Life in Alex and at Schutz

Today at the grocery store, (my first solo trip to get groceries) the lines to check out were over one aisle long.  I got in a line I guessed was the shortest, but a man said something in Arabic to a woman carrying a hand basket like mine and pointed across the store, indicating we both needed to go there.  I followed the lady to aisles 1 and 2, where other people seemed to have hand baskets, and got in line.  After a few minutes in aisle 2, a lady in aisle one said in perfect English, "I think it is better if you get in this line."  I thanked her for speaking English and did as she said.  This seemed like a good analogy for how things are for us in Egypt.  We get the gist of what is going on here, but a lot of things are still a mystery to us.  We have had Egyptian friends and long-time Schutz staff explain some things to us, but as far as having a real deep understanding of why things are the way they are - most of what I tell you is based on my surface-level understanding of the things I see.  I actually might be entirely wrong, but it is how I perceive things at this point in time.  So, take what I say as someone who is like a small child in her understanding at this point....

As a side-note to my grocery experience, I thought it was a bit funny that the people who invented Algebra (the Arabs) would use such as strange system for checking people out at the grocery store. Algebra has never been my strong subject, so I have taken as much professional development in Algebra as I could. During my "Algebra for All" course, they explained how algebra can be used to determine which line one should wait in if they want to get through the fastest. (Most of the time, assuming no one has to get a price check, etc)  It is almost always faster to wait in the shortest line, even if the people in that line have the most things to check-out than it is to get in a longer line where all the people only have a few items each.  So, this idea of putting everyone with under 10 items in one line makes those waiting to check out in that line wait longer.  People in aisles 2-10, who had full carts, waited much less time to check out than I had to.  Why couldn't I stay in the line with fewer people but more stuff to check out?  Oh well, this is just a small example of things that seem kind of crazy from the people who built pyramids and invented some major math concepts.


Being from a small town, there are some things that are new to us just because we are now in a city. The idea that we can now ride a tram to get to various areas in the city is a novelty to us - and the fact that we can do so for about 10 cents, (or 50 cents if we want to splurge on a "fancy" tram!) is just a bonus.  However, this being Egypt, even the "fancy" trams are long-past their prime.  It is a step back in time - box cars with wooden tables and curtains, the tables now scratched, the curtains now faded - the floors show signs of the outside streets, the dirt and garbage that has been brought in on the feet of the passengers.  This place has seen better days. Most sources seem to say that those "better days" happened between 1950's-1970's. (Around the time of Nasser's socialist rule and Sadat's US alliance, whether or not they are connected, I do not know) On one of our evening walks, I noticed a building with "Chippendales" written across the top.  A couple of the brass letters were missing, but the building still had the outline of those missing letters.  We were told there was a time when clubs and bars lined the Corniche (the main road running parallel to the Mediterranean coast in Alexandria).  Today, few bars exist anywhere in Alexandria.  Most restaurants do not serve alcohol.  We order our drinks through a couple of online services -"Drinkies" and "Cheers".  (You can also find these "stores" around now too, a newer development) The alcohol is brought to us in black plastic bags.  We are not big drinkers, but that still not does make us feel any less sleezy to have our drinks delivered to us in thick, black plastic bags. We have been told that this aspect is getting better - there was a time in the recent past that you had to sneak alcohol into the country in your luggage!  The current Egyptian government is not as religion-based as the previous government, so things are relaxing a bit.

In our neighborhood, the people are used to seeing Americans and our western-style clothing and we don't notice any additional attention being given to us.  Walking beyond our block, we do pay attention to what we wear.  Wanting to respect the current culture, Gary mostly wears shorts beyond his knees and t-shirts, and I also do not show my knees or shoulders (or wear plunging necklines).  Many American women also wear scarves or sweaters that cover their elbows when they go out. We have been told that it is still culturally acceptable for men to do cat calls, and say inappropriate things to women as they walk by, especially if they are not covered head to toe.  In this case, not speaking Arabic is a good thing as I am happily oblivious of those comments.  In Saudi Arabia, they have "Morale Police" who will approach you if you are not dressed conservatively enough or are doing something else they think is not in accord to the state religion. In Saudi, a single woman can not be out in public unless accompanied by a man.  It is NOT like that here in Egypt.  Fortunately, religion (and all the morale beliefs associated with the various denominations and religions) is still a personal decision, not a state one. 

