Egypt Day 4

Friday January 14, 2011

Friday was an eventful day but by my travel itinerary it should have been a slow day with an afternoon of free time and rest before my next few days of travel.  Mid morning on Friday after checking out of my hotel I visited a local village that was so empty in Tayoum.  This little village is known for its natural spring and the water that it supplies but they little canals and waterways were so polluted with trash it wasn’t much of a site.  We did run into a local man who lives in the village and he invited us in to see how him and his family live.  It was so neat, this family lives purely off their own little 5 acres of land, and 5 acres is really an exaggeration it’s probably more like 2 but I’m not sure.  It is small.  They have a cow and a chicken coop for their milk and meat then they have fruit trees and a small garden for all other things.  The man and his family farm this small plot of land all by hand and it sustains them!!  Amazing that people still live like this and so pure to me they don’t know the hassle of cell phones and technology I was very impressed by them.  After walking around and listening to the farmer’s tales of living off the land he invited us to sit under this pavilion and drink tea.  It was really nice and his kids were so cute.  The little girl was so shy and it took her almost the whole visit to warm up to me. 

After the visit with the farmer we headed to see yet another pyramid, the Maygum pyramid, named after the area it was built in.  This pyramid was built tower style.

By mid-afternoon we were done with our scheduled activities and then I was off to roam.  The night before Mustafa had invited me to an Egyptian wedding in his hometown of Memphis, right outside Cairo.  I happily accepted and was very excited to see even more of the Egyptian culture.  Since I only brought jeans and sweaters and traveling clothes I didn’t have anything appropriate for a WEDDING!  Have no fear my stylist Mustafa was there to save the day.  We went into, what they call, they new part of town to find a dress and to have a late lunch.  A traditional Egyptian dish that is cheap to make and a favorite is a dish called kushari.  Mustafa new of the best place to get this and took me.  It was so good and at the end there was tapioca.  Apparently that is another Egyptian favorite and Mustafa was so surprised that I actually knew what it was and liked it. LOL My mom had been fixing tapioca for us for years and most people don’t really like it but I love it.  I was SO EXCITED that I got something familiar. LOL After eating we headed out to shop and OMG!! Egyptian style is NOT up-to-date and isn’t really my thing but Mustafa lives there and knows what’s appropriate so I let him pick something out for me.  I think I gave the dress and things to Goodwill as soon as I got home and unpacked but apparently I fit in because everyone was complimenting me later in the night. LOL J I went back to the hotel to get ready and take a short nap before Mustafa picked me up to head to Memphis.  Little did I know I was in a huge learning experience!

Cairo Tower

Downtown Cairo

Memphis

Memphis isn’t much different from Cairo in looks but its just way smaller.  The trash, dirt roads and lack of modern amenities is the same.  We arrived safely and went to Mustafa’s house so he could get ready for the wedding.  As he was getting ready I was introduces and visited with his family and of course drank more tea.  Tea is an all day event in Egypt and by the time I left I had gotten use to it.  I also unknowingly witnessed another family there asking Mustafa’s parents for his sister’s hand in marriage.  Later on Mustafa told me what had been happening while I was in the room and also explained why his sister was so upset.  See in Egypt arranged marriage is still normal and this boy’s family wanted Mustafa’s sister as a wife for him.  They had come to arrange the marriage with Mustafa’s parents.  Her father hadn’t made a final decision yet but it was looking like she would be set to marry this boy whom she knows only from around town but really doesn’t even like.  See she has a boy that she likes and in America would be a boyfriend but seeing she isn’t allowed to date it isn’t that.  The problem with this is that Mustafa’s parent’s don’t approve of this boy because he isn’t going to college and only works as a mechanic and they don’t think he could provide for their daughter and their future family.  So she is forbidden to even talk to him and for sure not see him but Mustafa and their brother help the sister talk to the forbidden lover.  I felt so bad for her when I heard this and even though I love learning about other’s cultures and being open minded I knew right then I wouldn’t ever make it there with such conservative and old fashion methods.  Anyways after Mustafa dressed we said goodbye and he took me to a “salon” to get my hair and makeup did.  Ya’ll I walked out of there looking like I came out of 1989 and not in a good way.  Plus I looked to be about 14 since I had just cut my bangs.  I walked out of there looking like a low rent hooker only in a more conservative dress LOL.  I had a head full of curls and blue eye shadow on.  YES you read that right. 

At the salon...wait til you see the finished product I looked hideous!!!

There are no words....all I have to say is that I am way too nice to change anything about my appearance so I just go with it. LOL

We met up with a load of Mustafa’s friends and headed out to the wedding which to get there we had to take a fairy ride.  The wedding was ok but seeing I don’t speak Arabic and didn’t know a soul it got old quick.  It was fun to see the wedding and how they are similar to ours but this was also a Christian wedding and so the only differences where the cultural traditions. 

The lovely bride and groom.  I didn't know them and they didn't know me. LOL

It was an experience to say the least and I am sure my mom about had a heart attack when I told her where I had gone and most of you think I’m too trusting and all that but I experience the culture in a whole new way.  In Egypt I was an official traveler and not tourist because most things about this trip were not tourist activities.