The World’s Crazy Mother
I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to blog this CNN video. I realize it has no direct connection to any sort of topic specifically related to women or the concerns of women, but I think many Savvy readers will nonetheless find it of interest, mostly because it sheds a bit of light on what life in my current home city is like. By the way, the locals often refer to Cairo as “Um al-Dunya,” which is Arabic for “Mother of the World.”
Ah, home sweet home! Actually, the whole of Cairo is not as bad as what’s shown on this clip. There are quieter places (relatively speaking) where one can do a bit of safe (relatively speaking) strolling and escape the city’s “theme song,” as Ben Wedeman puts it. For example, Maadi, the district where I live, is a pretty nice place. It certainly does have its ugly spots, but there are beautiful ones as well. Plus, it’s an incredibly international area which I find very exciting. Just the other day, for example, I was walking along and discovered a small park that appears to be the meeting place for many Chinese stay-at-home moms. I liked the spot so much that I sat down on one of the benches and listened to the women speaking Chinese and watched their young children playing together. It was the sort of scene that made me understand that this city really is Um al-Dunya.
I want to say a word about Selwa, the woman who compares crossing the street to playing a sport. Wedeman is right. She does show “typical” Egyptian humor, and that’s one of the reasons I really like the locals. They have an incredible ability to see beyond the sound and fury and to laugh at things that would make others cry.
Tags: Travel
