I’ve been thinking a lot lately about something Rocio said to me a few days ago. In talking about our mutual frustrations she said something to the effect of, “When I got here I assumed that I would be frustrated by hard-hearted Egyptian people and that my problems would be related to reaching them. But I have learned that the majority of my problems concern my roommates and learning to function as a team. The people here are actually rather sensitive and open.”
One of the greatest lessons I am learning here is how to function on a team. Egypt has defied my expectations and confounded me at every turn. Having roommates from different countries and different cultures who are, like me, adjusting and transitioning to a different lifestyle, language, and environment and who, at times, have difficulty communicating their thoughts and feelings. It is as if I came to a building and expected to go directly to the top floor but instead am starting at the ground level and working my way up. I don’t know if that analogy is very clear but perhaps you can sense the paradigmatic shift I am experiencing.
Simultaneously I have had wonderful opportunities to see the sensitivity of the Egyptian people that Rocio talked about. Maybe it is a result that now I feel freer to initiate and respond due to knowing a few words in Arabic. It is amazing how any aptitude in a foreign language at all can encourage one to wave, smile, and offer a simple greeting.
Additionally, we’ve had to go by taxi to the hadana this week. With Gene and Brenda on vacation, they’re gone for the week, we’ve made do. The first day, I thought everything was going wrong. Sergio’s watch stopped so he thought he still had plenty of time. Meanwhile we’re at the house frantically calling him and we’re already a half and hour late. He hurries to get here once we realize what happened and there’s a man cleaning his taxi cab on our street. Don’t ask me what he was doing there. Anyway, he agrees to take us for 25 pounds which is kind of a lot but we didn’t really have time to barter and there was no other taxis in sight. So he takes us and I think he was very surprised where we went. We ask him if he’ll wait for us and take us back for another 25 and he agrees. So we hurry in and do our thing. We didn’t have so many children, probably because we were so late, but time passes and all of a sudden Mary Carmen comes to our class to tell us we have to leave that instant. Apparently the driver had to get back, I still don’t really know. Anyway, we wrap things up, the driver gives us five minutes. Out in the main area, I look in a little room where babies usually sleep and there’s our driver sitting with babies all around him, in his lap, on the floor, etc. Anyway, we say our goodbyes and leave but it occurred to me then that maybe we were supposed to be late in order to witness without words to this driver. Sudanese people are looked down upon by Egyptians and I think we set a good example to this man by going and loving the Sudanese children. When we arrived back home we asked him if he could also take us on Wednesday. We exchanged numbers and he again took us on Wednesday. He charged us a little extra, I guess for having to come to our house that morning, but I hope he remembers us and our work. He seemed to have a sensitive spot in his heart for the children and I can’t help but be glad that he was our driver.
We’ve also started bringing food for the children. Sometimes the children are disruptive or fight or are constantly bringing in with them little bags of chips, junk food really. Anyway, we’ve brought grapes and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and juice so far. The sandwiches not a big hit, I think because they are not used to the flavor, but that is okay, at least they ate some of it. It is a struggle to strategize how to feed these children healthy food when they’ve eaten nothing and then expect them to concentrate in class on empty bellies. We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and watching them fill themselves with chips and cheetos just to eat something is heartbreaking. In any case, even though the sandwiches weren’t popular at least they were good for them, although we’ll have to try something else next. It’s also difficult when you realize that a lot of healthy food on a mass scale is simply out of the realm of possibility. At home it’s no big deal to get carrot sticks or nuts or whatever. Going to the grocery store last weekend opened my eyes. I still haven’t seen anything approaching a carrot stick and a little basket of almonds is seven dollars! So we’re going with fruit and juice for now. The grapes go over well. We shall see what we come up with next.
My Arabic classes are going well. We’re finished for the week but I have much more to study over the weekend. This week we learned prepositions, a few simple verbs, how to say our address, and how to give directions to the taxi driver. Oh, and we also learned our family members. It is difficult for me in several ways. First, it seems as though everything is conjugated in Arabic. Even if I conjugate the first word like I want, whatever comes next is also conjugated. And it is different if you are male or female or singular or plural. So there are many choices and they tend to get jumbled up in my head. The same for family members. There’s a different word for an aunt or uncle depending on if it’s on your mother’s side or your father’s side. Don’t even get me started on blended families or adopted families. I didn’t even ask. Another problem is that our teacher, Heba, who is really very good, writes how you would say the word in English, coming from the Arabic. But then the way she says it is not how I would read it so I have to then write it down in a way that I can then attempt to pronounce it correctly. But other than that, things are going well. I’d like to think, not arrogantly, that I am one of the better students in the class. We have quite a mix, and as I am fresh out of school, the routine of learning is still there. But, Arabic is definitely one of the most difficult subjects I have ever encountered.
On the bright side my journey to and from class has been considerably shortened. I usually take the metro, walking from the house to the metro, riding it down two stops, getting off, and walking probably half a mile to school. It’s not so bad but coming back is usually in the middle and in the heat of the day and I don’t look forward to it quite so much. But one day, my fellow Scottish classmate, Diane, offered me a lift home. Quite a few of the people in my class have their own drivers. Anyway, I accepted but I was a bit apprehensive because I don’t really know how to direct anyone else to my house. I know the one way to get there and back but it involves crossing the railroad tracks and isn’t accessible by car. But I figured we could figure it out and after a few unfamiliar turns I spotted the fountain near my street and we made our way there. It’s a nice opportunity to get to know Diane more so than when we are sounding out words in Arabic like elementary school children. Needless to say I know quite a bit more about her now than I did before. I didn’t want to get used to this unexpected luxury but ever since she has offered me a ride home. We had the idea that it’d be nice to get together as a class outside of class sometime. Unfortunately it’s hard to schedule that sort of thing. One of our classmates Sharon isn’t going to be able to make it to the last week and of course with multiple people it’s hard to schedule a time when everybody can make it. And it’s quite evident that there is a varied lifestyle among the group as well. Pedro, the other American, is traveling and on a restricted budget. Sharon has lived her for a year, and her husband works for an NGO, and they live in a villa. Olga’s husband is a reservoir engineer for BP, well I’m sure you get the picture. But we’re going to try for lunch on Tuesday after class, so we’ll see how it goes.
So I guess I’m still in the midst of learning but also settling in and getting to know people, Egyptian, and otherwise, a little bit better.
