So long, Ramadan

Now, it's time to party. Ramadan is over. That means Egyptian life goes back to normal. I have no idea what normal means, but I have a feeling life gets a little easier. I'm looking forward to restaurants being open during the day and the ability to buy the random necessary things for life at 4:00 p.m. instead of 1 a.m. The library will be open pass 2 p.m., so hopefully, I'll find a nice place to study than my room. But, one plus about Ramadan was the gym was never crowded. Just me and the personal trainer almost every time. 

Let me rewind and give you some background information. Egypt goes nocturnal during Ramadan (many of my Egyptian hall mates would sleep from sunrise to sunset everyday). Everybody fasts throughout the day and the day doesn't really start until iftaar at sunset. Stores are open until 2 a.m. everyday, but you won't find any store open between 4 and 6. 

This means dinner almost ready!

Sunset in Cairo (that's the Nile)

This is not the Great Lighthouse, but it's a cool picture.

 

The American Web

They might have Web 3.0 here, but it ain't like America.

Sure, there are plenty of internet cafes. And it's possible to get your e-mail on your phone. If I really wanted to I could've written this blog post with my cell phone (maybe without the nice picture).

Here's the difference: Hulu.com is out of commission and NBC.com leaves you in the desert out to dry. In America, both of these sites host TV shows on the internet for free (the catch: there's about 5-10 minutes of commercials per hour long show). But, neither of these sites works in Egypt. If anyone knows why, I'd be interested to find out. My theory is the additional ad revenue that these companies would get is not worth their time paying lawyers to examine non-western countries laws in order to create a legal service. 

Hulu and NBC are shrimp compared to iTunes. But, iTunes has the same problem. According to the terms of use, it's illegal to download from the U.S. iTunes store from outside the U.S. Now, people in France might be mad because that means they have to pay a Euro per song instead of a dollar. It's different for people in Egypt (or most countries for that matter); they can't download anything.

Luckily, there's a beautiful loophole. iTunes relies on consumer's credit card address not IP address. This loophole is pretty common knowledge and Apple could fix this problem in a second. So, why doesn't it. I think they're just turning a blind eye. Apple is happier with $42.99 in its pocket and I am happier a season pass to the third season of Heroes.

Of course, there's the black market of downloads. I've heard that limewire works perfectly fine (I've never used it, so I wouldn't know). My Egyptian friends have showed me sites where you can download newly released videos. The videos are a little shaky as they come from people who video tape movies in the theater, but they have Arabic subtitles, so watching a movie is like studying.

So that's the internet. Same old thing just with a little less services.

Gift from God

During Ramadan, everyone in Egypt (except for me) fasts during the day. That means no food and no water from sunrise to sundown. The moment the sun sets everyone and I mean 98% of the population eats the Iftar -- the meal breaking the fast. The beautiful thing about Ramadan is it brings everyone together since everyone bonds over their fast and their Iftar.

Where is the other 2%? They're late! So, we went out in the street and handed dates to cars passing by. My Muslim friend explained to me that breaking the fast with a date at the moment Iftar begins is like receiving a gift from God. And furthermore, giving a random person a date to break the fast is like receiving two gifts from God. 

Dr. Mom

The day before I left for Egypt I had everything packed, but I didn't pack any Sudafed, Advil, or Tylenol. I don't really get sick, so I thought I'd be fine. A couple hours before we left for the airport, Dr. Mom forced me to put these in my suitcase. Well, I was sick all of last weekend and it was nice to be able to take medicine that I could trust! 

Word to the wise: Consult Dr. Mom before going abroad.

The Microbus

I'm sitting in the back seat of this Microbus (اسمها مشروة بالعربية)

It's an alternative to taking the taxi. The Microbuses only have five rows of seats, but before they take off, they always find a way to squeeze in 19 people including the driver. Two people can sit beside the driver in the front, four people can sit in the very last row, three people can sit in the three middle rows, and the remaining three people sit in the folding chairs along side the three middle rows. 

The ride is only 3/4 pound (about 12 cents). In order to pay, you just pass your money to the person sitting in front of you. 

The upsides: 1. fixed, lower prices 2. carpool with everyone and their mothers and save the environment

The downsides: 1. you have to know their routes 2. you get dropped off 10 minutes away from where you actually want to be.

Beware of the Camel's Nose

It's a slippery slope when it comes to street vendors. Once you open the door, they are going to everything humanly possible to make you purchase their product.

At night (edit -- day or night), street vendors walk up and down the street trying to sell whatever they can. One guy sells cashews, another sells watches, and another sunglasses, while children try to sell squeaky toys and old women hold out their trembling hands with tissues for sale. To get a mental image, picture the guys selling Hagen Das at Major League baseball games, but instead of ice cream these guys have reading lights, keychains, or blow-up animals.  

When I walk around a big city, I enjoy checking out the street vendors' selections of products. However, when I go to a cafe to relax and enjoy a view of the Mediterranean, the last thing that I'm thinking about is purchasing a fake gold watch. I can't imagine purchasing a watch on a whim. If I wanted a cheap watch, I would go to a souk (market).

Why do street vendors stroll about (or better yet, troll) the cafes? How can it be in their economic best interest?

I figured the best way to find out was to pretend like I was interested in purchasing a watch. So, I made eye contact with one of the guys selling gold watches and knock off sunglasses. He came over immediately and asked me what I wanted. I pointed to a watch and asked how much. He told me 80 pounds (15 dollars), and I figured, I got my information and I was done. So, I told the street vendor "Thank you for your time, but that's too expensive. Good night." And here's where the story begins...

First, he offered a lower price. Then, he showed me his entire box full of watches and offered me a special deal for his "Rolex." The words, no thank you, seemed to mean nothing to him. Next, he placed the watch on the table and even dropped it in my lap. His theory was, once the watch was out of his hands, I owed him payment. After playing hot potato for ten minutes, the street vendor finally walked away.

But, that wasn't the last of him! Five minutes later, he came back and offered the watch for 20 pounds. And best of all, he tried to guilt trip me claiming that I wasted his time. 

What did I learn here?

1. Avoid trolling street vendors at all costs.

2. These guys are persistent. Once they sense a potential buyer, they attack with full force. 

3. Flexible pricing allows them to maximize profit. If I was actually interested in a watch, I would have probably made his quota for the night by paying 80 pounds. If I was only interested in a very low price, he would have still made a profit by selling the watch for 20 pounds.

4. It's not like the street vendors are very successful in the first place. Most of these people are in pretty poor health and their work opportunities are limited. Their job requires minimal capital investment and if successful in bargaining, the returns can be (relatively) enormous.

Exception: The guy who sells cashews. He is a genuinely nice guy who counts out the cashews to make sure that you get exactly what you paid for.

A Fruit Stand

Just as the title says. Nothing more and nothing less.