Stepping out of the airport the warm dry heat and a dusty old truck throwing large amounts of dust into the air as it drove of were the first memorable moments of Cairo.  Although the time was around two in the morning in local time, it became apparent that this was not the time to be spent retiring for the day ahead.  There was the buzzing of shoppers going about the market places; women dressed in brightly coloured and summery style clothing – many in Muslim attire.  Restaurants and cafes did not appear to be closing for the night as we drove past and there was the constant buzzing of foreign sounds, the music and the constant conversation in colloquial Arabic. 

What struck me most about this culture and country was the laid back attitude of the people there.  It seems that there is no care in the world, no worries and no major concerns in Egypt.  It is here that you are likely to see cows wobbling about on trucks while driving around the motorway, or fridges stacked precariously on the back of a vehicle looking horribly in danger of falling off.  Then there is the health and safety issue.  In the UK it would not be allowed to ride ones bike with something that looked like a chain saw across ones lap (with the blade facing ones stomach) because of the prospect of an accident, neither would it be acceptable to walk around with a ladder over ones shoulder while in conversation, moving around so that ladder could potentially hit those in front of one or behind.  When enquiring about a child that seemed to be running in amongst the heavy traffic at a t – junction I was told along the lines that “Well, in Egyptian culture, they do not worry about what happens – they believe in predestination!”  As I Muslim I also believe the same, but I still see this as dangerous.

One of the good things about being so unconcerned and laid back, however, is that in the culture in general there is far more trust than in the UK.  I liked the friendliness and approachability of the people there and I also liked the fact that they seemed to trust one another – without all the police checks, references, passports, CV’s and other documents required for most things currently.  For example, in the apartment in, which I stayed, which was with the family of a friend, we would hear the regular calling of a person outside selling tomatoes.  Each day we would hear the strong voice, that rose up all those floors (I cannot recall how many) booming “tomatim…tomatim” (tomatoes in Arabic).  Then my friend would take a bucket to the balcony, put the money in and lower it to the ground, so that the man could put the tomatoes in and take the money, leaving change if need be.  Their lack of concern led them not to worry that this tomatoes man may not actually put the tomatoes in the bucket or whether he would run off with the change, so there was a mutual trust there.  I saw this bucket also used for house keys.  In terms of transport, I never used the bus, because I was driven everywhere by car, but I was told that on the buses people could quite easily get on and take a seat, they then passed the money down to the front from person to person, until it reached the driver, who would take it in his hand behind his back.  So here is where the lack of concern has made their society more light hearted and friendly.  It is not to say that there are no thieves or cheats – there are, but this has not clouded their eyes to the many that are not, and has not made them all tense and suspicious, as unfortunately we find in the UK now.