So.. been a while, alhumdulillah I’ve really been enjoying Cairo in Ramadan.  But before that I thought it best to remind myself and others to keep the earthquake victims in Pakistan and India in our prayers and duas.  There’s a lot of reward in giving during the month of Ramadan so this is something of an opportunity as well.  Islamic Relief is one of my favorite charities that is doing a lot of work in Pakistan right now.  They did some good work in Louisiana an Texas post-Katrina and Rita as well.  The website is below:

www.irw.org

It is interesting to be having so many disasters all at once.  Is it that they happen to be happening in more populated places or in places that hit closer to home, or has the frequency of natural disasters increased?  Either way one has to wonder……

Cairo is amazing in Ramadan, as good as people had said it would be.  Everyone’s into the spirit of the month it seems.  Egyptians really love the Quraan, it seems, and it shows during this month.  On the metro, there are so many people have their pocket-sized Qurans out and are reading them.  Almost every taxi has Quraanic recitation playing from it.  And in this incredibly congested city, there is this eerie calm right before and after iftaar when there is no one on the street and it is so quiet.  Quiet like you would never think Cairo would ever be.  It’s really amazing.  And seeing so many people into Islam and Ramadan is really motivational.

Not to make it sound like it’s not a party here during Ramadan, because that’s the other side of the coin.  People really are up all night chatting and just chilling with their friends.  At dawn time you will see the cafes and sheeshas closing up.  And there’s this insane fireworks culture.  The whole month fireworks are going off, in the streets, in big crowded public areas, everywhere and at almost anytime.  It feels like you’re caught in crossfire.  I always feel the need to duck when I hear what sounds like a gunshot only a few feet away but everyone seems to walk by like it’s no big deal.  There must be all sorts of accidental injury…. 

I went to Sayyidna Hussain mosque on a Thursday night in Ramadan and there must have been many millions of people there hanging out or shopping.  It really feels like this vibrant heart of Cairo.  I took a few pictures as well which I will try to post.  There are interesting things going on there as well.  Around the grave area there are people singing, yelling, and other things.  Outside there are gatherings and such.  It’s a little bit of a spectacle.  The architecture of the mosque was amazing though. 

So I still haven’t been able to go to the hospital yet, but it’s ok because it has allowed me to get more involved with my Arabic studies and with taking advantage of Ramadan here.  I am taking Arabic classes 4 days a week, which may increase after Ramadan.  Right now I’m learning the ‘amiyah, or local dialect.  After Ramadan I will switch to fus-ha or the classical.  I’m beginning to realize what a monumental task it is to learn another language.  Even with a couple of years experience in fus-ha, I am stumbling in my interactions with people.  And it is hard to get the Egyptian accent right.  My Arabic teacher gave me a tongue twister so I can speak fast in the way Egyptians do

"Anwar arnabna fi manwar, arnab anwar fi manwarna"

Which is literally Anwar is our rabbit who is in the alley, and the rabbit of anwar is in our alley.

So he was laughing so hard as I was trying to say this like 10 times fast, but he said it would help me to pronounce things.  He also laughs because he says I speak like a farmer.  I guess when you say “'aml eh” or “akhbarak eh” the eh is really fast and monotonous.  If you prolong it like I do, you can sound a little, well farmer-ish I suppose.

I also learned a couple of colloquialisms that I thought were interesting.  The Egyptians say “kaza kaza kaza” just like we might say "yadda yadda yadda".  And then sometimes I’ll hear people say “hua hua,” or “hiya hiya” at work, which just means “it’s the same thing” apparently. 

Anyways, all these things are kind of funny to me.

Egyptian culture is open and friendly when people aren’t trying to take your money, but it’s more open than you might feel comfortable with.  There’s no concept of “not your business” here.  People want to know how much you paid for your apartment, your clothes, your salary, anything is open for questioning really.  And this by complete strangers!  I am impressed at people's manners though.  If you greet someone with salaam around iftaar time, everyone would say "fadal" and invite you to eat with them.

I bought a couple of thobes to wear here and there, and I began to understand why skirts can be a little restricting.  I was stumbling all over myself for a little while, but not to worry.  I’ve gotten the hang of it now and can confidently wear a thobe, or a skirt for that matter, without tripping.  I really am beginning to appreciate the shalwar kameez more and more to be honest.

Anyways, late night here, all the best to everyone…..