baklavabaklava (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} baklavabaklava) wrote,@ 2008-05-18 17:23:00 |
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cairene life
Egyptians, like Indians, are those sorts of people who believe one makes a good impression on tourists by shouting out nonsense in the language of the tourist. Usually this is gibberish like "Yes please!" or "Excuse me sir hello!" but a fellow the other day in Cairo had some good ones- on finding out I was American, he began doing a little jig with his arms swaying about and shouting: "Yankee Doodle Dandy! American Flavor! Bensylvania!" (sic).
Then I got a haircut and they did something very strange- near the end, the fellow put some powder on my face and then took a spool of thread and wrapped it through his teeth and round his fingers and then rubbed it on me- moving it in some way that that string ripped small hairs off of me.He ripped out all the hair between my eyebrows, some on my cheeks, and then even on my ears, where I have never even seen any hair. (Yet.) The whole thing was quite painful and I was just as happy that the hair was there to be honest.
Also I was on the metro the other day and I saw money on the floor. It was a 25 piastre note (maybe five cents).I put it in my pocket. Then a few seconds later some old dude started yelling at me to come over, and he began asking me questions in Arabic. I just nodded my head and mumbled "aywa" and then I understood he wanted to see the money. So I gave it to him and he told me something and left with it, and I do honestly believe he was going to take it to some sort of lost and found. Egypt is kinda strange that way I have found.
Egyptians, like Indians, are those sorts of people who believe one makes a good impression on tourists by shouting out nonsense in the language of the tourist. Usually this is gibberish like "Yes please!" or "Excuse me sir hello!" but a fellow the other day in Cairo had some good ones- on finding out I was American, he began doing a little jig with his arms swaying about and shouting: "Yankee Doodle Dandy! American Flavor! Bensylvania!" (sic).
Then I got a haircut and they did something very strange- near the end, the fellow put some powder on my face and then took a spool of thread and wrapped it through his teeth and round his fingers and then rubbed it on me- moving it in some way that that string ripped small hairs off of me.He ripped out all the hair between my eyebrows, some on my cheeks, and then even on my ears, where I have never even seen any hair. (Yet.) The whole thing was quite painful and I was just as happy that the hair was there to be honest.
Also I was on the metro the other day and I saw money on the floor. It was a 25 piastre note (maybe five cents).I put it in my pocket. Then a few seconds later some old dude started yelling at me to come over, and he began asking me questions in Arabic. I just nodded my head and mumbled "aywa" and then I understood he wanted to see the money. So I gave it to him and he told me something and left with it, and I do honestly believe he was going to take it to some sort of lost and found. Egypt is kinda strange that way I have found.
