I spent the past two days finalizing the papers for my Egyptian citizenship. This meant I had to spend time going to several different governmental offices here in Cairo. My husband attended the process with with me, albeit unwillingly. Dealing with governmental offices here in Egypt takes a mental psyching up period prior to going. We had to take a taxi to the Mugamma as there is no where to park in this area of downtown. The Mugamma is our City Hall. Taxi's here in Cairo are my primary mode of transportation. They are black, with white painting over the wheel well. They are abundant, old, and in very poor shape. I personally enjoy taking them as every day is a new adventure in a taxi for me. I have been in several taxi wrecks. I like the fact that you walk out of your building, hail a taxi immediately, they are cheap, and they drop you off right at your destination. Now, when you exit the taxi, you will smell like gasoline, your clothing may be picked from the broken springs, and you will have dirt marks on your skin, but nevertheless, you have made it no more worse for the wear to where you wish to go. My husband says I know more about moving around in this city than he does. The Visa section of the Mugamma is crowded and you can see and smell everything under the sun. There are all nationalities there dealing with this office. I do believe when one visits the Mugamma in Cairo they need not be in a hurry, nor plan anything else for the day. You have to go here to get a stamp, go there to get a signature, go over there to pick up a paper, go back to that window to get a receipt, I am sure you get the idea. The main problem is that here in Egypt, we do not know what is it to make a line or a queue. I learned very early that when you stand in line, or what you think is the line, you will still be standing there in the same place until closing time. People push past you, shove past you, break in line, and when you object, get mad with YOU. Southern hospitality has no place in Cairo. The law of the jungle applies, only the strong survive. I had a difficult time learning that one, but now I would probably have a hard time acclimating if I moved back to the US. Once we completed everything in the Mugamma, we had to walk to our health department and the police station to register all the papers to obtain my Egyptian identification card. I love very much walking the streets of Cairo. They are dirty, crowded and full of interesting sights. I walk a lot in this city. I can remember when I was young, I would walk to John Small school from my home on Bonner Street. I can remember thinking that it was a travesty that I had to walk to school and how scared I was to walk past the vicinity of Butterball Brook's home. Later, I became very good friends with one of his daughters and realized that I had nothing to fear. When looking back, walking the couple of blocks to school in small town Washington past the notorious Butterball Brook's home with all of his kids is like a Norman Rockwell post card image in comparison to the streets of Cairo. Who would have thought I would go from Bonner Street to Tahrir Street? We managed to complete this little adventure in two days. That is not small accomplishment for a citizen of Cairo.
My husband was tired and fed up from our two day adventure. For me, I found some new short cuts to the souk (market) behind my house, and some new shops to check out. From his perspective, dealing with people in the streets, the broken doors of the taxi's, the non air conditioned offices, the general apathy and total disorganized of our city in the heat of an August day was to much. He is more of the air conditioned, drive your own car with parking type of guy. For me, I like to be out in the street with the rest of the city, looking in the shops, bargaining and sweating. I feel alive and a part of my surroundings. I can look past the dirt, and the apathy, and I see the people and life around me. This is what ties my heart to the country, I think. My ability to pull back the layers of living in a city so full of insanity and complexities and find the heart and soul of it resting quietly within. Just thinking of it takes my breath from me.
I will close this post for it was a long one. I hope you will visit my blog again and until then,
A Woman of Egypt