, loose-fitting shirt or t-shirt, with short or long sleeves. That way the breeze can circulate through your garments freely. You could wear a long skirt, trios quart pants (pedal pushers) as well as linen trousers, (preferably not see through, they are called under garments for a reason).
Another reason you don’t want to expose too much of yourself is because Hollywood although very entertaining hasn’t done Western or European women any favors here in the region. The movies most of the time portray women to be ‘loose’ and very ‘easy’ to lure in to bed. (Cast your minds back to ‘Brook’ from the day time soap “The Bold and The Beautiful” and Eva Longoria’s character in ‘Desperate House Wives”). The men here don’t often see a lot of skin, so when they DO see it, some of them may not be able to contain themselves and they will then act upon their desires and give ‘Egyptian Men’ a bad wrap. Isn’t enough that we as Middle Easterners are trying to fight the stigma of being labeled ‘terrorists’ do we really need to fight off the reputation of being perverts too?
I’m not saying don’t bring them. Do, but there are places where you can wear them. Clothes like that are considered more beach or pool wear. So, if you are heading down to lounge by the pool at the hotel you are staying at or hitting the beach in Sharm El Sheikh by all means throw on your hot shorts and tank top and head down to the water. Just re think your wardrobe for when you’re in the cities and visiting the touristic sites, especially the mosques and other religious sites.
When you dress like that in the city it would be like me walking in to church with a really short skirt and an off the shoulder top that revealed a bit too much of my cleavage. It’s disrespectful and inappropriate. So take my advice and think twice.
The Irish Alexandrian Speaks Up And Out from Egypt 