A while ago I was listening to a relatively old song by Mohamed Foaad that he sang in that movie of “ America shika-bika”… the song was talking about the meaning of the word “Homeland”… It was very similar in its meanings to that part of the novel written by that Dr. Ahmed Khaled Tawfik that I posted twice before on PTP; the one talking about Egypt …

 

Both were talking about the tiny little things that form together our everyday life scenarios… and I couldn’t but think… are these the reasons for which I am in love with this country… what if I weren’t Egyptian… would I have really felt this passion towards whatsoever other nationality I had…? I don’t know…

 

I won’t dig into discussing the meaning of a homeland in general… but would rather think about Egypt itself… what does Egypt mean to me… who is this Egypt that I fall for with this passion, love, and anger…?

 

Is it Egypt the land, or the people…?

 

Alexandria, with its tolerant fishermen, or Aswan with its tough upper Egyptians…?

 

Or is it Cairo with its everlasting crowds and the impossible traffic jam in any hour through the day…?

 

Is it the natural beauty of the red sea coast…? Or is it the spiritual historical theme of Sinai…?

 

Is it the kindhearted peasants in the countryside… hardworking from dawn till dusk?  

 

Is it the smiles exchanged between strangers in the streets…? Or is it the frowning face of a striving governmental employee…?

 

Is it the loud laughters between friends mocking their own selves…?

 

Is it the jokes telling and the hysterical laughs…?

 

Is it the “feeling safe” while walking in the street even if it is 2 am in the morning…?

 

Is it Ramadan with its lanterns, mesa7araty, and family gatherings at the breakfast time, or is it the feast with its cakes and children playing with bombs in the streets…?

 

Is it the Egyptian character, with this strange combination of nobility, generosity and virility, yet complete disorder and even ignorance sometimes?

 

Is it the glorious October war…?

 

Is it the amazing pharaonic monuments everywhere around the country…? Or is it the spiritual Islamic and Coptic old Cairo …?

 

Is it the bald-faced youth standing on the corners of the streets waiting for any passing female to sexually harass her… even if it is with just words…?

 

Is it the streets children…? Or is it the empty-headed spoiled girls…?

  

Or is it the burned hospitals, the crashed trains, the drowned carriers, and the corruption everywhere…?  

 

Is Egypt really that beautiful… or is it really that ugly…?

Are Egyptians really that kindhearted… or are they really that indifferent…?

Is Egypt any of this…? Or is it this altogether…?

 

Just thoughts…

 

 

Rou…

 

My driving license was unfortunately withdrawn a few weeks ago due to breaking the speed limits, so I decided to drive all the way to Maadi through the -trafficked but safe without “legan”- Corniche and “Salah Salem” path rather than “Al-Qatameya” path, until I get my license back. On my way I pass by a place called “3ein el seera”; where a very strange incident happened a couple of times last Sunday and Monday.

 

It was almost 6:30 p.m.; the traffic is usually very low at this timing, so I was really driving fast -as usual- when all of a sudden I saw CAMELS.

 

YES! Believe it or not…!

 

Call it a caravan, a flock or even a train of CAMELS walking on the pavement, filling the roadway, and causing a traffic jam.

 

They were everywhere that the cars had to stop until they moved to the right a little to clear a narrow lane in the left that can hardly pass a car, in a scene that you can only see in a comic movie, and still say to yourself… “7′ayal el mo7′reg 3aly awy”

 

The same scene happened the very next day at the exact same time…

 

I really wonder where they were heading to, and how come this happened in the first place…!

 

I mean… I’ve been there… this really could have caused terrible car accidents…!

 

Anyhow, have a nice day…

         Rehab