16
     
    
   
   
    
     
      September
      21,2009
      -
     
    
   
   
    
     
      PANTHER
      POST
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Walking,
      Dressing,
      Eating
      like
      Egyptians
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Louise
      COCKRAM
      >
     
     
      &
      Conor
      LEGGOTT
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Reporters
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      This
      summer
      was
      exciting
     
     
      for
      15
      Island
      students
      who
     
     
      took
      part
      in
      an
      exchange
     
     
      programme
      between
      UPEI
     
     
      and
      Misr
      International
     
     
      University
      (MIU)
      in
      Cairo,
     
     
      Egypt.
      Only
      a
      small
      handful
     
     
      of
      us
      had
      visited
      the
      Middle
     
     
      East
      before
      so
      for
      all
      of
      us
     
     
      this
      trip
      was
      a
      unique
      expe-
     
     
      rience.
     
    

    
     
      The
      exchange
      lasted
      one
     
     
      month
      and
      we
      took
      courses
     
     
      concentrated
      in
      Middle
     
     
      Eastern
      studies
      such
      as
      Ara-
     
     
      bic
      language,
      contemporary
     
     
      Arab
      issues,
      ancient
      history
     
     
      and
      politics
      of
      the
      region.
     
     
      Several
      other
      Universities
     
     
      participated
      so
      we
      met
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      from
      England,
      Germa-
     
     
      ny
      and
      Austria
      as
      well
      as
      the
     
     
      Egyptian
      students
      at
      MIU.
     
    

    
     
      We
      began
      classes
      roughly
     
     
      a
      week
      after
      landing.
      Egypt
     
     
      is
      a
      predominantly
      Muslim
     
     
      country,
      for
      them
      Friday
      is
      a
     
     
      holy
      day
      so
      their
      workweek
     
     
      starts
      Sunday.
      We
      attended
     
     
      classes
      from
      Sunday
      to
     
     
      Wednesday
      every
      week.
     
     
      Classes
      were
      more
      casual
     
     
      than
      they
      are
      here;
      profes-
     
     
      sors
      often
      answered
      their
     
     
      phones,
      interrupting
      the
     
     
      middle
      of
      a
      lesson.
     
    

    
     
      One
      of
      the
      first
      and
      most
     
     
      notable
      changes
      was
      food.
     
     
      Some
      of
      the
      students
      wanted
     
     
      to
      ease
      their
      transition
      into
     
     
      the
      culture
      by
      eating
      Egyp-
     
     
      tian
      renditions
      to
      food
      we
     
     
      could
      find
      at
      home.
      It
      wasn't
     
    
   
   
    
     
      too
      hard
      to
      find
     
     
      "Western'
      food,
      as
     
     
      there
      was
      a
      Mc-
     
     
      Donald's,
      KFC
     
     
      and
      various
      Italian
     
     
      restaurants
      and
     
     
      steakhouses
      near
     
     
      our
      apartments.
     
     
      After
      a
      few
      days
     
     
      our
      wallets
      got
      a
     
     
      little
      lighter,
      as
     
     
      that
      sort
      of
      food
      is
     
     
      expensive.
      Soon
     
     
      we
      began
      to
      eat
     
     
      like
      real
      Egyp-
     
     
      tians
      sampling
      the
     
     
      delights
      of
      falafel,
     
     
      fuul,
      shawarma
     
     
      and
      our
      favourite,
     
     
      koshari.
      Koshari
      is
     
     
      an
      Egyptian
      staple
     
     
      because
      it's
      cheap
     
     
      yet
      filling
      and
      deli-
     
     
      cious,
      being
      very
     
     
      similar
      to
      pasta
      or
     
     
      stir-fry.
      Our
      group
     
     
      frequented
      a
      small
     
     
      bakery
      that
      sold
      baklava
      and
     
     
      other
      lovely
      Arabic
      deserts
     
     
      and
      pastries,
      many
      drenched
     
     
      in
      honey
      (yummy!).
      Some
     
     
      people
      were
      adventurous
     
     
      enough
      to
      try
      other
      tradi-
     
     
      tional
      foods
      such
      as
      pigeon
     
     
      and
      fried
      cow
      brain
      sand-
     
     
      wich.
     
