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Egyptians are very friendly people, with a good sense of humor. And one of the funniest parts of my days here has consistently been hearing people’s reactions to the fact that I’m an American. After Obama’s speech here last week, Egyptians are very pro-America. They already saw us as a good source of money through tourism, and now they think that we can help them create a better (i.e. less corrupt) democracy, and perhaps even something like a “United Arab States” - a pipedream political and economic entity mirroring the EU, but for Arabic nations.

Some of the better responses I’ve gotten when I’ve told Egyptians that I’m American:

“Mr. Obama is the man!”
“American? So you know Mr. Obama? You shake his hand? I want to shake his hand.”
“Are you Egyptian? No, American? Ah, no wonder I thought you Egyptian. We are brothers!”
“Welcome, welcome, welcome. We love America!”

The currency of the Egyptian Pound (abbreviated LE after something French) is extremely weak to the dollar: roughly 5.5 to 1. This makes it very cheap to sleep and eat, though the tourist attractions have their prices inflated (which makes the locals angry, as it is very expensive for them to see their own sites).

The Cairo subway is amazing: just 1 pound to go anywhere. Definitely the best method of transportation around the city.

The downside to being a tourist is that especially around the tourist sites, there is a lot of harassment. I’ve never felt threatened physically, or even felt in danger of a pick-pocket, but there are hustlers galore. They offer you something by saying, “this is a gift” or “this is free, no money” or “for good luck” and shove some worthless trinket into your hand. Then they offer to take a picture of you and when it’s all done they ask for money. Preferably USD or Euros. Despite seeming friendly at first, I’ve found it best not to acknowledge these people (or even let them know that you speak English).

Finally, there are some cultural differences I had to get used to. The biggest is gender roles. While our tour guide said that Egypt is very progressive for a Muslim country - the women are not required to wear hijab and the sale of alcohol is permitted - there were a few things I had to get used to. In taxis, men sit up front with the driver, while women must be in the back. On the subway, there are cars that are designated for women only, where men cannot enter. Cafes and shops are also segregated by gender (i.e. there are no stores that sell both male and female clothing). This is an abrupt change for me, as the most separation I’m used to in the US is really just bathrooms. But, it also means that it not uncommon to see men going arm in arm with each other or for women to be holding hands together in the street, just as friends.

And while the Egyptians themselves don’t typically drink alcohol, they do smoke. A whole lot. Shops where the entire point is to smoke hookah are very popular. A game of dominos usually accompanies this. For a place that is already so hot and dehydrated (I’ve been consuming 6+ liters of water daily), I can’t imagine wanting to smoke.