I am sure you find this blog really corny at times. Take this as a warning that this will be one of those times. I mentioned that some days I feel like a tourist still, but most of the time I feel like I belong here. It is a strange phenomenon to feel both of these things (my students might say it is a “duuble ejied weepon”--double edged weapon pronounced and used incorrectly), but I am becoming accustomed to it. When I interact with locals in Arabic, I feel like a local myself. When I hang out with Adly and his friends, I feel like just another Egyptian twenty-something year old. And this past weekend when I went with Tito (one of my teammates) to the salon for a haircut, I felt like just another vain Egyptian girl.
There is an unusually appearance-oriented culture here despite the fact that women are to be modest and encouraged to remain separated from the men. As I waited for my turn with the one hairdresser brave enough to contend with my white-girl hair (I heard the hairdressers--all men, mind you--argue about who had to deal with me; I think they ended up drawing straws), I watched at least ten women come in to have their faces waxed, nails painted, and if they were uncovered,have their hair flat ironed or curled like Shirley Temple.
I asked Tito how normal it was for a salon to be so busy, and she insisted that this was a slow day. Apparently, women take a lot of pride in their appearance and use any social event (big or small) as a reason to look special. I can appreciate that; I have lived here for less than half a year and I already feel grimy all the time. Whenever Grace and I do anything different than our normal schedule, we spend a little extra time getting ready so we don’t look like we just walked out of the desert!
There is an unusually appearance-oriented culture here despite the fact that women are to be modest and encouraged to remain separated from the men. As I waited for my turn with the one hairdresser brave enough to contend with my white-girl hair (I heard the hairdressers--all men, mind you--argue about who had to deal with me; I think they ended up drawing straws), I watched at least ten women come in to have their faces waxed, nails painted, and if they were uncovered,have their hair flat ironed or curled like Shirley Temple.
I asked Tito how normal it was for a salon to be so busy, and she insisted that this was a slow day. Apparently, women take a lot of pride in their appearance and use any social event (big or small) as a reason to look special. I can appreciate that; I have lived here for less than half a year and I already feel grimy all the time. Whenever Grace and I do anything different than our normal schedule, we spend a little extra time getting ready so we don’t look like we just walked out of the desert!
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