    

    
     
      It
      catered
      towards
      a
      veg-
     
     
      etarian
      diet
      with
      its
      abun-
     
     
      dance
      of
      protein
      rich
      foods
     
     
      like
      beans
      and
      lentils
      and
     
     
      was
      also
      full
      of
      carbohy-
     
     
      drates
      that
      gave
      us
      energy
     
     
      to
      last
      through
      the
      hot
      and
     
     
      tiring
      days.
     
    

    
     
      The
      relationship
      between
     
     
      men
      and
      women
      and
      roles
     
     
      they
      play
      are
      different
     
    
   
   
    
     
      in
      Egyptian
      society.
      For
     
     
      example
      it
      is
      more
      accept-
     
     
      able
      in
      public
      for
      men
      to
     
     
      have
      a
      physical
      relationship
     
     
      with
      the
      same
      sex
      than
      with
     
     
      the
      opposite,
      likewise
      with
     
     
      women.
      It
      is
      not
      uncom-
     
     
      mon
      to
      see
      two
      men
      or
      two
     
     
      women
      walking
      down
      the
     
     
      street
      arm
      in
      arm
      or
      even
     
     
      holding
      hands.
      They
      also
     
     
      kiss
      and
      may
      call
      each
      other
     
     
      habibi
      (meaning
      sweet-
     
     
      heart)
      when
      greeting
      each
     
     
      other.
      It
      was
      refreshing
      to
     
     
      see
      how
      open
      the
      relation-
     
     
      ships
      between
      people
      of
      the
     
     
      same
      gender
      were
      -
      homo-
     
     
      sexuality
      was
      rarely
      given
     
     
      any
      acknowledgement.
      The
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ~
      same
      could
      not
      be
      said
      for
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      interactions
      between
     
     
      men
      and
      women
      as
      soci-
     
     
      etal
      constraints
      call
      for
      the
     
     
      separation
      of
      the
      sexes.
      As
     
     
      mentioned
      before,
      Egypt
      is
     
     
      a
      Muslim
      country
      and
      Islam
     
     
      states
      that
      men
      and
      women
     
     
      are
      equal
      but
      ought
      to
      be
     
     
      separated
      in
      public
      life.
      It
     
    

    
     
      is
      a
      common
      misconcep-
     
     
      tion
      that
      Islam
      is
      a
      male
     
     
      dominated
      religion
      and
      the:
     
     
      women
      are
      suppressed.
     
     
      Even
      though
      some
      women
     
     
      wear
      scarves
      to
      cover
      their
     
     
      hair
      or
      burkas
      to
      cover
      their
     
     
      whole
      face,
      this
      is
      done
      in
     
     
      modesty
      and
      to
      protect
      them
     
     
      from
      the
      lustful
      gazes
      of
      —
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      men
      and
      give
      them
      pri-
     
     
      vacy.
      Men
      are
      also
      required
     
     
      to
      dress
      moderately
      and
     
     
      not
      show
      off
      their
      bodies
     
     
      too
      much.
      In
      Egypt
      these
     
     
      standards
      resulted
      in
      us
     
     
      seeing
      women
      dressing
      in
      a
     
     
      wide
      range
      from
      Hijabs
      to
     
     
      Burgas
      or
      demure
      Western
     
     
      clothing
      while
      men
      usually
     
     
      wore
      long
      pants
      and
      shirts
     
     
      or
      galabeyas
      (a
      plain
      gown
     
     
      reaching
      the
      feet).
     
    

    
     
      Aside
      from
      a
      rat
      in
      one
     
     
      group's
      apartment
      and
      a
      few
     
     
      nerve-wracking
      treks
      down
     
     
      dark
      back
      alleys,
      we
      felt
     
     
      very
      safe
      during
      our
      stay
      in
     
     
      Cairo.
      We
      never
      witnessed
     
     
      or
      heard
      of
      petty
      crime,