I feel like a big lesson I have learned is how smart our forefathers in America were to make sure that there is a separation between church and state.  Times change. Styles change. Culture changes. Perhaps some Americans cringe when they feel the young people are wearing clothes that show off too much of their body. Some Americans dislike the fact that we have too many bars, or that alcohol is legal at all.  Some disagree with  legalized birth control and/or abortion. Some do not like that people are allowed to wear tattoos, color their hair, or pierce their body.  Some hate that marriage is now a union between two people, regardless of sex or gender. Some get upset when people swear. Some Americans do not think women should be in positions of power or should not serve as ministers or priests. We all have the right to practice and believe all of these things in our personal life.  The problem comes in when people want the government to enforce their personal religious beliefs for everyone else. In some ways, the Middle Eastern governments support much of the Christian Conservative's ideal policies - (no alcohol, conservative clothing, no swearing, no birth control, no abortions, women not allowed to be employed in certain positions, no kissing or hand-holding in public, no sex before marriage, etc) - but many of these same people do not think Middle Eastern governments support the "right" conservative religion!  Liberty knows no government religion or policies.

EGYPTIAN STREETS

APRIL 5, 2014

By Mohamed Khairat, Founder, EgyptianStreets.com

Egypt in the 1900s was a different place. Egyptian cinema was the third largest in the world, Cairo was a city that foreigners dreamt of spending their holidays exploring, Egyptian music flourished and shook the world, Jews, Muslims and Christians lived together as neighbours, and women had freedoms that were unheard of in many other countries.

Egypt was a place of liberal spirits, unhampered by sectarian and ethnic prejudices. The rights of men, women and children were championed.

I do not yet understand what caused the decline of Egypt, but I have to imagine it was in part, years of a corrupt government and a selfish ruling/upper class with little pride for this beautiful country and the potential of its common people, and people who were beat down and just gave up. Tourism was a 12.5 billion dollar industry in Egypt in 2010.  It is now at $5.9 billion.  The revolutions and the world-wide terrorism threat has played a part in this most recent decline.  I am sure there are people who could explain the history of the decline from one of the strongest economies in the world (the Egyptian pound was once stronger than the US dollar), and books I could read about the decline, but the result is just heart-breaking.  There are very good people here in all social classes.  There are people who are working hard to restore Egypt to its former glory.   Egypt has amazing treasures, both modern and ancient.  Businesses are opening back up, new businesses are starting. The streets are getting cleaner.  There are signs of new things being built and old things being taken down. Unfortunately, the inflation rate is quite high, and the unemployment rate is still much too high - making basic resources like food more difficult for the average Egyptian to buy in order to feed his family.  These are some of the basic human needs that caused people to revolt back in 2011, so the hope is that the new government is on the right track and things will begin to turn around. Unfortunately, change takes time - and when you are hungry and life is hard - it is hard to wait for change.

