how we get along

So I guess everyone probably knows by now that Egypt lost the World Cup qualifier on Wednesday. Watching the game, I saw it coming. That was Algeria's game, not Egypt's. Both teams played badly -- Algeria just happened to play less badly. Driving back to the medina was a sad experience -- all the mobs of people who would otherwise have been celebrating were sort of just hanging around, moping, and for sure I saw tears in the eyes of a few old men riding back to their houses in microbuses. That was the quietest night I've seen here in Alexandria in months.

And now, to top it all off, they've gone and turned it into an international incident. Egypt recalled their ambassador to Algeria and everyone's raising a huge stink about it. I noted how I loved the passion Egyptians had for their national football team, but holy shit man, everything in moderation. Seriously. No need for a war or anything (although I would like to be in Egypt during a war).

Anyway. Kholy took three of us out to dinner and to an ahwa last night, to sit around and shoot the breeze. We ended up having a rather deep conversation about Egyptian society and life, eventually turning to death and weird existential commentary. The way he puts it, we were sort of dropped here without a proper introduction to Egyptian society and culture. He is of the opinion that the places we go to/have been taken to/have been advised to go to are the less-than-savory districts of Alexandria and if we actually wanted to go a day without getting harassed by the locals then we'd have to pick our hangouts more carefully. I would agree with him in some respects -- while yes, we tend to get a lot of mo3kasaat (harassment) in the places we go, we go to those areas because they happen to give us a better picture of ordinary Egyptian life. I could theoretically only spend time in wealthy, upperclass areas, but the upper class doesn't represent the majority of society, obviously.

He also had some thoughts on the girls in the dorms, mostly on how they think, or rather, how they don't think for themselves. This is true. Some girls are more open than others, some are more progressive, and some are willing to just sort of laugh off the silly antics of those naughty American girls, but a large number of them are really quite conservative and difficult to relate to. But then again -- what's the larger percentage in Egypt: the cultured, open-minded, accepting type, or the poorer, uneducated type, quick to condemn anything unfamiliar?

But it was an interesting conversation, for sure. We even talked to him about sex, which is a new topic I had yet to broach with a male Egyptian here. It was also highly entertaining, as we spoke in English and he in Arabic. Mixing of cultures, indeed!

another truckstop on the way another game that I can play another word I learn to say

another blasted customs post another bloody foreign coast another set of scars to boast

WE ARE THE ROAD CREW