Only in Cairo...

I love Cairo, but Cairo and I have a love hate relationship. Some days it is so hard as an American to function in this city….every little errand takes days to take care of. No one here makes to do lists – its too daunting to see on paper and that list will never be completed. My current battle is the kitchen in my new apartment. There is a pipe that’s broken inside the walls and I know this because we’ve had floods not only from under the sink but also under the stove. Explaining this concept to my bowab (the door man and maintenance man in Egyptian apartment buildings) and to the plumber was absolutely impossible. They’ve ‘fixed’ the problem about 4 times now, each taking days because timing and their willingness to see their job didn’t fix the problem.

But with headaches such as this, and others such as being stuck in an elevator or having your taxi’s car break down, there are some moments in Cairo that are truly magical. Tonight for instance, my friends and I went to the café at the Om Kuthoum hotel to some shisha and hang out. We got to the café at around 2:30 in the morning after a party we attended. We’re sitting down and chatting when we notice a group of people sit down to the left of us. There is an older man with the group who is blind, and some other very distinguished looking people with him, notably a woman who sits to his left. This man began to sing in an improvisational style that hushed the entire outdoor café. It was as if everyone’s hearts drifted to this man’s singing. The waiters were complete engaged in this man’s voice, and no one could do anything for a couple of minutes. The most beautiful thing about it was as he began to fade off from his song, the woman to his left picked up the improvisation. Her voice was just as beautiful. I’ve heard about this kind of passing of poetry, but to see it at an outdoor café with such talented voices was just amazing. It was a moment that made me remember the charm of Cairo and the beauty of the Arabic language.