So, Gary rides his bike nearly every day while I am at work - dodging the street dogs and cats, the piles of garbage on the streets, the loose/rusted sewer covers, and the insanely narrow streets with broken down cars and the street vendors to get to the Corniche where he can ride on sidewalks (most of the time).  He spends leisurely days sitting in seaside cafes sipping water or pop.  The cafes and restaurants are never in a hurry to see you give up your seat and you can sit for hours on end watching the waves and the fishermen and the rising or setting sun and listening to the sounds of the city and the sea.  Sometimes he goes down by the local fishermen and watches what they are doing.  After work, we often go for a walk - where we again dodge the crazy traffic and dirt and garbage, but also admire the spirit of the average business owner, the simple beauty of kids playing soccer in the streets, or the 8 year old driving the horse and cart loaded with hand-made furniture or fruits from the fields, or we watch the waves roll in. We wonder why Egyptians do not seem to pay attention to details - like missing letters on signs, like trim that is only partially finished, like the granite floors where it appeared that they ran out of the one kind of granite, so they just put the last couple of squares in in a totally different color and style of granite, like the grout that is slopped all over the top of the tiles and never cleaned off, or like the wires hung willy-nilly all over the streets down the outside of buildings, with no care in the world.  We try to stop and imagine what the buildings were like when business was good in Alexandria.  The workmanship on many of the older buildings looks quite good, but there is a clear lack of maintenance. We are struck by the over-the-top gaudiness of much of the furniture that is for sale - gold-leafed furniture, with the intricate designs of the Victorian age, and equally over-the-top light fixtures and decorations.  We shake our heads at the number of stores selling very sexy negligees - not in back alleys, not sold in black plastic bags and secretly delivered to your address, such as is the experience with buying alcohol - but glass front stores, right out in the open, with weird scantily-clad mannequins!  This is such a land of contrasts. 

Gary on one of his daily bike trips - taking a break on a breakwall

Schutz is our little paradise.  It is clean.  The buildings are mostly kept up. We have grass.  We also joke that it is a retirement village with people of all ages who spend time working to support their socializing and traveling habits.  Most everyone steps up to plan some type of social activity in which everyone can participate if they want.  Yesterday was trip to a private beach in Agami followed by a steak and pizza dinner at a nearby restaurant following our time on the beach.  There are resident parties poolside.  Someone has invited everyone to visit some monasteries in the desert near Cairo later in October.  The neighborhood had a new coffee shop open recently and we were all invited to the Grand Opening.  There was a baby shower for one of our residents who became a first time dad.  There have been pool parties, just to have an excuse for a pool party - with many Egyptians as well as residents. There was an invitation to attend a concert.  From time to time, there are invitations to go to the local sporting club to play golf or other activities. There have been invitations to join Book Clubs and yoga groups.  Of course, there are also private dinner parties, movie parties, etc.  

Private beach in Agami, just north of Alexandria

Baby shower

Golfing at the Club in Alexandria

Huge golf course inside a packed city

Some of our youngest Schutz residents showing off their dance moves with some of our teachers at the Grand Opening of a neighborhood coffee and tea shop.

In addition, we attend a church that meets right in the auditorium at Schutz.  The pastor and his family are American.  The church is a combination of all denominations.  It starts with a half hour of singing - led by a band of about 5 people with drums and guitars, singing mostly modern Christian pop songs, with a few traditional songs interspersed. The words are projected on a screen. The pastor and his young family live fairly close to the school.  He is the son of a pastor, and is quite a dynamic speaker himself.  He uses the technology available to him very well and always links the scripture with something meaningful to life today.  The current lecture series is on "The Seven Deadly Sins" - beginning with the sin of pride, which he talked about with humor, on-point memes, and an ability to avoid making anyone feel guilty. The congregation is made up of many university students, mostly coming from Nigeria, Kenya, and Uganda.  Several Schutz staff members attend, as well as local Egyptians, S. Americans, and Chinese.  There have been as many as 137 in attendance during the week we were gone to Sweden.  Last week they started their "Open Doors" campaign and "Life Groups".  I signed up for a "Women's Night Out" group and Gary signed up to help with setup and take-down.  The church also offers photography groups, Men's sporting groups, music groups, Bible study groups, Men's Night Out groups, kids groups, etc.

If you tap on this picture and enlarge it, you should be able to see the stickers indicating the home locations of church members.

So, people say there is not a lot to do in Alex - which I find funny coming from the UP where there are people who complain about the same thing! No matter where I am, I have never felt like there is not enough to do.  If anything, I sometimes feel like there are too many choices.  (Which is a great "problem" to have) But, from time-to-time, I just want to be alone -stay inside and read a book, write in my blog, watch tv, or search the internet. (As I am doing now while the rest enjoy a potluck brunch and Gary is golfing) Unfortunately, the internet is terrible here this morning (which we found is unique to our apartment, as the apartment upstairs does not have the same issues!) - so I will have to take a shower and go over to the school soon to get the pictures to download!