My life has changed dramatically within the last 5 days.
I met a girl (T.) who knew a man (named Y.), who changed my life. I went to an Oasis called Fayoum with him and his friends and they accepted me without reservation. I was told when you have a friend here, they are truly, truly good to you. "Hal toredeen shay?" No, I don't need anything but your company, shokran.
It was silly that I wore the hijab. It was silly that I was afraid to go outside or show my arms. What paradigm are such reservations coming from, because surely it is not Egyptian.
At Fayoum a world was opened up to me that I could only dream of. Everyone I met was over 35, and they had no concerns of my age. Y. said that when he was 15 years old he was befriend by people in their 30's, and he was taken very seriously...
I wasn't a child with them. Me, Y. and Ah. sat on the ledge of a half built artist mecca, talked philosophy and occasionally expressed our awe at the surrounding landscape.
There is a difference between the Muslims and the Arabs. Arabs have been around for a very, very long time. They have their own culture, rich philosophy, music and passions that can not be denied or repressed.
Islam is it's own entity. It is something different entirely from the Arab world.
For example, I was told that a Christian man I met, R., got tipsy the other night and expressed his frustrations with Muslims. He told them that Christians are the natives, and all Muslims are foreigners that think they know about everything... The irony revolves around the fact the Muslims came to Egypt around 1,000 (I don't know the exact date...) years ago.
Yes, some people are still upset. (It's hilarious.)
The concept of time is very, very different here. Coming from an agricultural background, the people worked hard for a short period, and then they waited. There is a lot of 'waiting' done around here even though we're in the city. 10-11 is 'early'. Asking what we're going to do tomorrow or next week is met with, "We could be dead tomorrow, don't ask about next week."
Me - When are we leaving tonight?
Y. - Whenever we leave.
Me - What lessons are we going to go over next week?
My teacher - We could be dead tomorrow, who knows about next week?
Me - I don't want to go to class tomorrow.
Ab. - No one is forcing you. If you want to stay, stay.
I don't hurry to get ready and I do not hurry to leave. I work in the moments I have now, and I've found that actually, I have a lot of time...
It's another world.
What has been fun to learn is that Egyptians love the Pharaohs, Abraham, Jesus and Mohammad. The places where these human beings stayed is very, very sacred to them. It's a matter of pride, you might say. Jesus (who is actually Yusef) came to Egypt to escape being murdered as a child. Supposedly, the place where he and his mother hid is known, and has been kept up until this very day.
What Cairo was I living in? I lived in a fabricated reality that was pushed onto me by Westerners! Oh, silly foreigners think they know whats up...
No, no they don't. They didn't at the time and because I listened I was completely miserable.
I was given many job offers through my friends while staying in Fayoum. One of which, was staying at the ecolodge for free, getting trained to teach the village children art and getting taught Arabic by an Arabic novelist.
Yes, an Arabic novelist.
The other two job offers revolve around working at an art center for traditional Egyptian music (which is amazing, let me say) or working with a local NGO concerning free trade items. There are many benefits to working with either of these places, all of which I have not explored.
What to do, what to do?
There is so much more I want to say, and even more so that I can not write about. Where was this Cairo hiding, right in front of my face?
I don't know, but I'm glad I suffered so I could be in the new world I find myself in.
Beautiful.
My new home.
.Candiace
