The Cairene

يو م الخميس اللي فات، نزلت الزمالك كالعادة اني بنزل في اليوم دة، كان اجازة رسمية "عيد تحرير سيناء" ف الزملك كانت شوارعها فاضية لحدّ ما،علي عكس طبيعتها كل ايام الخميس. قررت اني اتمشي شوية باليافطة بدّل ما افضل قاعدة في مكاني اللي ماكنش قيه روح اوي لغياب عمّ مصطفي اللي بيجلس جمب فرشة جرايد و كتب. اتمشيت في شارع البرازيل و انا ماشية لمحت عامل من العُمّال اللي في محل الكاب-كيكز الشهير “Nola Cupcakes” بيدّي طفل صُغيّر من اطفال الشوارع قطعة كاب-كيك، و علي بُعد خطويتن تجلس امراة عجوز و تطلب من العامل انه يدّيها قطعة ليها هيَّ كمان. اقتربت و سالتني الست المُسّنة: "ايه دة؟؟ مكتوب ايه؟؟". ردّيت عليها و قُلتلها مكتوب: "لو عاوز تتكلم عن اي حاجة، انا هاسمعك". فردت قائلة: "هتسمعييني ازاي؟ معاكي ميكريفون؟؟" ابتسمت و قلتلها: "لا، انا باسمع الناس عشان اساعدهم، بس انا مش وعايا ميكريفون ولا بصوّر". فردت: "اه، حسنة يعني، ربنا يكرمك يا بنتي و يجعله في ميزان حساناتك". افتكرت موقف الكاب-كيك و سالتها "انتي عايزة واحدة؟" فردت عليّا...

On my way to university, the bus passed by an Elementary public school. It was the morning line where all the young girls are veiled. I don't understand. Why do traditions steal their innocence and childhood at the very beginning of their life? I don't think their age exceed 10 years old and it's really sad. Aren't they beautiful young girls? Don't they have the rights to enjoy their hair like all  the other girls from higher classes? The funny thing is that the people need to know that it won't make their girls go the way the want? Veil is not a matter of covering your head and I am pretty sure when these young girls grow up, they won't be so convinced although it could be the time when they are obliged to wear it according to Islam's rules. I find it equally similar to Child Labour because it's unfair. It's not a matter of acknowledgement, it's an educational problem. This society needs to be educated so we get rid of many more issues aga...

I know this topic is too repetitive, but I couldn't help not writing about it. Yesterday I was in Zamalek at 3.00 pm. I saw a red-head foreigner, who seemed to be in her thirties, walking down the street uncomfortably with fast steps, and t hen I noticed two Egyptian guys walking behind her and uttering few words that I couldn't actually recognize. The woman was trying to escape from them, and even tried looking to the other people in the street, but of course nobody moved an inch. I was in the Taxi when I saw her taking a a side to pretend to be getting into the pharmacy or looking at its vitrine(display cabinet). It saddened me that she wasn't even wearing any kind of revealing clothes, even if she was, it would still be sad. It saddened me more the fact that there was nothing catchy to look for at the PHARMACY'S Vitrine, I mean, who stop to stare at what the pharmacy is displaying? She did that till the boys kept on walking as she took that side. They really walked ...

Right away after 25 January, 2010, people were hopeful. We were all being injected with that dose of Freedom that made us all happy. Everyone was walking in the street with a smile on their faces while bragging about how we toppled the old regime down. We were, literally, on the other side where the grass is greener.  A year passed.  Islamist and MB had more control, but we were still hoping. We c onvinced ourselves that they will not kill our hopes that got up too high after the previous year's achievement. We were all dreamers, with nightmares included. We just wanted to get rid of SCAF to be able to start ahead. Egypt was wounded; we either could have stopped the wound to make it leave a memorable scar, or leave her to bleed till she dies. Another year passed. (We learnt it the hard way). We kinda tried to heal Egypt's wound, but it wasn't the perfect bandage. It didn't fit so well, and Egypt kept bleeding more. Today, I was in Tahrir. It was so different and sad. It...