more random observations

Nail polish- In the US a lot of women opt not to paint their fingernails but, at least among college girls, I rarely see women without their toenails painted. When I was in Indonesia I noticed that none of the women had their nails painted. This same observation in Egypt led me to believe that there must be some connection to nail polish and Islam. I asked a couple women about it last night and they explained to me that Muslim women are allowed to wear nail polish but that they have to remove it before they pray. (Same goes for makeup, although most religious women only wear makeup in their homes.) Since they pray five times a day, every day, it is kind of silly to paint your nails because you’ll only have it on for a few hours. Interesting. Semi-related note, they are not allowed to pluck/wax their eyebrows… be this religious or Egyptian culture, I’m not sure.

Garbage man- every day a man rings my doorbell to collect the garbage to take it outside. The funny thing is that there is a place to put trash about 10 steps outside my door. Yet, he still comes. Every day. Best part is, my doorbell sounds like birds chirping.

Update on stoplights- I found a stoplight that was working and we actually stopped when it turned red. Gasp. Without me saying anything the man who was driving the car explained that he only stopped because there was a camera on top of the light. The fact that he felt he had to justify stopping at a light is pretty telling of how the traffic works around here. It was also brought to my attention that lane lines are additionally arbitrary. The general rule seems to be: no matter how many lanes there are supposed to be, squeeze in at least two more. Side mirrors are often removed because they serve no purpose and just take up room that could be used to create yet another lane of cars.

Getting lost- I’ve learned that I’m not the only person who can’t find my way around. Phew! Because Cairo is such a big and confusing city people constantly ask other drivers, pedestrians, and traffic cops which way to go. And since cars drive with only about a foot separating them, it’s extremely easy to ask the person driving next to you. You don’t even have to shout! How convenient. But there is one problem… apparently the people in Cairo would rather guess which way you’re supposed to go than admit they don’t know. So ask around. A lot.