No Rules Apply

A man was walking down the Corniche (a famous Egyptian road that follows the Mediterranean Sea) with this message on his t-shirt: "No rules apply".  Yep, that's Egypt - and yet it is not.  This is a wonderful world of many contrasts.

We have been in Alexandria, Egypt ten days now.  Well, minus a couple of days that we spent either in Kenya or in transit to and from Kenya.  It has been a wonderful, whirlwind experience thus far.  I am overwhelmed with everything I need to learn and everything that is new and different and chaotic, and yet despite the chaos, there is a peace as well as a simplicity of life here.

The first thing people seem to notice upon first arrival in Egypt is the traffic.  While I am sure there must be some rules, to an outsider like me, the rules seem non-existent.  For one thing, I have yet to see a patrol car pull anyone over for a traffic violation.  There do not seem to be any stop signs or yield signs at 90% of intersections.  The rule seems to be, "honk and go".  Yes, on the highway there are 3 lanes supposedly going one way, but Egyptian drivers pay them no mind, often driving 5 cars across.  Changing "lanes" every few seconds also seems to be a rule - never go in a straight line to get anywhere.  To make driving even more fun, Egyptian pedestrians seem to enjoy a game of Human Frogger, dodging between these 3-5 lanes of cars that are swerving and maneuvering.  Then there are the horse or donkeys and carts that are also traveling on those same 3+ lane roads, and sometimes you may see someone who decides to stop completely in the middle of a lane, when the rest of the traffic is moving at 50 mph or faster - or even start backing up or turn around completely and drive in the wrong direction.  Really, anything is possible on Egyptian roads.  Yet, somehow, miraculously, it works most of the time. (Although Egypt does have 12,000 traffic fatalities per year and many more thousands that are injured in traffic accidents)  Anyhow, I am very glad that my "commute" to get to work is a short walk across the street, the school has drivers, Uber is available, and honestly, we can walk or ride the tram to get to most things - getting a driver's license for Egypt is certainly not high on our priority list and we are very happy to let the local experts do the driving!

Just a small glimpse at what the lanes always seem to look like - whether traveling 10 mph or 60 mph.

This is not a one-way street!

On side-streets, I have seen drivers pull in their sideview mirrors just to get through, with cars parked on both sides of the road.  You might think this is a one-way road, but NO, soon enough someone is backing up or trying to find a small space in which to squeeze in order to let the other driver pass by.  Road rage?  I haven't seen it.  Somehow, through this all, most people tend to be quite respectful of one another.  Quite a contrast from driving in the USA where the slightest infraction of a rule (driving too slow in the passing lane, for example) will cause cursing and displays of the middle finger.

Another "No rules apply" situation occurred when we had to get our yellow fever vaccination in order to travel to Kenya. Muhammed, our local expert, friend, and angel said to bring our passports. Simple, right? Drive to a public hospital, show our passports and get it done. Not in Egypt!  After trying at two public health departments, we were told we needed to go to the Port Authority.  Once at the Port Authority, we were directed across the street to a copy machine where Muhammed made several copies of passports.  Then we were told we needed permission to enter the port.  Off to another location where we waited for a long time, and Muhammed was able to get his entry, but we were told that foreigners had to go to still another location to get our entry permission.  At some point we were brought upstairs to meet the head of the Port Authority who needed to give us a waiver because we did not have our plane tickets with us.  Finally, we were brought into the port health department where we were led to an office with three men at desks who seemed to all need to check out our passports and entry forms before entering our information into old fashioned ledgers as no computers were to be seen.  It felt as if we had stepped back in time at least 50 years.  After at least 5 hours,  we were given our shots.  We were then told to return the next day because they wanted to make sure we got malaria shots.  Muhammed verified this information with at least 2 people before we departed. The next time we came it would be "easy", we were assured.  So, back we went a day and a half later.  Entry to the Port Authority?  Nope - our entry documents had expired!  Special permission had to be granted again, but once inside, all the rules had changed.  Oh, no, foreigners could not get malaria medication at the Port Authority - foreigners needed to go to a different location and pay money.  So, off we went again  - a bit easier this time - but the malaria medication was a pack of pills, not a shot.

Two darling boys we met while waiting at the Port Authority.  The older boy said he is 15 and wanted to practice his English a bit. They both wanted to get my picture, so I asked for a picture of them in return.

Our new friend and overall amazing, wonderful angel, Muhammed, who figured out how to get us our needed shots in time to leave for Kenya.

For those who moan about those darn "government regulations" in the USA that are taking away freedoms for businesses to do what they want, (or even individual property owners) I don't think you would really be happy with the alternative.  Although I do think Egypt probably has regulations, it is not clear to me that those regulations are made with any specific goal in mind, with any grand plan, or sustainable.  Therefore, it seems to an outsider that "No rules apply".  Buildings are built in the middle of the night - the sense is that these are illegal buildings, often ignoring any codes Egypt may or may not have. (Some look a bit crooked and dangerous).  Some buildings may have a bit of a sidewalk in front, others build right up to the road with no sidewalk.  When buildings are torn down, the rubble sits there for kids to play on.  If you want to open a dress shop in your apartment on the fifth floor, go ahead.  If your neighbor wants to open a butcher store - quite alright - you don't mind the blood running down the street in front of your apartment building, do you?  If you do mind, I guess you move your dress shop.

But, as I have said - this is a world of many contrasts. So, although it appears on many levels that "No Rules Apply" - the minute you try to do anything, you at once realize that MANY rules apply, and you only learn them as you go.

Certainly, things are "different" here than they are in the USA.  As you read my blog, please keep in mind that just because things are different does not necessarily mean they are better or worse.  I sincerely believe that the world would be very boring if we were all exactly the same.  We all have unique personalities and talents.  In the same way, each culture and each country is unique, making for a very interesting world.  When one is not born into a certain way of life, it is hard to understand the subtle intricacies of why things are the way they are.  By contrast, when one is born into a culture, one does not even think about why things are the way they are - those things are just accepted.  As I write more blogs, this theme will reappear as I talk about the contrasts between cultures and beliefs.