Virtually anywhere you go, you want to take pictures. It’s amazing how much you can fit into a 3 by 5 inch frame. No matter how hard I try, I could never fully capture the unique beauty of Cairo; the whole of Greater Cairo is comprised of 25 million people, with 2 million commuters entering the city daily. With a constantly fluctuating population, it’s amazing how the city functions. A well oiled machine, people carry out their business day by day. Living on a whim you learn to expect everything and anything, a lifestyle that prepares you to handle virtually anything without stopping to think. I've learned that the city seems to function on three basic principles: Insh'allah (God willing), bokra (tomorrow) and ma’alesh (no worries).
Insh'allah: Cairo is a predominantly Muslim community. Initially nervous to spend nearly two months in a country where religion plays such an enormous role in daily life, I have come to adopt a new attitude. From my own personal observations and discussions with Egyptian friends, I realized that religion extends far beyond observable religious behavior, but functions as a daily part of life for most individuals. Slightly weirded out by the call to prayer booming out over the loudspeakers 5 times a day and the seas of men and young boys standing and kneeling in prayer on the sidewalks and in the streets, I came to appreciate the sense of devoutness that envelopes Cairo. One of the most common phrases I have picked up here is "insh'allah" or "God-willing." Slipping this phrase into almost any conversation, Egyptians speak it with such sincerity and so commonly that I have begun to see its significance to Egyptian dialect Arabic.
Bokra: Growing up in America, I find myself in a country filled with a sense of instant gratification. We bring this attitude with us, somewhat unintentionally as it is ingrained in our minds as the way life should be. Throughout my time here in Cairo thus far, I have learned that life is structured in a more casual way; there have been numerous times throughout the trip when plans have changed last minute or questions about the program have been left unanswered. Though irksome, you learn to roll with the punches and not expect to know everything well beforehand. I will admit, the communication on this trip could be a little better between those in charge and those involved. However, I feel for the most part that timing and events have worked out, regardless of miscommunication or last minute plan changes. Though literally bokra means tomorrow, the term suggests putting things off until later or waiting until later to finalize plans. Although at first this notion appears lazy, I find the Egyptian lifestyle simply more laid back than I am accustomed to, causing me to rethink the necessity of knowing every detail of every event or outing days in advance. Plans change so often here that information given to you days in advance may change, leaving you misinformed. Why not just wait?
Ma'alesh: Unfortunately, I missed one day of service due to the unfortunate case of tonsillitis I developed, however, I was excited to return to the school to see my students! Brought to a classroom in a poor neighborhood in Cairo, several other students and I were told to teach English to small groups of 8 to 11 year olds. To our surprise, many already knew their alphabet and the numbers, leaving us slightly baffled. What, exactly, were we to do? Another challenge evolved as we realized that our level of Arabic was hardly sufficient to communicate to the students. Ma'alesh (Not to worry!), we would find a way to manage. With the basic language skills I had acquired, I found a method of getting through to my small group of students by drawing pictures of various objects and repeating the English word for each picture. Another lesson learned in Egypt--ma'alesh!
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