Cultural Tidbits

Interesting Aspects of Egyptian Life

1. Men wear a right on the right hand if they are engaged and on the left if they are married. Silver means he is Muslim, gold means he is Christian.
2. Dirt: What is commonly thought of as dirt in Egypt is actually very fine powdered sand and it is EVERYWHERE and seeps through EVERYTHING, even minutes after you wash something. I recall two years ago when I visited Cairo seeing something green catch the corner of my eye. What was it? A budding leaf on one of the few trees in my neigbhorhood. The rest of the tree, and every other thing in sight, was so covered in dirt/sand that you don’t even realize anymore how dirty it is because everything just looks dull together!
3. If we start to feel sick, the advice is to drink tap water! Why? Cairo water is so chemically treated that the chorine in it will kill the bad bacteria. So, when in doubt, drink away!
4. It’s very important to carry toilet paper with you, as most public bathrooms do not have TP, or if they do you usually are paying a bak-sheesh (tip) to someone for standing at the door and providing you with three or four little squares of tissue. Another important item: hand sanitizer! Public restrooms lack soap almost more than the TP!