In August 2013, a crazy family
decided to overcome their fear of the second revolution and worries concerning
the state of emergency and curfew and focus on their excitement and commitment
as they landed in Cairo, discovering the landscape, questioning the decision to
leave the old Constantinople.
Some things are sadly just the
same:
The town centre hasn’t changed. As we
crossed the city for the first time, I recall the sheer disappointment, seeing
all those skeletons of red brick building and litter sprawling all over the
roads and roof tops; I remember seeing the chaos, poverty and the traffic and
regretting leaving Istanbul but a glimpse of Khufu had given me hope. Living in
the suburbs, you forget that sight, until the next confrontation. A few nights
ago, as we wished farewell to colleagues moving on, I drove through the city:
Town hasn’t changed a bit and it is still awfully filthy and punctuated by
those same empty red buildings. This time, I saw the three pyramids in the
evening sky, the moon showing right above them and in the opposite direction,
the sun, bright orange, was setting behind some of the date palm trees on the
distance. Peace again.
The situation for women hasn’t
changed unfortunately and the harassment “(un)culture” is so engrained in some
men that it will take much more than 10 months for mentalities to change... In
August, the eve of our arrival, I recall seeing a video (because the media is
all about making it as disgustingly real as possible) of a woman being
assaulted on Tahrir as the second revolution was striking. Regrettably and
coincidentally, a few days ago, a lady was assaulted on Tahrir at the
inauguration of Sisi; the worst thing is that some men and fellow women find it
normal, as men were happy! There are some groups and organisations working on
awareness and raising respect towards women and they are the true hope for my
Egyptian but also foreign fellow sisters.
Yet, a lot has changed – in how many
countries do you witness the fall of a president and the appointment of a new
one within the space of 10 months? For the better or the worse, time will tell
and once again, we must wish the best to Egypt, instead of stepping back and
patronise this country, from our expat’s safe haven.
We, as a family have changed. There is a true feeling of community here and we have met wonderful people from all horizons, who have made this year even more enjoyable! In addition, besides having developed a sheer hate against flies and insects, I personally have found an unexpected amount of peace in two paradoxical places: The
desert and its eerie emptiness, where Eol rules and sculpts at will and the Red
Sea, full of colours and life all around. I can never find a fair prose to
explain how walking in the desert and diving can offer you a moment when the
daily cacophony ends and allows you to channel your thoughts.
Madame Lucie has changed. Given the monstrous reputation of Egyptian
students, the one I was given before even meeting them, I opted for Machiavelli’s
method, to be feared rather than loved. Perspective is the key word, as my
start of the book is their end of a book, as my idea of acceptable is different
from their idea of acceptable, as my idea of religion and need for guidance is
different from theirs. It turns out the Egyptian students are just the same as
anywhere else, plus a wonderful “répartie” and sense of humour.
More importantly, my international
family has changed. Given our different background, Egypt has shaken some of
our established traits and grown onto us. It has revealed some of the most
incredible landscapes and mind opening moments and the best example is this true
story:
Whilst going to town, an Estonian
man takes up the mission to buy an Egyptian flag for his old man. In times of
elections, the patriotic feel is strong and flags are sold at every street
corner, even near our microcosm. As he reaches home to his family, he shows the
flag to his son, who, without hesitations, seizes it and starts chanting: “baladi, baladi, balaaaadi....” -The Egyptian national anthem!
For a second, the entire family stares at him in disbelief and pride, realising that we have all changed in Egypt, and thank the universe for leading us here and reveal to us what is hidden under the layer of dust of Egypt. A layer wrongly thickened by the media, a layer built on the looks of the city, its people and the recent history – but what lies underneath it, if you look past it, is humanly and aesthetically simply beautiful!
